BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.,
Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Anchor
Bay Entertainment EVP of Worldwide Acquisitions and Co-Productions
Kevin Kasha has been promoted to the newly created position of Head
of Acquisitions at Starz, the parent company of Anchor Bay.
Kasha will oversee film, television series, and digital
acquisitions for all of the Starz businesses including Starz
Networks, Starz Worldwide Distribution, Starz Digital Media, and
Anchor Bay Entertainment. The promotion was announced by
Michael Thornton, Chief Revenue
Officer at Starz.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080522/LATH063LOGO-b)
"Consolidating our acquisitions responsibilities for all of the
Starz businesses through an executive of Kevin's talents is a great
opportunity to bring those business activities into greater
alignment," said Thornton. "Kevin has a strong track record
of success through his work at Anchor Bay Films that will translate
across our integrated businesses."
Kasha has been a key player in the entertainment industry for
more than two decades, overseeing acquisitions, production and
programming for some of Hollywood's leading independent studios.
Kasha joined Anchor Bay Films in 2008 as Senior Vice President of
Acquisitions. He was promoted to Executive Vice President,
Worldwide Acquisitions & Co-Productions in the spring of
2010.
Since joining the team, Kasha has acquired more than 100 films
in a mere five years including the box office successes and award
contenders City Island (starring Andy Garcia) and Solitary Man (starring
Michael Douglas). Kasha also
acquired the home entertainment and digital rights to AMC's smash
hit "The Walking Dead." Recent acquisitions include Rob
Zombie's The Lords of Salem, the critically-acclaimed film
Kill the Irishman starring Ray
Stevenson, Christopher
Walken, Val Kilmer and
Vincent D'Onofrio, Billy Bob
Thornton's Jayne
Mansfield's Car and the cult hit Battle
Royale. Upcoming releases include At Middleton
starring Academy Award® nominees Andy Garcia and Vera
Farmiga, as well as a new joint venture with Twentieth
Century Fox Home Entertainment for the release of Gina Carano's In the Blood. Kasha
served as executive producer on the remake of the 1978 classic by
Meir Zarchi, I Spit on Your Grave. Under Kasha, Anchor
Bay released both versions to critical acclaim. Additionally,
Kasha oversaw the company's partnership with the world's fastest
growing sports organization, the Ultimate Fighting
Championship® (UFC®), to distribute their
wildly popular UFC brand releases on Blu-ray™ and DVD formats.
Prior to joining Anchor Bay, Kasha held the senior posts at New
Line Home Entertainment as well as Miramax Home Entertainment where
he reported directly to Bob and Harvey
Weinstein. One of the first to recognize the
newly developing field of home entertainment and television-driven
acquisitions and production, Kasha has executive produced such
video premiere hits as Lego's Bionicle: Mask of Light, Air Bud
Spikes Back, Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch, Undisputed II: Last Man
Standing, Undisputed 3, The Butterfly Effect 2, The Cell 2, Flight
of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane, The Poison Ivy franchise,
MXP: Most Extreme Primate and Chestnut: Hero of
Central Park.
About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading
integrated global media and entertainment company with operating
units that provide premium subscription video programming on
domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global
content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television
and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.
Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription
video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV
networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to
U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators,
satellite television providers, and telecommunications
companies. As of September 30,
2013, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 57.0 million
subscribers, including 22.0 million at STARZ, and 35.0 million at
ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels
in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks'
third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across
17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated
online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX
PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires
entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on
DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz
Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution
business units distribute original programming content produced by
Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third
parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie
content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences
worldwide.
About Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay
Entertainment is a leading home entertainment company. Anchor
Bay acquires and distributes feature films, original television
programming including STARZ Original series, children's
entertainment, anime (Manga Entertainment), fitness (Anchor Bay
Fitness), sports, and other filmed entertainment on DVD and
Blu-ray(tm) formats. The company has long term distribution
agreements in place for select programming with AMC Networks,
RADIUS, and The Weinstein Company. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment
has offices in Troy, MI, as well
as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Anchor Bay Entertainment
(www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB)
business, www.starz.com.
Contact:
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Eric
Becker
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Sue
Procko
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Starz
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Anchor Bay
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(720)
852-4065
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(310)
836-6200
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eric.becker@starz.com
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sue@spprinc.com
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SOURCE Starz