SANTA MONICA, Calif. and VANCOUVER, Sept. 18, 2014 /CNW/ -- In a move to continue building Lionsgate's (NYSE: LGF) global franchises and extend them into new lines of business, the Company has named Kerry Phelan, a 25-year consumer branding veteran and former head of consumer products and licensing for DreamWorks Animation, to the newly-created position of Executive Vice President of Global Franchise Management and Strategic Partnerships, it was announced today by Lionsgate Chief Marketing Officer Tim Palen, to whom she will report.
Ms. Phelan has played an integral role in growing some of the biggest brands and franchises of all time, including Star Wars, Shrek and LEGO, and she most recently ran Consumer Products & Licensing for DreamWorks Animation, where she significantly increased that studio's consumer products revenue. She also expanded DreamWorks' location-based entertainment operations into a sizable business, shepherding branded attractions in Singapore, Brazil, Australia and other international markets.
"With her track record of cultivating some of the biggest brands in motion picture history, Kerry is ideally qualified to develop and execute retail, merchandising and location-based entertainment initiatives for Lionsgate's growing portfolio of franchises," said Mr. Palen. "From LEGO to Star Wars and Pixar to DreamWorks, she has established herself as a master strategist who knows how to make global brands even bigger and more successful, and she will be an invaluable addition as we expand the palette of opportunities for our Hunger Games, Divergent and other franchises."
Although Ms. Phelan's primary focus will be on growing Lionsgate's film franchises and extending them into new lines of business, her responsibilities will also encompass licensing and merchandising opportunities for the Company's television programming, home entertainment, Pantelion and Codeblack film brands, video games and other digital content.
Prior to joining DreamWorks in 2007, Ms. Phelan was recruited by Pixar to set up the studio's first global licensing and consumer products division and, in concert with Disney Consumer Products, she oversaw the launch of the original Pixar Cars consumer products program which evolved into a blockbuster franchise.
Previously, she spent five years at Lucasfilm developing and managing the Star Wars consumer products business in over 60 countries worldwide.
Ms. Phelan began her executive career in Brand Marketing for LEGO Systems, where she developed the first LEGO direct marketing campaign and was instrumental in helping the company grow the market penetration of the LEGO brand in U.S. households with kids. She received a B.S. degree in Business Administration, Marketing from the University of Connecticut.
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. Lionsgate currently has more than 30 television shows on over 20 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, the comedy Anger Management, which debuts in syndication this fall, the broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show and the critically-acclaimed hit Orange is the New Black.
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first and second installments of The Hunger Games franchise, the first installment of the Divergent franchise, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Now You See Me, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, Warm Bodies, The Expendables franchise, The Possession, Sinister, Roadside Attractions' A Most Wanted Man and Pantelion Films' breakout hitInstructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
For further information, please contact:
Peter D. Wilkes
Lionsgate
310-255-3726
pwilkes@lionsgate.com
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SOURCE Lionsgate
