SANTA MONICA, Calif., and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Reflecting the Company's cultivation of experienced executive talent, 18-year industry veteran Shaun Barber has been promoted to Executive Vice President & General Sales Manager of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, it was announced today by Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) Motion Picture Group Domestic Theatrical Distribution Co-Presidents Richie Fay and David Spitz. The promotion comes as Lionsgate continues to expand its motion picture operations to encompass more than 40 releases annually across multiple film labels.
An eight-year veteran of Lionsgate and predecessor company Summit Entertainment, Mr. Barber is part of the team responsible for releasing the global blockbuster Hunger Games and Divergent franchises, as well as the worldwide smash Now You See Me and hits such as John Wick, Warm Bodies, The Age of Adaline and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included. While at Summit, he also played a key role in the release of the global blockbuster Twilight Saga franchise and the Academy Award winning The Hurt Locker. He has been involved in five of the 14 biggest domestic box office opening weekends of all time.
Mr. Barber will be responsible for domestic film sales and distribution, including overall distribution strategy for the studio and its nine labels, reporting to Messrs. Fay and Spitz. He will help them shepherd an upcoming slate that includes The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, the most highly anticipated film of the fall, and other eagerly-anticipated films, including Now You See Me 2, Gods of Egypt, Deepwater Horizon, The Last Witch Hunter, the next two films in the Divergent series (Allegiant and Ascendant), John Wick 2, La La Land and the first Saban's Power Rangers live action film.
"At Lionsgate, we mine a deep bench of executive talent that we grow and promote, and Shaun is one of those key leaders who has played an integral role in the distribution of our slate of blockbuster franchises, potential tentpoles, star-driven event films and targeted specialty releases," said Messrs. Fay and Spitz. "His strategic vision, innovation and strong relationships with our theatrical exhibition partners will enable him to help maximize the performance of our growing film slate and capitalize on distribution opportunities in an evolving marketplace."
Mr. Barber came to Lionsgate after the studio's acquisition of Summit Entertainment in January 2012. He joined Summit in 2007 from Warner Bros., where he served as Branch Manager, Domestic Theatrical Distribution. Prior to that, he worked in Domestic Distribution at then 20th Century Fox.
Mr. Barber holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and is active in several industry charitable organizations including Variety--The Children's Charity of Southern California and The Variety Boys & Girls Club of Boyle Heights, California.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms, video games and international distribution and sales. Lionsgate currently has more than 30 television shows on over 20 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black, the multiple Emmy Award-winning drama Mad Men, the hit broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the acclaimed drama Manhattan and the breakout series The Royals.
Its feature film business has been fueled by such successes as the blockbuster first three installments of The Hunger Games franchise, the first two installments of the Divergent franchise, The Age of Adaline, CBS/Lionsgate's The DUFF, John Wick, Now You See Me, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Lionsgate/Codeblack Films' Addicted and Pantelion Films' Instructions 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 rates. 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. www.lionsgate.com
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SOURCE Lionsgate