Expanded Responsibilities Include Close Collaboration on Starz Scripted Programming
SANTA MONICA, Calif. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia,
March 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Marcello Bellisario has been promoted
to Senior Vice President of Talent & Casting for Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) under a new long-term agreement that
encompasses expanded responsibilities for all scripted casting for Lionsgate as well as collaboration with Starz on their
original programming. The announcement was made by Lionsgate Executive Vice President and Head of Worldwide Scripted
Television Chris Selak and Starz President of Programming Carmi
Zlotnik.
Bellisario will continue to report directly to Selak, as well as work closely with Zlotnik in his new role. The
appointment marks Starz's first full-time hire in this area, and Bellisario will have offices in both Santa Monica and Beverly Hills as part of his expanded responsibilities for
both companies.
Bellisario's skill in identifying great talent and managing talent relationships has contributed to the Lionsgate Television
Group's growth into a leading supplier of premium content to broadcast, cable and digital networks alike. Lionsgate's slate
now encompasses nearly 90 series on 40 different U.S. networks.
"Since joining Lionsgate, Marcello's incredible knowledge of actors and industry relationships has helped our TV Group develop
a slate of award-winning, critically acclaimed series that stand out from the crowd and help define the networks with whom we
work," said Selak. "As our television operations continue to scale and diversify, we are happy to recognize Marcello with
this promotion and expansion of his duties, which will be a huge benefit to Lionsgate, Starz and all of our creative talent."
Zlotnik said, "We are very excited to have Marcello as part of the team, helping to guide our casting partnerships and
decisions. His eye for talent is incredible and we look forward to our creative collaboration on the STARZ
series."
Bellisario holds the distinction of being the first head of Casting & Talent Relations in Lionsgate Television
history. This is a department and Vice President position that he created upon his joining the company in 2014. To
date, he has worked closely with and supervised the casting of series and pilots for Academy Award®-nominated
producers Jason Reitman and Helen Estabrook (Casual/Hulu),
Oprah Winfrey (Greenleaf/OWN), Jenji Kohan (Orange Is The New Black/Netflix),
Clyde Phillips (Nurse Jackie/Showtime and Feed The Beast/AMC), Josh Stern and
Greg Shapiro (Graves/Epix), Mark Schwan (The
Royals/E!), Thomas Schlamme and Sam Shaw ( Manhattan /WGN), and Alli Shearmur (Dirty Dancing/ABC). He
is currently overseeing the casting of several forthcoming series, such as Dear White People (Netflix), White
Famous (Showtime), Dimension 404 (Hulu), Nightcap (Pop), and Manhunt: The UNABOMer (Discovery/Trigger
Street). Furthermore, Bellisario's upcoming projects include Lionsgate's first series for YouTube Red, Step Up, and
the Studio's TV adaptation of its ground-breaking film and television franchise The Kingkiller Chronicle.
Bellisario's relationship with Lionsgate began as the studio and network executive in charge of overseeing the casting of the
pilot for Nashville , which resulted in an Emmy® and Golden Globe®
nomination for star Connie Britton, as well as two Golden Globe® nominations for
Hayden Panettiere. Prior to that, he spent four and half years working at ABC and ABC
Studios, overseeing the casting of Scandal (Emmy®-nominated Kerry Washington and
-winner Joe Morton), How To Get Away With Murder (Academy Award® and
Emmy® winner Viola Davis), Grey's Anatomy and Revenge (Golden
Globe®-nominated Madeleine Stowe).
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a vertically integrated next generation global content leader with a diversified
presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, premium pay television networks,
home entertainment, global distribution and sales, interactive ventures and games and location-based entertainment.
With the acquisition of Starz, Lionsgate adds to its portfolio of businesses the flagship STARZ premium pay network serving
24.3 million subscribers and the STARZ ENCORE platform with 31 million subscribers. The combined company will
operate five over-the-top (OTT) streaming services and the STARZ app delivering content directly to consumers.
The Company's feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster The Hunger
Games franchise, the Now You See Me series, the box office blockbuster La
La Land, which won six Academy Awards®, the hit franchise sequel John Wick: Chapter Two, double Oscar winner Hacksaw Ridge, Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween , CBS Films/Lionsgate's Hell or
High Water, Roadside Attractions' critically-acclaimed Manchester by the
Sea, Codeblack Films' breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me
Explain and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever
released in the U.S.
One of the largest independent television businesses in the world, Lionsgate's slate of premium quality series encompasses
nearly 90 shows on more than 40 different networks. These include the ground-breaking Orange is the New Black, the
fan favorite Nashville , the syndication success The Wendy Williams
Show, the hit drama The Royals, the acclaimed Casual, the breakout
success Greenleaf and hit STARZ series including Outlander, Black
Sails, Survivor's Remorse and Power, the second highest-rated premium pay television series of
2016.
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 more than 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an
important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate,
Summit Entertainment and Starz brands are synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the
world. www.lionsgate.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
Peter Wilkes
Lionsgate
(310) 255-3726
PWilkes@lionsgate.com
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lionsgate-promotes-marcello-bellisario-to-senior-vice-president-talent--casting-300416668.html
SOURCE Lionsgate