Motion Pictures
November 28, 2000
Veronika Kwan-Rubinek & Sue Kroll To Head Warner Bros. Pictures International
(November 28, 2000 - Burbank, CA) - Sue Kroll has been named President, International Marketing and Veronika Kwan-Rubinek has been named President, International Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, it was announced today Alan Horn, President & Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.
Kwan-Rubinek and Kroll will report to Horn, through Richard Fox, Executive Vice President, International, Warner Bros. They will continue to work closely with Fox on the development and execution of the Company’s overall international theatrical strategy and activities.
Kroll’s responsibilities include oversight of the creation and execution of marketing, advertising, media planning, promotion, publicity and research. Working closely with filmmakers on campaign creation and strategy, Kroll is also charged with the day-to-day execution of marketing campaigns in all the international territories.
Kwan-Rubinek will oversee distribution and film release functions, including dating strategy, competitive positioning and tracking of box office grosses and film rentals for Warner Bros. Pictures’ slate of films in the international marketplace.
“When we decided to realign the Warner Bros. Pictures International operations to be consistent with those of our Domestic theatrical division, Veronika and Sue stood out as absolutely the best choices to take the lead in their specific areas and continue the terrific jobs they have been doing,” said Horn.
“Sue and Veronika are very talented executives,” said Fox. “They are experts in their respective fields and the international arena, and are highly respected by filmmakers, exhibitors and their colleagues.”
Kwan-Rubinek and Kroll will oversee the release of films to 124 international territories with their teams at the Company’s headquarters in Burbank, as well as regional offices in the major overseas territories and 59 affiliate operations worldwide.
Kroll has served as Senior Vice President, Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures International Distribution since January 1997, overseeing the international theatrical marketing strategies for such films as “The Perfect Storm,” “The Matrix,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “Lethal Weapon 4,” “L.A. Confidential,” “Wild Wild West,” “Deep Blue Sea,” “City of Angels” and, most recently, “Into the Arms of Strangers,” and is currently working on such upcoming releases as “Proof of Life,” “A.I.,” “Like Cats & Dogs” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
Kroll joined Warner Bros. in June 1994 as Senior Vice President, Programming & Operations, Warner Bros. International Channels, where she was responsible for developing the concept, programming, marketing, operations and strategy for the company’s cable and satellite-delivered channels created exclusively for the international marketplace. The first such channel, WBTV-The Warner Channel, launched in Latin America in 1995, expanding to include a Portuguese-language service for Brazil the following year. Before joining Warner Bros., Kroll spent four years at Turner Network Television (TNT), where she began as Senior Vice President, Marketing, TNT, in Atlanta, developing and directing all of the marketing and promotional campaigns for the network and its programs. She then served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Cartoon Network and TNT in Europe. Based in London, she was responsible for launching the two networks in Europe and overseeing all operations and development activities.
Prior to TNT, Kroll spent seven years working in a variety of capacities at Showtime Networks Inc. in New York, before which she was with The Movie Channel and Viewer’s Choice.
Kwan-Rubinek has served as Senior Vice President, International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures since 1997, overseeing sales and distribution matters, including serving as a liaison with Warner Bros.’ varied co-production partners and third party producers. She also has worked closely with the regional and local office management teams in analyzing and strategizing theatrical releases in the overseas territories.
Kwan-Rubinek earned her Masters of Business Administration in 1988, whereupon she worked as a research consultant for the German American Chamber of Commerce. After that, she worked in International Marketing for Lorimar Film Entertainment before joining Warner Bros. Pictures International as a Sales Analyst. A twelve-year veteran of Warner Bros. Pictures, she has moved up through the ranks, serving as Senior Sales Analyst; Manager, International Sales; and Director, International Operations. She was promoted to Vice President, Warner Bros. Pictures International Distribution in 1995.
Kwan-Rubinek grew up living in six countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia before moving to the United States and speaks fluent German in addition to her knowledge of French and Cantonese. # # #