Television
January 19, 2010
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution Names Andrew Zein Senior Vice President, Creative, Format Development And Sales For The Recently FormedInternational Television Production Unit
(January 19, 2010 – Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) has tapped veteran UK production executive Andrew Zein to serve as Senior Vice President, Creative, Format Development and Sales, in the company’s recently formed international television production unit. The hiring of Zein fills a key role in the unit’s core business team of senior executives, reporting to Ronald Goes, who joined the group last year and serves as Executive Vice President and Head of International Television Production. The announcement was made today by Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television.
Established in August 2009, the international television production unit has a mandate to acquire or build production companies in major territories around the world to develop original local programming and adapt the output from the Studio on a market-by-market basis.
“We couldn’t be happier to have Andrew join our team,” said Goes. “The experience that he brings to our group after many years as a hands-on producer and as Managing Director of Tiger Aspect will be invaluable. He has sharp creative instincts and is a growth-oriented business strategist, the perfect skill set for our new venture. I can’t wait to begin working with him.”
In his new position, Zein will work closely with Goes to develop and implement the unit’s creative and licensing strategy. Based in London, he will directly oversee all operations related to the development and production of programming for the unit throughout the world, and will also be part of the core team, identifying production companies from a creative and execution perspective for possible acquisition by WBITD.
In addition to Zein’s hiring, WBITD has also retained the services of Oege Boonstra and his consulting firm, Boonstra Management, to focus on the business and strategic aspects of this new venture.
“The combination of these three experienced, well-respected executives should enable us to efficiently and effectively enter this business and achieve our goals. We have put together a first-class team which should clearly indicate to the community that we are very serious about building this business and should make us a very attractive home for many talented producers and companies operating in individual territories that can see a benefit to becoming part of a larger group anchored by one of the most successful television production studios,” said Schlesinger.
Zein joins WBITD after nearly 13 years at Tiger Aspect Productions (TAP), one of the UK’s leading television producers. Since May 2001, Zein has served as Managing Director, responsible for TAP and its subsidiaries and investments, including the New York–based production entity Tiger Aspect USA. He was charged with maintaining TAP’s leading position among program producers in the UK and globally, while driving growth opportunities for the company. He led both the sale of TAP to International Management Group (IMG) in 2006 and the recent acquisition of TAP by Endemol. During his tenure as Managing Director, TAP has produced over two thousand hours of award-winning programs, including “Secret Diary of a Call Girl,” “Robin Hood,” “Charlie and Lola,” “The Catherine Tate Show” and more.
He began his entertainment career in 1991 as a production assistant on a number of theatrical motion pictures in the UK and U.S. In 1993, he began working in television for a range of independent producers, eventually overseeing more than 300 hours of television production. In 1995, Zein joined the BBC Entertainment Group, managing the restructuring of its commissioning and production process. In 1996, he moved to BBC Planning and Strategy, where he worked with the channel controllers developing and managing the BBC 1 & 2 entertainment schedules.
A global television industry leader, Zein is a former chairman and vice chairman of the UK’s Producers Alliance of Cinema and Television (PACT). He was educated at St Paul’s School and Bristol University. # # #