Jericho, NY – (December 13, 2004) – In the latest series of senior executive hirings and promotions, Rainbow Media Holdings LLC President and CEO Joshua Sapan today announced that three industry and Rainbow veterans will assume new roles, filling out the senior management team of the company's national television networks, AMC, The Independent Film Channel (IFC) and WE: Women's Entertainment.
Sapan's appointments today include: Ed Carroll, who was named President, Entertainment Services, giving him operating responsibility for AMC, IFC and WE: Women's Entertainment; Kim Martin becomes Executive Vice President and General Manager of WE: Women's Entertainment; and Gregg Hill, who has been named President, Distribution, will now oversee affiliate sales and marketing for AMC, IFC and WE: Women's Entertainment, as well as Rainbow's on-demand services, including Mag Rack and sportskool. In addition, Jonathan Sehring, President of IFC Entertainment, will now report directly to Josh Sapan, as will Ed Carroll and Gregg Hill. Kim Martin will report to Ed Carroll.
Today's announcement follows Rainbow's recent appointments of Dan Ronayne as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Mag Rack; Glenn Oakley, who joined Rainbow in September from Showtime Networks, as Senior Vice President, Business Development; Rob Battles who also joined Rainbow in September from Rivercoss Entertainment Ltd. as Senior Vice President, Creative Services; and Greg Moyer and Nora Ryan, as Co-General Managers of VOOM HD Originals.
"Rainbow Media is truly fortunate to have some of the most talented programming and distribution executives in the television and entertainment business," said Mr. Sapan. "With our announcement today, we have solidified the leadership of our national networks by elevating from within our company extremely talented individuals who have a strong understanding of these incredible programming brands and a clear sense of the growth strategy for our networks as the television landscape continues to evolve."
"Ed's organic talent for developing such popular programs as 'Inside the Actor's Studio' and 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' is exceptional. Kim has already been a great asset to WE, helping drive the network's growth to more than 56 million subscribers and putting it in a position to continue its programming momentum. Gregg is one of the top distribution executives in the industry and has helped drive the value of all of our networks. Jonathan is highly regarded in the film industry, responsible for such successes as the top-grossing foreign language film Y Tu Mama Tambien, and documentary films Touching the Void and Fahrenheit 9/11," added Mr. Sapan. "Today's appointments, on top of our recent additions and promotions, make for an exciting new chapter in Rainbow's history."
Most recently, Mr. Carroll was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of The Independent Film Channel (IFC), responsible for overseeing all programming, marketing and sponsorship sales. He served in the dual capacity as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Bravo from 1997 through 2002 (when Bravo was sold to NBC) and is credited with the successful transition of Bravo to an ad-supported service. In September 1994, he played an instrumental role in the successful launch and branding of IFC, cable television's first network completely dedicated to the world of independent film. Among the series and specials developed under Mr. Carroll's supervision at Bravo and IFC: "Inside the Actors Studio"; "The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"; "Dinner for Five" with Jon Favreau; "Ultimate Film Fanatic"; Richard LaGravanese and Ted Demme's award-winning A Decade Under the Influence; and Michael Moore's The Awful Truth. He first joined Rainbow Media, the parent company of Bravo Networks, in 1987 and worked in PR for American Movie Classics (AMC) and Bravo. In 1992, he was promoted to Director of Marketing at Bravo and went on to become Senior Vice President of Marketing. In May 2002, he was honored with The Vanguard Award for Young Leadership by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Independent Feature Project (IFP/New York), and a member of the Cable Advertising Bureau (CAB) and the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM). He holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications and Political Science from the State University of New York at New Paltz. He is a frequent lecturer at New York University's Stern School of Business Administration.
Mr. Hill was most recently the Executive Vice President of Affiliate Sales and Marketing responsible for the distribution of the AMC, IFC, WE: Women's Entertainment and Mag Rack. His specific responsibilities included new subscriber acquisition and retention, new product development, contract negotiations, and affiliate marketing. Prior to that position, Mr. Hill played a central role in the development and growth of Rainbow's Bravo and IFC networks. Under his supervision, Bravo's distribution grew from less than 8 million U.S. households to a fully distributed cable service of more than 68 million viewing households when the network was sold to NBC in 2002 for $1.25 billion. At IFC, Mr. Hill was a founding member of the network's senior team, and since its inception 10 years ago has grown the brand to a distribution of 38 million households. Also at IFC, Mr. Hill helped to create an innovative new distribution paradigm of a cable network, by developing a unique business model which integrates a variety of new businesses, including a theatrical production company to bring greater value to cable operators and satellite distributors. He joined Rainbow in 1993 as Bravo's Director for Sales and Affiliate Marketing. Prior, Mr. Hill served at Lifetime, and C-SPAN, where he played a significant role in the growth of C-SPAN 2. He began his career in the cable industry in 1985, working for the Cable Television Network of New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Rider University. Mr. Hill is also an active board member of the T. Howard Foundation, whose mission is to increase the number of women and people of color in the satellite and telecommunications industry.
Ms. Martin was most recently Executive Vice President of Distribution and Affiliate Marketing for AMC, Fuse, IFC, WE: Women's Entertainment, and Mag Rack and sportskool. In this position she was responsible for the distribution of all the company's networks and worked with allied distributors in the marketing and promotion of the channels' product. She is credited with the growth of WE: Women's Entertainment to more than 56 million subscribers over the past four years. Prior to Ms. Martin joining AMC Networks in September 1999, she was Senior Vice President of Affiliate Sales for Discovery Networks where she was responsible for managing affiliate sales for the United States and Canada. Ms. Martin was instrumental in promoting Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, Animal Planet, Travel Channel and the new Discovery Health Channel, as well as developing and maintaining relationships with regional and corporate Multiple System Operators (MSO's). Currently, she is a member of Women in Cable and Telecommunications and the Cable Television Administration and Marketing Society (CTAM).
She is also a graduate of the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Georgia College and a Masters of Business Administration from Georgia State University.
As President of IFC Entertainment, Mr. Sehring is responsible for IFC Films, IFC Productions, InDigEnt and IFC Theaters. Under Mr. Sehring's leadership, IFC Films has been involved in the theatrical release of some of highest grossing independent films of all time, including My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Fahrenheit 9/1, top-grossing foreign language Y Tu Mama Tambien and documentary films Touching the Void, as well as having served as an Executive Producer on films such as Boys Don't Cry, Monsoon Wedding, Waking Life and the upcoming Daniel Day Lewis film The Ballad of Jack and Rose. IFC Theaters, which also falls under Mr. Sehring's group, will see the opening of the IFC Center in the heart of New York's Greenwich Village in early 2005. In his previous role as head of IFC network programming and production, Mr. Sehring was responsible for creating and launching several award-winning shows and series, including IFC's Emmy-nominated "A Decade Under the Influence," "Dinner for Five," "Baaadassss Cinema," "American Nightmare" and "The Typewriter, The Rifle and The Movie Camera." Prior to the creation of IFC Entertainment, Mr. Sehring oversaw all programming and production activities for Bravo Networks, where he was responsible for creating and launching several award-winning shows and series, including Bravo's Emmy-nominated series "Inside the Actors Studio" and the award-winning series "The South Bank Show." Mr. Sehring holds a Bachelor of Arts from Kenyon College and attended the School of Law at St. John's University in New York City. He was awarded the prestigious Chevalier of Arts and Letters by the French Government in 1999. Mr. Sehring sits on the Boards of IFP LA, The Hamptons International Film Festival and The Criterion Collection.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC:
A leader in sports, news and entertainment programming, Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Rainbow Media owns and manages national networks: AMC, Fuse, The Independent Film Channel (IFC) and WE: Women's Entertainment; as well as the on-demand services: Mag Rack, sportskool, IFC Films On Demand, Uncensored On Demand, World Picks On Demand, and World Picks Networks. Rainbow Media's other businesses include its regional programming services ? MetroChannels, News 12 Networks and Rainbow Sports Networks ? in addition to the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. Rainbow Media is also a 50 percent partner in Fox Sports Net.