SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LIONSGATE(R)'s music business has expanded its core creative team with the promotion of Russell Ziecker to the newly-created position of Vice President of TV Music and A&R, it was announced today by Lionsgate Music President Jay Faires. Alongside Faires, Ziecker will continue to head Lionsgate's music operations in creative affairs, overseeing music for the TV slate while pushing the company's A&R efforts.
"I've known Russell for almost 20 years going back to the early days of Mammoth," Faires said. "His promotion to Vice President reflects his growing value as an asset to our music business, and the impressive breadth of his music career makes him an integral part of our company's growth. Russell will be a key player as we move our music agenda forward."
Ziecker has been part of the Lionsgate Music team since its inception in 2005 and has since worked alongside Faires on music production and supervision of more than 15 shows, including the Golden Globe(R) winning hits MAD MEN (AMC) and WEEDS (Showtime). Ziecker is currently working on the television series CRASH with composer Mark Isham, who also scored the Academy Award(R) winning film that inspired the series, and he is working with composer/sound- designer Blake Leyh from HBO's THE WIRE on the Showtime pilot NURSE JACKIE starring Edie Falco. He recently delivered a main title from Serj Tankian for NBC's upcoming series FEAR ITSELF, premiering June 5th, and produced the soundtrack releases for both MAD MEN (Blue Note Records) and WEEDS, Vol. 3 (Lionsgate Records), which will both hit stores on June 24th. Other upcoming projects include themes from Lionsgate composer David Vanacore for Debmar-Mercury's TRIVIAL PURSUIT and THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW.
Ziecker began his music career as a side/session musician and producer before transitioning into music publishing at Chrysalis Music, where he set up the company's New York operations. After nearly eight years at Chrysalis, Ziecker moved to Virgin Music America and became instrumental in signing and developing such acts as the Lemonheads, Jane's Addiction, and Stone Temple Pilots.
Following Virgin Music, Ziecker served a three-year tenure as President/COO of Milan Records/BMG where he was responsible for releasing over 75 soundtracks including the hit TV series FRASIER (Paramount TV) and THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER (Paramount). After leaving Milan, Ziecker ran SYN Entertainment and FUZZ Music + Sound Design, two companies that specialize in music for commercials and advertising and whose clients include Cadillac, Toyota, Verizon, Tokyo-Disney, Honda, Haagen-Dazs, Panasonic and many others. Overall, Ziecker has produced the music for over 250 commercials in the US and Japan.
Lionsgate's music team recently announced an unprecedented partnership with Getty Images, providing award-winning scores for the launch of their music-licensing venture. Continuing to expand its artist roster, Lionsgate has signed eight-time ASCAP and seven-time BMI award winning TV composer David Vanacore and three-time IBMA award winners The Infamous Stringdusters. Other recent achievements include Marco Beltrami's Academy Award(R) nominated score for the hit 3:10 TO YUMA, a prestigious line-up of artists such as Bob Dylan, Miles Davis and the Andrews Sisters on the Golden Globe (R) winning television drama MAD MEN, innovative main title covers from the likes of Linkin Park, Randy Newman and Elvis Costello on the television comedy hit WEEDS, and original end titles from Dr. Dre and The Flaming Lips on the latest Lionsgate features. Lionsgate Music is an innovative, entrepreneurial and diversified company, complementing Lionsgate's filmed entertainment content leadership with a growing role in all facets of music IP.
Lionsgate is the leading, next generation filmed entertainment studio with a major presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company is leveraging its content leadership and marketing expertise through a series of partnerships that include the operation of the highly successful FEARnet-branded VOD and Internet horror channel with Sony and Comcast, the recent announcement of the fall 2009 launch of a new premium entertainment channel with partners Viacom, Paramount Pictures and MGM, investment in the leading young men's digital distribution platform Break.com, ownership of the premier independent television syndication company Debmar-Mercury LLC and an alliance with independent filmed entertainment production and distribution company Roadside Attractions. Lionsgate also has forged partnerships with leading content creators, owners and distributors in key territories around the world, including Televisa in the U.S. and Latin America, StudioCanal in the U.K., Hoyts and Sony in Australia and Eros International in India.
The Company generated approximately $450 million at the North American theatrical box office in the past year and has released a string of hits including The Forbidden Kingdom, Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns, The Bank Job, Rambo, The Eye, Saw IV, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?, Good Luck Chuck, 3:10 To Yuma and War, most of which have opened at #1 or #2 at the box office. The Company has also forged leadership positions in television and home entertainment with the production of such critically-acclaimed television series as Weeds and Mad Men, the distribution of Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Family Feud, South Park, Trivial Pursuit and The Dead Zone, among others, and approximately 7% market share and the industry's leading box office-to-DVD conversion rate in home entertainment. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 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 brand is synonymous with entrepreneurial innovation and original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.
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