NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ben Silverman's multimedia entertainment studio, Electus, an operating business of IAC , today announced the acquisition of Engine Entertainment and the formation of a new in-house global distribution arm, Electus/Engine Distribution. The new division will handle worldwide sales for Electus' content including television, motion picture and digital.
Engine Entertainment CEO Chris Philip will assume the role of President of Electus/Engine Distribution with offices in London, Miami, New York and Los Angeles. With over twenty years of major studio and independent experience in the film and TV industry, Philip will oversee the day-to-day operations of the division, handling distribution of Electus' programming as well as programs and formats from other well-known 3rd party providers. Chris Moreton, currently the COO of Engine Entertainment, will assume the role of Executive Vice President of the new division.
"I'm thrilled to have the Engine team on board, led by an innovator like Chris Philip, to build an exceptional new international distribution arm that taps into unconventional models and platforms, bringing outstanding new content to the world," said Ben Silverman, CEO of Electus. "The content distribution business is changing, and I believe Chris and his team are a force in international TV distribution with top-level experience in the global TV industry that will prove to be a huge asset to Electus."
Prior to today's acquisition, Electus and Engine Entertainment had already established a history of working together to create and distribute innovative programming. Announced last year, Electus and Engine co-produce and distribute Thumb Wars, a ground-breaking interactive Smart Phone treasure hunt game show for the U.S. and global markets with sales in multiple territories, originally brought to Engine by format consultant Michel Rodrigue. The partnership packages a hybrid reality competition format to involve network, advertising and digital integration offering an untapped platform for advertisers and electronic applications. Since its launch, Engine Entertainment has sourced over six hundred hours of content for distribution (a mix of U.S. shows that aired on Fox Sports Net, Showtime, PBS, Hulu, and HGTV) and has also partnered with the creator of Baywatch, Greg Bonann, and QED's Bill Block, for the international distribution of Greg Bonann's latest series, Pt. Dume, which is being cleared throughout the U.S. by Twentieth Century Fox and Tribune Broadcasting.
"Ben's game-changing pre-eminence in the global TV market place consistently raises the bar," said Chris Philip, President of Engine/Electus Distribution. "In a very competitive landscape for fresh ideas and product, this deal now puts us at the front of the line."
Today's news rounds out the Electus global distribution strategy and allows the studio to seamlessly handle content creation and distribution in every region of the world and across every format. Electus/Engine Distribution complements the existing Electus international distribution partnerships, including one with Elizabeth Murdoch's Shine Group, which will continue international distribution of its current deals such as Cuckoo's Nest, Master of the Mix, P.I. Moms and Hiccups. As part of the partnership between Electus and Guy Hameiri's Abbot Reif Hameiri Production Company, the leading production company in Israel, Electus/Engine Distribution now serves as the international sales team for the company's programming.
Actively developing television and digital programming for an extensive line-up of top cable channels, broadcast networks and online entities, Electus is the first integrated multimedia entertainment studio to unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof to develop all forms of content for distribution across a variety of platforms around the world. Headed by Silverman, the company connects all parties early on in the development process, creating better content and enabling marketers and advertisers to be a true partner throughout the creative process to develop campaigns.
About Electus
Electus is the first integrated multimedia entertainment studio to unite producers, creators, advertisers and distributors under one roof and produce all forms of content for distribution across a variety of platforms around the world. Headed by Ben Silverman, in partnership with IAC, the company connects advertisers, distributors and content creators early on in the development process, enabling marketers and advertisers to be a true partner in campaigns and content creation. For more information on Electus, visit http://www.electus.com/.
About Engine Entertainment
Engine Entertainment was founded in 2009 by a management team with top-level experience in the global TV industry, high-level contacts across the world's TV markets, and in-depth knowledge of international co-production structures. As well as sourcing over 600 hours of content for distribution, it launched a specialized formats division with Michel Rodrigue as consultant, the first project of which was the ground-breaking interactive Smart Phone treasure hunt game show Thumb Wars, which Engine is co-producing with Electus, for the US, Canada, and the UK. The format has also sold in France, Spain, Poland, and Mexico. Engine also launched Engine Latino, a Spanish language production JV with Simon Bross, one of Mexico's most awarded director/producers who has strong ties to advertisers.
About IAC
IAC operates more than 50 leading and diversified Internet businesses across 30 countries... our mission is to harness the power of interactivity to make daily life easier and more productive for people all over the world. To view a full list of the companies of IAC please visit our website at http://www.iac.com/.
Contact Information ------------------- Leslie Cafferty (212) 314-7326 leslie.cafferty@iac.com Sunshine, Sachs & Associates Jessica Berger (212) 691-2800 berger@sunshinesachs.com
Electus
CONTACT: Leslie Cafferty, +1-212-314-7326, leslie.cafferty@iac.com;
Sunshine, Sachs & Associates, Jessica Berger, +1-212-691-2800,
berger@sunshinesachs.com
Web Site: http://www.electus.com/
