Paramount grows DVD premiere slate
New department to release six to eight titles a year
By Jennifer Netherby -- Video Business, 10/14/2005
OCT. 14 | Underscoring the growing importance of DVD premiere releases, Paramount Home Entertainment has created a new department devoted to creating and releasing six to eight DVD movies a year, the company said Friday.
The first releases include what the studio calls an "irreverent" comedy by Mike Reiss, a high-school volleyball film produced by MTV and a sequel to Save the Last Dance produced by Robert Cort. Ellen Pittleman, senior VP worldwide acquisitions, will lead the department and be responsible for overseeing the production slate. "We have seen first-hand the tremendous consumer response to original, quality home entertainment content and recognize the great growth potential of this business," said Paramount Pictures Worldwide Home Entertainment president Thomas Lesinski. "To capitalize on this opportunity, we've assembled a seasoned team to develop and produce a diverse slate of projects." The new department brings in an experienced film development team. VP development Matt Bierman held senior positions with Phoenix Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures and oversaw production on Holes; Saving Silverman and Mystery, Alaska. Production VP Jim Glander joins Paramount after working at Miramax for five years, where he was involved with production on Kill Bill, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Frida. Business and legal affairs VP Stephanie Schroeder recently held a similar role for Paramount's Motion Picture Group. VP finance Scott Maziroff joins the company after leaving Miramax, where he was VP production finance. VP post-production John Wiseman has worked for Paramount Classics in post-production for the last 13 years.E-mail Jennifer Netherby
