By MCN Editor editor@moviecitynews.com

NEWLY ESTABLISHED DISTRIBUTION COMPANY WREKIN HILL ENTERTAINMENT AND LIONSGATE ENTER INTO HOME ENTERTAINMENT DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT ENCOMPASSING DVD, BLU-RAY, DIGITAL DELIVERY AND VOD

Posted Monday, November 1st, 2010 - Comments Off on NEWLY ESTABLISHED DISTRIBUTION COMPANY WREKIN HILL ENTERTAINMENT AND LIONSGATE ENTER INTO HOME ENTERTAINMENT DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT ENCOMPASSING DVD, BLU-RAY, DIGITAL DELIVERY AND VOD
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Lionsgate Obtains United States Home Entertainment Distribution Rights For All Upcoming Wrekin Hill Theatrical Titles

SANTA MONICA, CA (November 1, 2010) – LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio and Wrekin Hill Entertainment, the newly established distribution company founded by Chris Ball, former Co-Chairman of Exclusive Media Group and President and Co-Founder of Newmarket Films, have announced that they have entered into a home entertainment distribution deal including DVD, Blu-ray, digital delivery, and Video On Demand (VOD). Under the terms of the arrangement, Lionsgate will become the exclusive home entertainment distributor for all Wrekin Hill Entertainment theatrical releases in the United States. The announcement was made by Steve Beeks, President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Lionsgate, and Chris Ball, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wrekin Hill.

“We have had a great relationship with Chris for many years and are thrilled to be working with him on this new venture.” said Beeks. “We are proud to have Wrekin Hill as our partner and look forward to the opportunity to release their films on multiple formats.”

Rene Cogan, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Wrekin Hill said, “Chris and I are very pleased to be continuing our long relationship with Steve Beeks and Lionsgate.”

Added Ball, “We will be announcing several acquisitions shortly and we are looking forward to working with Lionsgate on these films.”

The deal between Wrekin Hill and Lionsgate gives the former a strong output deal for its recent and upcoming acquisitions and builds on Lionsgate’s tremendous success distributing some of the most prominent product in the marketplace.

Lionsgate is the industry leader in box office-to-home entertainment revenue conversion rate, over-converting industry packaged norm by 20% and VOD norm by 18%. Lionsgate has boasted most of the top converting titles of 2010 for films over $10 million box office with Killers, Kick-Ass, From Paris With Love and Daybreakers.

The deal was negotiated by Rene Cogan on behalf of Wrekin Hill and by Wendy Jaffe, Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, on behalf of Lionsgate.

ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is the leading next generation studio with a strong and diversified presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the Emmy Award-winning “Mad Men”, “Weeds” and “Nurse Jackie” along with new series such as “Blue Mountain State” and “Running Wilde” and the syndication successes “Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne”, its spinoff “Meet The Browns”, “The Wendy Williams Show” and the recently announced “Are We There Yet?”.
Its feature film business has generated such recent hits as THE EXPENDABLES, which was #1 at the North American box office for two weeks, THE LAST EXORCISM, TYLER PERRY’S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO?, KICK ASS and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards(R). The Company’s home entertainment business has grown to more than 7% market share and is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD revenue conversion rate. 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 remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

ABOUT WREKIN HILL
Chris Ball co-founded Newmarket Films in 1994 and acted as COO of that company until December 2009 when Exclusive Media acquired Newmarket. After Exclusive’s acquisition of Newmarket, Ball became Co-Chairman of Exclusive and President of Exclusive Media USA. As Co-founder (with William Tyrer) and COO of Newmarket Films, Ball helped oversee the growth of the company from a private film finance company to one of the preeminent producers and distributors of independent film. During Ball’s time at Newmarket he helped build a library that consists of interests in more than 250 titles. Ball has been Executive Producer on more than 20 films including Memento, Cruel Intentions, Donnie Darko and The Prestige.

Rene Cogan was Chief Financial Officer of Newmarket Films for over 13 years until December 2009. She was responsible for all financial aspects of the company including corporate transactions, development, production and distribution of films. After Exclusive’s acquisition of Newmarket, Cogan became Exclusive Media Group’s Chief Financial Officer, US Operations. Before joining Newmarket Films, Cogan was employed at KPMG as Senior Manager in the entertainment practice for eight years based in Century City and London.

John Crye was Director of Development and Acquisitions of Newmarket Films until December 2009. Crye was a creative force behind Newmarket Films for over 12 years, making an indelible impression on all aspects of creative affairs, from development and production, to acquisitions and marketing. As Director of Development, Crye shepherded such films as Memento, The Mexican and The Prestige from concept to script. In his role as Director of Acquisitions, Crye acquired such titles as Donnie Darko, Whale Rider and Downfall. After Exclusive’s acquisition of Newmarket, John became Exclusive Media Group’s Vice President of Acquisitions where he acquired Agora, Creation and Sundance 2009 favorite Hesher.

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

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~ David Simon