Career Moves: Matt Alvarez Goes to Broad Green, MTV Hires Two Execs and More

Keep up with the revolving door that is the film industry with our weekly Career Moves column that tracks all the comings and goings of the industry leaders that make Hollywood tick. Check out last week’s Career Moves to find out who went where, when and why.

– Broad
Green Pictures has named Matt Alvarez its president of production.
Alvarez will be responsible for identifying new projects and overseeing Broad
Green’s slate of films, managing the process from development to final
delivery. He will continue his role as producer on films he has in active
development at the studio. Alvarez’s producing career includes box office
winners like the “Friday,”
“Barbershop,” “Are We There Yet?” and “Ride Along” franchises,
as well as “Straight Outta
Compton,” “All About
the Benjamins” and “First Sunday. Alvarez’s
career began New Line Cinema/Fine Line Features, where he worked on features
like “Rumble in the Bronx”
and “Deconstructing Harry.” Later, he started the production
company Cube Vision with noted actor and rapper Ice Cube.

– MTV has picked up two new execs, including longtime Major League Baseball chief marketing offer Jacqueline Parkes, who comes on as EVP of Marketing and Creative, and Lifetime’s SVP and head of non-scripted Eli Lehrer, who will start as EVP overseeing MTV2. Parkes replaces MTV marketing chief Tina Exharos (who left the company at the end of last year), with Lehrer taking over for Chris McCarthy, who was named General Manager of VH1 last year. The pair will be joined by two Viacom vets who are taking on new roles, Kristin Frank, who moves from EVP of Connected Content for MTV and VH1 to EVP of Strategy, Revenue & Operations, Erik Flannigan, formerly EVP at Viacom’s Music & Entertainment Group, who is coming on as EVP of Music/Events Strategy & Development.

– PMK BNC account executive Rebecca Fisher is starting May 9 as director of theatrical publicity at The Orchard, based in LA, reporting to Dan Goldberg, VP of Theatrical Marketing and Publicity. Prior to PMK BNC Fisher worked at Block Korenbrot Public Relations.

– Kathy Savitt is leaving STX Entertainment after joining the company last September. She had previously served as head of media for Yahoo. Savitt is reportedly “leaving the company to work on a startup venture aimed at developing a direct-to-consumer content product geared for the emerging connected-TV sector.” The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

– Continuing its expansion plans following a major new investment earlier this year, Imagine Entertainment has hired Steve Shikiya as its chief operating officer. Shikiya recently served as deputy chief operating officer for Endemol Shine North America. In his new role, “Shikiya will be responsible for aligning all business operations across Imagine’s broad film and television operations and managing new business initiatives, as the company looks to broaden its reach into film and television financing, international co-productions and new media opportunities including branded entertainment.” The news was first reported by Variety.

– Adam Walker is talking on a new role at Film Forum. After 8 years serving as the cinema’s publicist for the Premieres Program, Walker will now take over as Director of Publicity. His expanded new role will include strategic and supervisory responsibility for all publicity, including organizational initiatives and repertory releases. Walker joined Film Forum in 2008 after three years working for film PR agency Jeremy Walker + Associates.

– New Regency Productions has parted ways with CEO Brad Weston earlier this week. There is no word who will take over Weston’s role. “I appreciate Brad’s contribution to New Regency over the last four and a half years,” Milchan said in a statement made to THR. “And I wish him nothing but the best going forward. I am very committed to New Regency’s growth and will continue to invest in its future.” The news was first reported by THR.

Additional reporting by Anne Thompson.

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