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Online Film Marketplace Slated Names Former AMC Theatres Exec Tim Wesley CEO
Wesley was also general manager of RedBox On Demand
The online film marketplace company Slated has named a former AMC Theatres executive Tim Wesley as its CEO, the company announced Tuesday.
Wesley, who was an executive digital consultant for AMC and a former general manager of RedBox On Demand, will report to Slated’s newly installed board of directors. Stephan Paternot, co-founder, who led the company as CEO for the previous 6 years, will continue with the company as executive chairman.
Also joining the company’s board of directors are Yair Landau (former vice chairman of Sony Pictures and president of Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment), David Wertheimer (former president of Digital at Fox Networks Group and president of Paramount Digital Entertainment) and Michael Joe (former COO of STXfilms and EVP of Universal Pictures).
Slated launched in 2012 and is an online marketplace for film financing, sales, packaging, and development that connects content creators, financiers and sales agents with data analytics and packaging tools.
Wesley will lead Slated’s expansion into financing studio films. The approach will make Slated itself an institutional investor and allow the company to support projects in development studio projects and bring the best projects on its platform to the attention of the studios.
“When I took over as CEO in 2014, my goal was to develop Slated into the leading online film finance, sales, and packaging marketplace. Over the past six years, our analytics, packaging tools, and high-quality deal flow have influenced the way the content business connects talent and projects to financing, sales, and distribution. We have transformed the way people assess project risks and potential,” Paternot said in a statement. “Last year, with key platform engagement growing rapidly and the streaming wars well under way, I felt it was time to replace myself as CEO with someone who could help us expand our institutional financing and distribution apparatus. Tim’s extensive domain expertise in distribution, strategic business development, and fundraising will take Slated to the next level, with a world-class board of directors in support.”
“There has never been greater demand for studio quality content, and Slated holds a unique position to help meet that demand,” Wesley said in a statement. “Through Steph’s leadership, the company has become an essential destination that helps connect the dots for the creative community, bringing together content creators, financiers, and studios; a quickly evolving and critical network where at the touch of a button, filmmakers have staffed their productions, writers receive meaningful script feedback, and producers have found financing. I’m excited to join the team as Slated takes its next step as we partner with studios in bringing these next great stories to screens.”
“As the business of film finance and independent production continues to evolve, Tim, Steph, and the Slated team are incredibly well-positioned with their technology platform and management expertise to lead the industry into the future. I couldn’t be more excited to be part of their journey,” Wertheimer said in a statement.
“Throughout my career running deals for many studios, I wish I had the access to the kind of data that Slated provides. It is actionable intelligence and I am thrilled to support Tim on his and Steph’s quest to democratize film financing,” Joe said in a statement.
“As a pioneer in the digital transformation of this industry, I see Slated as a genuinely next generation company that empowers creators to fulfill their dreams through its unique data and analytics platform,” Landau said in a statement. “As Slated moves into its next phase of growth, it will become a prime engine of discovery for creative executives as they look for an edge in finding the best projects.”
Prior to Slated, Wesley was charged with developing and launching AMC Theatres’ new On Demand digital streaming service. He has over 20 years’ experience on both the business and creative sides of the industry as well as developing, building, and managing technology-based, digital consumer-facing, On Demand, free, transactional and subscription products.
Before AMC, he spent four years as a digital executive at Redbox, leading their digital streaming initiatives and ultimately becoming GM of Redbox On Demand. An MBA and BSBA graduate of the USC Marshall School of Business with an emphasis in finance, Wesley’s resume includes tours of duty as head of content business development and acquisitions for Dish Digital, COO/CFO of Ripe Digital Entertainment, COO/CFO of Maverick Films/Television and started his entertainment career in Finance/Business Development at Sony Pictures and Paramount Pictures.