Media Rights Capital has hired former Lionsgate executive Marni Wieshofer as senior vp corporate development and mergers & acquisitions.
The independent film, TV and digital studio, which also counts “Babel” among the films it has financed, is looking for possible acquisitions and alliances to give it some distribution power across media platforms. A spokeswoman said acquisitions could come in the areas of digital, TV syndication rights, TV station groups and cable channels.
MRC said Wieshofer will follow “a select, strategic path of mergers and acquisitions that will enhance MRC’s commitment to empowering talent via creative freedom, including bringing them closer to revenue and distribution streams and ultimately to the end users.”
Wieshofer has served as executive vp corporate development at Lionsgate since September 2002. Before that, she had been the company’s CFO since April 1999.
In those roles, Wieshofer worked on the acquisitions of Trimark Pictures, Artisan Entertainment, Redbus Films Distribution U.K., Debmar/Mercury, Break.com and Mandate Pictures.
Co-CEOs Asif Satchu and Modi Wiczyk lauded the executive’s “unique skill set and perspective on the business of entertainment and the entertainment industry’s future.”
Current MRC projects include “This Side of the Truth,” directed, co-written by and starring Ricky Gervais, and “The Box,” written and directed by Richard Kelly and starring Cameron Diaz. The company also recently signed digital content deals with Raven Symone and “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane.
