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Bolstering its production capabilities, Sierra/Affinity has brought aboard Marc Butan as co-president. He’ll share the top job with Marc Schaberg, who doubles as COO.
Butan, a well-respected production executive, is giving up his job at Megan Ellison‘s Panorama Media, the production, financing and sales company he helped launch in 2012.
Working with Sierra/Affinity CEO Nick Meyer and Schaberg, Butan will oversee the company’s feature film development and production activities. Butan will be charged with building a slate of wide-release, director-driven commercial films that will complement films made by Serra/Affinity partners OddLot Entertainment and Bold Films.
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Butan is bringing with him four Panorama productions that Sierra/Affinity will represent internationally: James Gray‘s Lost City of Z, cop-thriller Triple Nine, Niki Caro‘s The Zookeepers Wife and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, based on Seth Grahame-Smith‘s worldwide best-seller. Sierra will sell remaining territories at Berlin’s upcoming European Film Market.
“I am proud of what we accomplished at Panorama, but I couldn’t be more excited to be joining Nick and Marc,” said Butan. “I worked with Nick 10 years ago at Lionsgate, and we have remained friends. The opportunity to work with him again and become a part of such a vibrant company, which has been built in such a short time, was one I couldn’t pass up. I feel all of our skill sets are complimentary, and I am excited for this next chapter.”
Panorama will continue to handle the sales of all of films made by Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures as well as third-party titles. However, with Butan’s departure, the company will pivot away from production. Panorama’s recent slate of sales titles include Oscar best picture nominees American Hustle and Her, both produced and financed by Annapurna.
The arrival of Butan marks another step in Sierra/Affinity’s strategic growth. Over the past several years, the production, financing and sales company has continued to diversify, including making a foray into the television distribution business.
“We have had several strong years of growth in conjunction with our Sierra/Affinity partners OddLot Entertainment and Bold Films, and our enhanced packaging activities is a natural evolution,” said Meyer and Schaberg. “Marc is a talented leader, and his taste in films aligns very nicely with our sensibilities, and we look forward to continuing our growth as a supplier in the global marketplace. We are grateful to our friends at Panorama for working collaboratively with us as Marc makes the transition with these titles.”
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