Fox homevid has tapped two execs for its growing acquisitions biz.
The vid arm, which has been on a buying spree over the last few years, has named homevid veteran David Bixler senior VP, acquisitions. Bixler, who had previously left the exec suite to produce, will seek distribution deals for independent fare, kidvid and niche titles for the studio as it seeks new ways to grow its biz.
The division has also elevated Jeff Yordy to VP, acquired marketing. Yordy will oversee marketing for all third-party brands and the studio's direct-to-DVD offerings.
Vid distribution deals, like direct-to-vid projects, are a hot commodity for studios now that the stratospheric growth of DVD has begun to slow. HBO homevid recently segued back into third-party acquisitions after focusing on original content (
Daily Variety, June 26). Fox acquisitions have grown tenfold in the past three years.
"This is not revolutionary wisdom," chief operating officer Steve Bersch acknowledged. "We're always looking for growth opportunities."
He notes that these distribution deals allow studios to fill in their portfolios with content they don't have. Fox has beefed up its kidvid and faith-based product with such pacts.
"What the Bleep," an inspirational title, has sold about half a million copies, while "Woman Thou Art Loosed" has topped 1 million copies. And "Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior," another acquisition, has also sold half a million discs.
"These acquisitions give us the opportunity to grow our revenue and grow our margins," Bersch said.
Prior to working as a producer on such direct-to-video fare as "The Sandlot 2," Bixler served as exec for such vid labels at ITC Entertainment, Media Home Entertainment, Trimark and Embassy Home Entertainment. In addition to "The Sandlot 2," which has sold more than 1.5 million units, Bixler produced "Like Mike 2," another direct-to-vid title for Fox. He has produced more than 30 films.
Yordy joined Fox in 2003 and has worked on titles including "The Passion of the Christ," the launch of Fox Faith, kidvid product from Hit Entertainment, and the studio's direct-to-vid output.
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