Collier
AMC has tapped veteran cable sales exec Charley Collier as its first general manager since June 2003.
Collier, who resigned as Court TV exec VP-general manager of ad sales earlier this summer when Turner Broadcasting took over the net, will run AMC's day-to-day operations, with emphasis on marketing, advertising and programming.
"I'm joining a network with real momentum," said Collier, referring to the all-time-high ratings racked up by AMC's two-part original movie "Broken Trail."
Ed Carroll, prexy of Rainbow Entertainment Services, which includes AMC, said the G.M. job stayed vacant for so long "because we had seasoned executives in charge who functioned at a pretty high level," referring to Rob Sorcher, exec VP of programming, packaging & production, and marketing topper Linda Schupack.
AMC is unlikely to repeat its experiment of buying a package of theatrical movies in the first network window, said Carroll, despite the big ratings chalked up by such Warner Bros. titles as "The Last Samurai," "Murder by Numbers" and "Insomnia."
These deals are expensive, and Carroll said AMC doesn't really need them because it has primed its viewers to expect movies from the '70s, '80s and '90s. "We'll sprinkle original specials and series among these movies," he said.
Before Court TV, Collier was an exec with Oxygen Media and A&E Networks.
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