AMC Networks (NASDAQ: AMCX) announced today that Christina Spade,
who currently serves as the company’s Chief Operating Officer and
Chief Financial Officer, has been appointed Chief Executive
Officer, effective September 9, 2022. Spade, a media and
entertainment industry veteran who previously held senior roles at
ViacomCBS, CBS Corporation and Showtime, will succeed Matt Blank,
who has been serving in a year-long role as Interim Chief Executive
Officer of AMC Networks since last September.
Patrick O’Connell, previously a senior executive at CBS
Corporation and Goldman Sachs, has been named the company’s
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and will report
to Spade.
AMC Networks Chairman James Dolan said: “I want to thank Matt
for his leadership over the past year and for the changes he’s
brought about in the company and best positioning us for our
further pivot into streaming.”
Mr. Dolan added: “I’m delighted that Chris is taking over as our
new CEO. She is a proven leader with a long track record driving
transformative change in media and entertainment and I am confident
she has the expertise and vision to guide AMC Networks to greater
success.”
Spade said: “I am honored to assume the role of CEO. I’m a fan
of this company in every respect, its content, brands, and most
importantly, its people and dynamic and inclusive culture. I’m
grateful for the support of Jim, our Board of Directors and Matt,
and I look forward to working with the strong team here to unlock
the rich opportunities that lie ahead.”
Spade added: “Patrick is a highly accomplished executive focused
on delivering strong financial performance with a deep
understanding of today’s media landscape opportunities. I know
he’ll be instrumental in driving the business forward with his
strong finance track record, entrepreneurial drive and
collaborative approach.”
Blank said: “It’s been a pleasure to lead AMC Networks in this
interim role, in particular working alongside Chris and the
talented team to help develop the company’s direct-to-consumer
businesses and strong pipeline of high-quality content. Chris is a
strong, versatile leader whom I’ve known and worked closely with
for more than 20 years, and I know she’ll bring her strong business
and leadership skills, and passion for this company, to her new
role.”
The executive appointments come as AMC Networks continues to
pursue a successful streaming strategy targeting distinct
audiences. Its strong streaming portfolio includes AMC+ and
targeted platforms Acorn TV, ALLBLK, HIDIVE, Shudder and Sundance
Now, and now reaches 10.8 million paying subscribers in aggregate
and is on track to reach 20-25 million subscribers in 2025. The
company is in the midst of its biggest year of original
programming, continuing its well-established track record of
creating popular and acclaimed content, including the Emmy
Award-nominated Better Call Saul, acclaimed new series Moonhaven,
Dark Winds, and This is Going to Hurt and the upcoming
highly-anticipated debut of its next big franchise with Anne Rice’s
Interview with the Vampire, driving growth across its streaming
portfolio and robust linear business.
Christina Spade joined AMC Networks as
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in January 2021
and was soon promoted to a new dual role of Chief Operating Officer
and Chief Financial Officer in November 2021. In this role she
oversaw AMC Networks’ key businesses, financial operations as well
as investor relations and global technology.
Spade has spent her career in media and entertainment.
Previously, she was Executive Vice President, Chief Financial
Officer for the newly-combined ViacomCBS, overseeing all financial
operations for the company, including treasury, tax, accounting,
internal audit, information security and real estate. Prior to CBS
and Viacom merging in December 2019, Spade served as Executive Vice
President, Chief Financial Officer, CBS Corporation, from October
2018.
From February 2013, Spade was Executive Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer and Strategy for Showtime Networks Inc.
where she was responsible for all financial matters relating to
Showtime Networks’ businesses, including finance, strategy and
information systems for the network’s divisions including
budgeting, planning, forecasting and accounting. She was
instrumental in the successful scaling of the Showtime OTT
platform, which launched in July 2015 and was the key financial
architect of numerous real estate deals and transactions at
Showtime. She also served as a member of the board for Smithsonian
Channel™.
Spade worked in different capacities at Showtime Networks
during her over 21 years with the company, including Senior Vice
President, Affiliate Finance and Business Operations for Showtime
Networks Inc., where she led financial and business operations’
management of distribution revenue and sales, marketing and
creative expenses. Prior to joining Showtime
Networks, Spade was an audit manager with
PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Entertainment, Media and
Communications practice.
Spade is a director and the Audit Committee Chair for the board
of LAMF Global Ventures Corp. I. In addition, she is currently a
member of the board of directors for the T. Howard Foundation. She
founded and is president of ATR Children’s Foundation, which is a
non-profit organization established to help children in need. Spade
was selected as a 2017 WICT Wonder Woman and served as an executive
mentor in WICT’s mentorship program. She is a CPA and graduated
with a B.S. in accounting from St. Joseph’s University.
Patrick O’Connell, a seasoned financial and
strategic executive and media and technology industry veteran,
joins AMC Networks from BRANDED, a consumer e-commerce company
where he led strategic planning, financing and acquisitions.
Prior to joining BRANDED, O’Connell was Executive Vice
President, Head of Corporate Development at CBS Corporation, where
he was responsible for firm-wide strategy, financial forecasting,
capital allocation and mergers and acquisitions. At CBS he led
highly complex transactions including the merger between CBS and
Viacom and the divestiture of CBS Radio.
O’Connell spent 14 years at Goldman, Sachs & Co. where he
served as Managing Director within the Investment Banking Division
in the Telecom, Media & Technology (TMT) Group. He led coverage
of the firm’s large-cap domestic Media clients and served as
trusted advisor to CEOs, CFOs and Boards of Directors on the
negotiation and execution of strategic transactions, including
mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs and IPOs, and has extensive public
and private market financing experience. Earlier in his career,
O’Connell was an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
O’Connell is a CPA as well as a Chartered Financial Analyst. He
has an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania.
ABOUT AMC NETWORKSAMC Networks (Nasdaq: AMCX)
is a global entertainment company known for its popular and
critically-acclaimed content. Its brands include targeted streaming
services AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK, and the
newest addition to its targeted streaming portfolio, the
anime-focused HIDIVE streaming service, in addition to AMC, BBC
AMERICA (operated through a joint venture with BBC Studios), IFC,
SundanceTV, WE tv and IFC Films. AMC Studios, the Company’s
in-house studio, production and distribution operation, is behind
some of the biggest titles and brands known to a global audience,
including The Walking Dead, the Anne Rice catalog and the Agatha
Christie library. The Company also operates AMC Networks
International, its international programming business, and 25/7
Media, its production services business.
Contacts |
|
|
Georgia Juvelis |
|
Nicholas Seibert |
Corporate Communications |
|
Investor Relations |
917-542-6390 |
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646-740-5749 |
Georgia.juvelis@amcnetworks.com |
|
Nicholas.seibert@amcnetworks.com |
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