News Broadcasting
Peace Arch Entertainment & Genius Products reach US distribution deal for Archetype Genre Films
MUMBAI: North America’s Arch Entertainment Group Inc. and Genius Products, Inc. have entered into an exclusive agreement for Genius to distribute a new slate of cutting edge horror and thriller films from Peace Arch’s Archetype Films division. The announcement was made by Genius CEO Trevor Drinkwater and Peace Arch president John Flock.
Under the agreement, Genius has acquired exclusive US DVD distribution rights to five new films from Peace Arch’s Archetype Films label, which focuses on the horror, thriller and action and science fiction genres:
* “Warriors of Terra” stars Edward Furlong (“Terminator 2”) as a member of an animal rights group that penetrates a biotech facility and mistakenly releases a monster within.
* “5ive Girls” stars Ron Perlman (“Hellboy”) as a Catholic school priest who helps five teenage girls with supernatural powers battle the ancient demon Legion.
* “The Last Sect” starring David Carradine (“Kill Bill”) as a vampire hunter tracking a group of female vampires who use an Internet dating service to line up their victims.
* “Ultimate Killing Machine” starring Michael Madsen (“Sin City”) as the head of a top-secret U.S. military operation that turns misfits and wash-outs into genetically engineered ultimate soldiers.
* “Troubled Waters” starring Jennifer Beals (“The L Word”) as a determined detective with psychic powers investigating the suspicious kidnapping of a rich man’s daughter.
“We are very excited to be getting into business with Genius just as they are emerging as one of the best independent home entertainment distributors in the country,” says Flock. “We believe that these five films will be excellent additions to their growing lineup of top quality productions, and we expect to continue supplying Genius with additional productions from our growing pipeline, whether first run productions from our film and television divisions, family and children’s product from our kaBOOM! Entertainment subsidiary or desirable catalogue content from the Castle Hill/Dream Library, which we recently agreed to acquire.”
“We are thrilled to be in business with Peace Arch Entertainment and John Flock, who in a very short time established his company as a premiere producer of quality films with high commercial value. This is a terrific deal for both companies and hopefully, the start of a long and successful relationship as Genius Products continues to build its library with top quality titles in the horror and thriller genres,” adds Genius CEO Trevor Drinkwater.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
