Front Page, Industry News

Cineflix Studios Poaches Sally Catto From CBC

TORONTO – Sally Catto won’t be returning to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. as its creative head.

Catto choosing to stay in Vancouver after her current maternity leave has instead filled one job at Cineflix Media and left another vacant at the Canadian public broadcaster.

The CBC’s big creative gun has jumped to Cineflix Studios, the New York City-based scripted division at indie Canadian producer Cineflix Media (American Pickers).

Catto will join Cineflix Studios in September as executive vp, based in Vancouver.

And as part of the latest comings and goings at the CBC, Catto will not return to Toronto to resume work as the public broadcaster’s executive director of arts & entertainment for English TV.

The CBC will instead continue a search for a new creative head as Phyllis Platt, CBC Television’s interim executive director, eyes a return to indie production before long.

The hunt for a new creative head at the CBC comes as the public broadcaster enjoys a ratings revival under Kirstine Stewart, executive vp of English services, and pushes towards a multi-platform world.

While at the CBC, Catto’s credits included Heartland, Being Erica and Intelligence.

In her new role at Cineflix, Catto will oversee development and production of Canadian dramas and comedies for sale at home and internationally.

Catto will report to Cineflix Media CEO Glen Salzman and AMC alum Christina Wayne, who was hired last year as Cineflix Studios president.

Cineflix also earlier this month hired former BBC Worldwide Productions exec Vlad Wolynetz as president of production for Cineflix Studios.

The Canadian producer got its start in factual programming, ahead of a current push into scripted fare after Cineflix Studios was launched in July 2010.

Cineflix will be hoping Catto can leverage her contacts with Canadian broadcasters into acquisitions of scripted series from the indie producer.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter