MarVista Entertainment Bolsters Team

LOS ANGELES: MarVista Entertainment has strengthened its executive team, appointing Esquire Network alum Deena Stern as the senior VP of marketing and communications and naming former Lionsgate exec Kenny Christmas senior VP of business and legal affairs.

In her new role, Stern will oversee marketing and communications for the MarVista Entertainment brand and domestic and international titles. She will lead campaign initiatives for new genres as the studio continues to expand its distribution and content-development plans. Stern comes to MarVista with experience from her tenures at Esquire Network, Comedy Central and USA Network.

Christmas will manage the negotiation of business transactions regarding the development, production, finance and distribution of TV and film content. In addition to Lionsgate, Christmas has worked at The Tyra Banks Company, among other firms.

In addition, MarVista recently promoted Hannah Pillemer to the post of senior VP of development and production. Pillemer joined the company in 2013 and most recently served as a creative executive. She currently oversees the feature department, handling a slate of more than 30 films. Her most recent credits include Most Likely to Die, A Deadly Adoption and Satanic.

“As MarVista continues to evolve in this ever-shifting marketplace of original content with exciting new projects and partnerships on the horizon, it was important for us to find someone with a rich and varied background in entertainment marketing,” said CEO Fernando Szew. “Deena’s expertise across so many platforms, formats and demographics has made her a natural fit for the next, exciting phase of MarVista Entertainment and we are thrilled to welcome her and Kenny to the family. Their additions and our promotion of Hannah only further showcase our emphasis on developing and hiring the most talented individuals in the entertainment industry.”