Chris Philip

World Screen Weekly, September 13, 2007

President of Worldwide Sales

Power

With some two decades’ worth of experience in international content sales, Chris Philip understands the importance of fostering solid relationships in building a successful distribution business. It was, after all, a personal relationship with international TV veteran Alfred Haber, who lived in Philip’s neighborhood when he was growing up, that got him into the business in the first place. “I was the telex expert!” Philip says of his first job in the entertainment industry, working at the New Jersey-based Alfred Haber Distribution. “I helped him by calling embassies and asking, what are the names of the broadcasters in your country? I was developing that client database early on in emerging markets.” Philip eventually rose through the ranks, becoming director of sales for Europe and Latin America at the company.

Through the Greek distribution executive John Triantafyllis, the head of JT TV Film International, Philip met Armando Nunez, Jr.—today the president of CBS Paramount International Television—and was then hired by Armando Nunez, Sr., who at the time was working for Polygram/ITC. Philip took over responsibility for Polygram’s Latin American business in New York and once Seagram acquired Polygram, moved to Miami. As part of Seagram, Philip entered the Universal Studios fold and remained there through the company’s sales to Vivendi and then General Electric/NBC. Most recently, he was the VP of international sales for Latin America at NBC Universal International Television Distribution.

Since joining Power earlier this year, Philip has relocated from Miami to London and today his sales remit covers all worldwide territories. Philip says his Latin American experience has proven to be enormously beneficial in the transition from regional to worldwide sales. “Latin America has 18 countries, hundreds of channels and constant economic and political challenges impacting revenue from both a sales and cash standpoint,” Philip says. “The broadcasters’ owners are intimately involved in the acquisitions process and many are the most successful entrepreneurs in that country, so dealing with them on a regular basis will sharpen any executive’s negotiations skills.”

For Philip, expanding the European distributor’s business in Asia and Latin America will be central to his strategy. “We have appointed dedicated sales people for these regions and will be opening our Miami office in November and the Singapore office in early 2008. We will be producing and acquiring product to sell in these territories and with our infrastructure in place we are well equipped to handle large libraries and a wide variety of programming.”

Philip is also keen to build Power’s business in the U.S., where he says the company will soon be producing a series for a “major network,” and work is already under way on a show for a cable channel. In addition, Power has entered into a deal with Reveille for a Latin American format that will be adapted for a U.S. network. “With the looming strike in Hollywood, a company like Power is well positioned to use creative production models outside the U.S. that will deliver outstanding quality while circumventing any scheduling risks the strike may create.”

Another priority, Philip says, is the “powerful but elusive” U.S. Hispanic market. It’s a segment, he notes, that is “frequently misunderstood. With the numerous new channels launching looking to attract a younger demo, the demand for product is great and we will be developing projects, features and series in both English and Spanish for this lucrative market.”

Power has a slate of new product to offer up at MIPCOM, including the two-part mini-series XIII: The Conspiracy; The Changeling, a one-hour pilot for a fantasy drama series; Pinocchio, a retelling of the fairy-tale classic; and six new titles in the Power Thrillers franchise. Also in production are The Summit, Robinson Crusoe and Day of the Triffids.

The new productions build on Power’s expertise in event programming, which Philip says enables broadcasters to counter-program against blockbuster features and sporting events. “They are fun for a broadcaster to promote as they get attention, help create brand loyalty and guarantee an audience over multiple nights.”

—By Mansha Daswani