Distraction Localizes Operations

MONTREAL, December 11: Following its recent success in the
North American market, format specialist Distraction has revealed plans to consolidate
its offices in Los Angeles and Montreal.

In Los Angeles, Distraction recently signed a long-term
lease on a commercial office space and will announce a key sales position in
the near future. Despite the freeze on production of its format Serial Frank in the U.S. due to the current Writers Guild of
America (WGA) strike, Distraction currently has six formats in development or
preproduction. These include Ciao Darwin, You be the Judge, DNA, Trade Up,
Guess Who and TV
Diaries.

In Montreal, Distraction has promoted Chrystine Girard to
executive VP, Mitzi Berberi to VP of business and legal affairs, Max Oliveras
to director of programming and Kathleen Prefontaine to director of marketing.
Louis Milano is now serving as controller. Tom Misselbrook is relocating from
London to join the Montreal team as sales and acquisitions coordinator.

Clients like NBC, CBC, Peace Arch and Ripe Digital
Entertainment will be able to take advantage of Distraction’s administrative,
business affairs, press, programming and distribution efforts, which are now
coordinated from within North America.

In Europe, Distraction’s London office is returning to its
former Soho Square address, under the direction of the experienced format
creative John Gough, who will be dedicated to U.K. acquisitions, public
relations and format development.

“Traditionally, Europe has always represented the lion’s
share of Distraction’s sales efforts and servicing operations,” commented
Michel Rodrigue, Distraction’s CEO. “Now with the openness of the U.S. and
Canadian markets, ten years into launching the first-ever formats distribution
outfit, it makes sense to decentralize our operations from the London office,
in order to treat all our clients with localized servicing.”

—By Irene Lew