Passion Appoints Head of Acquisitions

LONDON: Jimmy Humphrey, a former Banijay International executive, has been hired as Passion Distribution’s head of acquisitions, effective August 1.

In his newly created role, Humphrey will contribute to the creation and implementation of Passion’s content strategy while managing the development, acquisitions and distribution rollout of the company’s programming. He will work under CEO Emmanuelle Namiech.

Humphrey most recently served as VP of sales and acquisitions at Banijay International, where he was charged with acquiring worldwide rights for series and formats primarily in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, as well as selling to Scandinavia, North America and the Asia Pacific. Earlier in his career, he held positions at FremantleMedia, where he acquired formats for the company’s global network of production companies, and at Shine International prior to its merger with Endemol.

Namiech commented: “I’m absolutely delighted at the prospect of working with Jimmy again and to add him to the talented Passion Distribution team. Jimmy brings solid experience across different programming genres, has hands-on global market knowledge and a great understanding of both creative and commercial opportunities. He will be instrumental in continuing Passion Distribution’s first-class relationships with leading independent producers around the world.”

Humphrey added: “I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Passion Distribution and to work with the great roster of affiliated production companies, both within the Tinopolis Group and of course with key third-party partners. I look forward to forging new relationships with producers and broadcasters all over the world to bring fresh, unique content into Passion’s already strong and diverse catalog.”