Leonine Studios Adds Advisory Board Members

Leonine Studios has tapped Sarah Bremner, former president of ARRAY Filmworks, and Keri Putnam, former CEO of Sundance Institute, to join its advisory board.

As president of ARRAY Filmworks, the distribution company launched by Ava DuVernay, Bremner was responsible for overseeing a multi-format production slate encompassing features such as Ramin Bahrani’s The White Tiger and television such as The CW’s Naomi, and developing ARRAY’s inaugural animation slate.

Prior to that, Bremner managed the development and production of original films for Netflix for over five years. She has also held roles at A&E Studios, Exclusive Media, Paramount Pictures and Nina Jacobson’s Color Force.

Putnam recently stepped down as CEO of Sundance Institute after 11 years. During her time there, Sundance’s revenue increased by 300 percent, with the organization expanding its investments in developing talent and projects across feature film, theater, episodic content, short film and emerging media. She also oversaw the Sundance Film Festival. Putnam has also held senior executive roles at Miramax and HBO.

Vania Schlogel, chair of the advisory board at Leonine Studios and founder and managing partner at Atwater Capital, said: “We are delighted to appoint two more exceptional executives to Leonine’s advisory board. Both Sarah and Keri have built deserved reputations for supporting, developing and producing outstanding content, and I have no doubt that their presence on the Leonine board will prove invaluable as the company continues to strengthen its position. I am a firm believer in the commercial and cultural power of a diverse boardroom that reflects our customers, employees and investors, and I am proud to chair a board which continues to place huge emphasis on diversity, inclusion and equity.”

Bremner commented: “I am thrilled to be joining the advisory board of Leonine. Leonine’s emphasis on producing, distributing and licensing groundbreaking premium content has fast made it one of Europe’s most innovative content companies, and I’m looking forward to working closely with my fellow board members as Leonine continues its dynamic ascent.”

Putnam said: “I look forward to joining the terrific team at Leonine and contributing to the continued strategic evolution of an organization with a proven track record of supporting dynamic creative talent across its varied production, distribution,and licensing businesses. Throughout my career, I have advocated for greater diversity in the entertainment industry, so it’s also extremely encouraging to be joining a boardroom with such a robust female executive presence.”

Fred Kogel, CEO of Leonine Studios, added: “We are excited to have Sarah and Keri join our advisory board. They will bring unique perspectives, impressive expertise and vast experience into our organization, as we continuously and dynamically grow Leonine’s business in all areas of the media landscape.”