Imagine Entertainment Taps Rich Battista as CEO

Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard have brought in veteran media-industry executive Rich Battista as CEO.

Based at the company’s Beverly Hills headquarters, Battista will work with Grazer, Howard and Imagine’s team to build on the company’s growth and expansion strategy. He will manage the intersection between Imagine’s core production business and its latest growth and strategic initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions.

Prior to joining Imagine, Battista was most recently president and CEO of Time Inc., before overseeing the $2.8 billion sale of the company to Meredith Corp. Time Inc. spun out of Time Warner into a separate publicly-traded company in 2014. Earlier in his career, over an 18-year period, he held numerous senior management roles across Fox, where he was integral in conceiving of, building and operating its significant portfolio of cable networks.

“We are excited to have Rich join Imagine. He brings with him a unique perspective and years of expertise and experience growing and expanding businesses, and we are confident in his ability to build upon Imagine’s success,” said Grazer and Howard jointly.

“I am thrilled to be joining Brian, Ron and the entire team at Imagine during this dynamic time in the areas of media, entertainment and content,” said Battista. “The company’s expansion in recent years globally and across new lines of business has been impressive to watch from afar and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and collaborating with the team as the company is uniquely positioned to execute on its ambitious growth plans.”