MarVista Appoints Distribution Head, CFO & More

MarVista Entertainment has named a new head of global distribution and chief financial officer, among other appointments, as the company expands its business and legal affairs division.

Jody Cipriano was tapped as head of global distribution, responsible for leading global cross-platform content sales and acquisitions. Before joining MarVista, she was senior VP of worldwide distribution at Cinetel Films. Earlier in her career, she was VP of international sales at Promark Entertainment Group and Filmstar.

Darrell Cross becomes chief financial officer, charged with overseeing financial operations and growth opportunities, leveraging new business models and capital management. He most recently served as COO/CFO for Wild Card. Before that, he was chief financial officer at Deluxe Media.

Rod Rodrigo, reporting to Cipriano, has been elevated to VP of international sales, based in the U.K. Both Cross and Cipriano will work directly under Fernando Szew, the CEO of MarVista.

Kenny Christmas has been upped to executive VP of business and legal affairs. He will continue to oversee the negotiating and shaping of business transactions in the areas of development, production, finance and distribution of TV and film. Christmas will continue working under Szew.

In addition, Janet Savage joins MarVista as senior VP of business and legal affairs, reporting to Christmas. She previously worked at FOX as VP of business and legal affairs for 20 years.

Szew commented: “As MarVista moves into 2018, our focus remains on meeting the demands of our clients and partners by continuing to provide consistently high-quality content. We welcome Darrell, Jody and Janet and look forward to continuing working with Kenny and Rod, all of whom are incredible assets to our operation. This year promises to be another banner year of growth for MarVista, and I am proud of the talented team we are putting in place to drive our next phase of growth.”