DANIELLE GELBER NAMED SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING GARY GARFINKEL NAMED SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, FILM ACQUISITIONS SARA FISCHER NAMED SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCTION

 

New York, NY, (March 16, 2004) -- In his on-going mandate to revitalize Showtime Networks' program development, production and acquisition areas, Showtime Networks' President of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt announced today three key promotions in the programming department.  Danielle Gelber has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Original Programming, Gary Garfinkel has been upped to Senior Vice President, Film Acquisitions and Sara Fischer has been elevated to Senior Vice President, Production.  All three executives will continue to work out of the company's Los Angeles office.

 

Gelber is responsible for the development and creative oversight of new Showtime original series.  She currently serves as the creative executive for the network's hit series THE L WORD, which premiered in January 2004 and has already been renewed for a second season. She developed and will serve as the creative executive for the network's highly anticipated new drama series, HUFF, starring Hank Azaria, which is slated to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2004. She also helped develop last summer's critically-acclaimed series OUT OF ORDER, starring Eric Stoltz. Gelber joined Showtime as Vice President of Original Programming in January 2002.  Previously, she spent eight years running drama series development at Fox Broadcasting Company, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Drama Series Programming.  During that time, she developed such hit series as: The X-Files, Ally McBeal, Party of Five, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210, Boston Public and NY Undercover, among others.  While at Fox, she also developed the original pilot scripts for The Sopranos and Dawson's Creek.  Prior to her stint at Fox, Gelber was Director of Television Development at Spelling Television.  She received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master's Degree in International Relations and Communications from American University.  Gelber will continue to report to Gary Levine, Executive Vice President, Original Programming.

 

Garfinkel will be responsible for the negotiation and acquisition of films for SHOWTIME, THE MOVIE CHANNEL, SUNDANCE CHANNEL, FLIX and the company's various multiplex services.  Garfinkel will also continue to seek out and acquire films that will have their world premieres on SHOWTIME such as THE BELIEVER and THINGS BEHIND THE SUN, which aired on the network to critical acclaim in 2001. He also works on Showtime Networks' studio output deals, having participated in agreements with Paramount Pictures, Dimension Films and MGM.  He has served as Vice President of Film Acquisitions since June 1998.   Before joining Showtime in 1993 as Manager of Program Planning, Garfinkel was a Senior Financial Analyst at Sony Pictures Entertainment and a Foreign Exchange Analyst at Salomon Brothers Inc. in New York.  Garfinkel received a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University.  Garfinkel will continue to report to Matthew Duda, Executive Vice President of Acquisitions, Planning, and Distribution.

 

Sara Fischer is responsible for all aspects of production for the network.  This includes scouting film locations, hiring or approving crews, overseeing on-set production as well as all phases of post-production.  She currently oversees production on THE L WORD and QUEER AS FOLK.  She joined Showtime in 1997 as Vice President of Production for the network.  Prior to that, Fischer was a producer on the ABC Inc./Brillstein-Grey drama, "C-16" and also the unit production manager on the ABC/Bedford Falls drama, "Relativity."  Additionally, she served as a first assistant director for several episodic dramas, including "Chicago Hope," "My So-Called Life," "Civil Wars," "thirtysomething," "Wild Palms" and "St. Elsewhere."  Prior to that, she was an associate director at CBS Sports and a commercial producer at EUE Screen Gems. Fischer received a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Colorado.  Fischer will continue to report to Michael Rauch, Executive Vice President, Production.

 

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom Inc., owns the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL" and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME® TOO", SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and TMC xtra.  SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD®, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND". SNI operates and manages the premium television network SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, which is owned by SNI, Robert Redford and Universal Studios. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME® PPV.   Additionally, the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME EXTREME® is available in Spain through a joint venture with Media Park and the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME is available in Turkey through a joint venture with UK-based Zone Vision.