RLJ Entertainment makes changes to executive team – to grow new VoD service

RLJ Entertainment, a studio and distributor run by BET founder Robert L. Johnson, has made some changes to its executive team, promoting Mark Ward to chief acquisitions officer of feature films and hiring Angela Northington as SVP of content acquisitions at the company’s Video On Demand service Urban Movie Channel.

In his new role, Ward will oversee feature film acquisitions for RLJ Entertainment’s Image Entertainment brand (which focuses on movies and stand-up comedy videos) and UMC (the company’s “urban” content hub). Northington, meanwhile, will focus on getting content for UMC. Together, their acquisitions will show up across multiple formats, from theaters and broadcast television to DVD, Blu-Ray, and download and streaming online.

Ward has been working as the lead acquisition executive for the company’s feature films for the past year. Before that, he got content specifically for RLJ Entertainment’s Image brand.

Northington is just joining RLJ Entertainment from many years working in urban entertainment at companies like Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Revolt TV, CodeBlack Entertainment, and Simmons Lathan Media Group.

RLJ Entertainment launched UMC this past November with movies from Image’s independent film library, stand-up comedy from the likes of Kevin Hart, and documentaries such as “I Ain’t Scared of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac.”

About RLJ Entertainment: RLJ Entertainment, Inc. is a premier independent owner, developer, licensee and distributor of entertainment content and programming in primarily North America, the United Kingdom and Australia with over 5,300 exclusive titles.

Source: RLJ Entertainment