Lionsgate Raises Shaun Barber To Domestic Theatrical Distribution EVP & General Sales Manager

Lionsgate has promoted Shaun Barber to EVP & General Sales Manager of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, it was announced today by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Domestic Theatrical Distribution co-presidents Richie Fay and David Spitz. Barber is an 18-year industry vet, with eight of those years at Lionsgate and its predecessor Summit Entertainment.

Reporting to Fay and Spitz, Barber will oversee domestic film sales and distribution, including the overall rollout strategy for Lionsgate and its nine labels. During his tenure at Lionsgate, Barber has worked on the Hunger Games and Divergent franchises, as well as Now You See Me ($117.7M domestic B.O.) and Pantelion Films’ Instructions Not Included, which is the highest-grossing Spanish-language film stateside at $44.5M. At Summit, Barber played a key role in the release of the Twilight Saga and Oscar Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker. Overall, he has been involved in five of the 14 biggest domestic box office opening weekends of all time.

The next set of releases Barber is working on includes The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Now You See Me 2, Gods Of Egypt, Deepwater Horizon, The Last Witch Hunter, the next two films in the Divergent series (Allegiant and Ascendant), John Wick 2, La La Land and the first Saban’s Power Rangers film.

“At Lionsgate, we mine a deep bench of executive talent that we grow and promote, and Shaun is one of those key leaders who has played an integral role in the distribution of our slate of blockbuster franchises, potential tentpoles, star-driven event films and targeted specialty releases,” said Fay and Spitz in a statement, further praising Barber’s strong relationships with exhibitors and his ability “to capitalize on distribution opportunities in an evolving marketplace.”

Barber segued to Lionsgate after the studio’s acquisition of Summit in January 2012. He joined Summit in 2007 from Warner Bros., where he served as branch manager, domestic theatrical distribution. Prior to that, Barber worked at 20th Century Fox domestic distribution.