Latest in Joe Drake

Lionsgate said Friday that it has finalized a reorganization of its Motion Picture Group, with chairman Joe Drake aligning the division into four key verticals — Marketing, Distribution, Strategy and Innovation, and Content — and setting the executives to oversee each. The newly solidified teams will oversee each…

On the day of its earnings call, Lionsgate has made the tough decision to cut 15% of its Global Motion Picture Group workforce. Joe Drake, chairman of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, just revealed the bad news to employees and you can read his memo below. The cuts announced Thursday follow those that hit marketing and…

Lionsgate film chief Joe Drake said the decision to skip theaters and make horror movie Antebellum a premium video-on-demand release does not mean exhibitors are fading from the scene. “I would love to see every one of our movies released theatrically,” the motion picture group chairman said during Lionsgate’s…

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chairman Joe Drake continued to emphasize the studio’s commitment to theatrical today, telling analysts on today’s 4Q earnings call that “we believe that people are anxious to get out of the house and do things” following the nationwide sheltering-in from COVID-19. Drake also emphasized…

EXCLUSIVE: Chad Stahelski, the former stuntman who debuted as co-director on John Wick and has subsequently helmed three Keanu Reeves hits with a fourth coming along with film and TV spinoffs, is ramping up 87eleven Entertainment, a new offshoot of the overall company 87eleven Action Design that he formed years back…

2nd Update: Part of the Lionsgate reconfiguration means the ending of Lionsgate’s partnership with Jeff Clanagan in Codeblack, the division that generated Kevin Hart’s Let Me Explain, Addicted, and other projects geared toward an urban audience. Said a spokesman: “Codeback has brought us tremendous films and…

Speaking to a crowd of investors this morning, Lionsgate CFO Jimmy Barge predicted a “nice rebound” for the company’s film operation in fiscal 2020, but cautioned, “I’m not doubling down on the film business.” In an appearance at a Deutsche Bank investor conference, Barge said film is a “tough business and it’s…

EXCLUSIVE: Damon Wolf has been set to become president of worldwide marketing for the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. Wolf is the current co-head of marketing at TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions. He will make the move January 1, and will replace Tim Palen. Palen, the longtime…

At an elegant soirée on the terraces of the Hotel du Cap on Friday night, Lionsgate bid farewell to its Motion Picture Group co-chairman Patrick Wachsberger, even bagging chanteuse Jane Birkin to provide a melancholy musical send-off. Industry executives and talent poured in to the particularly hot ticket to show…

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate Co-COO and Motion Picture Group Co-President Steve Beeks, who has been at the company for two decades and has been a key strategist in its growth, is exiting at year’s end. However, he will remain as a consultant. With Beeks leaving, there will be one COO with Brian Goldsmith and one Motion…

Joe Drake has returned to Lionsgate as Co-Chair of its Motion Picture Group. He’ll share the title with Patrick Wachsberger, who recently signed a new agreement with the Company, and together they will run Lionsgate's worldwide motion picture operations. Good Universe cofounder and CEO Nathan Kahane will continue to…

EXCLUSIVE: Good Universe has acquired screen rights to Katie Khan’s science fiction novel Hold Back The Stars, and attached Lee Toland Krieger to direct it. 21 Laps' Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen will produce, and Good Universe’s Nathan Kahane, Joe Drake and Erin Westerman will be executive producers. Set in the near…