Engine & Electus Team for Thumb Wars

WSN

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Engine & Electus Team for Thumb Wars

By Kristin Brzoznowski

Published: April 10, 2010

LOS ANGELES: Engine Entertainment and Ben Silverman’s Electus have signed a deal to co-produce the U.S. format for the interactive treasure-hunt game show Thumb Wars.

The reality competition format will be packaged for the U.S. market to involve network, advertising and digital integration. The interactive game show involves contestants who use Smart Phone apps to receive clues for their quest to find a hidden treasure. Each stand-alone episode features four new teams who set off on a day-long adventure.

"Electus is scouring the world for next generation entertainment and Thumb Wars is a groundbreaking program utilizing everyone's most important means of communication and connection, their PDA's,” said Ben Silverman, the CEO of Electus. “We will utilize our unique expertise in the digital age to marry this great content to consumers.

“Ben and his team move fast and understand complex product and digital integration, they are an ideal partner for this unique format,” added Chris Philip, the chief executive of Engine Entertainment.

“Ben’s vision for this unique and successful South African format from Stimulii will transcend all that’s been done in the U.S.A. so far as multiplatform technology is concerned,” commented Michel Rodrigue, a distribution consultant for Engine Entertainment.

Electus takes Thumb Wars to US

C21

http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=89&article=54999

Electus takes Thumb Wars to US

Ben Silverman's Electus has entered an agreement with newly launched Engine Entertainment to coproduce a US version of interactive treasure hunt gameshow Thumb Wars.

The format, which relies heavily on the use of smartphones, is Engine's first and has been taking a 31% overall market share on South African network SABC. Local producer Stimulii makes the show. Electus is currently seeking network, advertising and digital media partners in the US.

"Electus is scouring the world for next generation entertainment and Thumb Wars is a groundbreaking programme utilizing everyone's most important means of communication and connection - their PDAs," said Silverman.

Electus Distribution was formed in February this year by Silverman and some of his former Reveille colleagues from his time as co-chair of NBC Entertainment. Engine is the fledgling production and distribution outfit set up by former Power distribution chief Chris Philip.

"Ben's vision for this unique and successful South African format from Stimulii will transcend all that's been done in the US so far as multi-platform technology is concerned," claimed Engine distribution consultant Michel Rodrigue.

Jules Grant
9 Apr 2010
© C21 Media 2010

Electus, Engine team for "Thumb Wars"

THR

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/world/news/e3i25d5a034c5bd6dc58a6804286878e8d4

Electus, Engine team for 'Thumb Wars'

Interactive treasure hunt gameshow using smartphones

By Elizabeth Guider

April 9, 2010, 06:30 AM ET

Ben Silverman's newly formed company Electus is partnering with a newly formed U.S. producer-distributor, Engine Entertainment, on an interactive treasure hunt gameshow called "Thumb Wars."

The partners will package the hybrid reality competition format in the U.S. marketplace to involve network, advertising and digital integration.

"Thumb Wars," which is originally a South African show, relies heavily on a smart phone to completely drive the game, which offers an untapped digital platform for advertisers and electronic applications.

"Electus is scouring the world for next-generation entertainment and 'Thumb Wars' is a groundbreaking program utilizing everyone's most important means of communication and connection -- their PDA's," said Electus CEO Silverman, who is the former head of NBC's network television operations.

Engine CEO Chris Philip and company consultant Michel Rodrigue as well as Silverman will serve as executive producers of the American version.

The game involves contestants who use Smart Phone apps to receive clues for their quest in finding a hidden treasure. In each standalone episode, four new teams of cross-generational contestants set off on a day-long adventure, following a series of hi-tech clues that explore the history of their country.

Created and produced by Stimulii Prods. and broadcast on SABC in South Africa, the reality/gameshow has averaged a 31% overall market share in that territory. Engine will handle worldwide distribution for the format beginning at MIPTV.

Paulette Bensussen joins Engine Team

Engine Entertainment Adds to Team

By Kristin Brzoznowski

Published: April 7, 2010

LOS ANGELES: Engine Entertainment has hired Paulette Bensussen as senior VP of sales and business development, to be based in New York and report to CEO Chris Philip.

Bensussen will be tasked with managing Engine's international programming sales as well as developing new business opportunities with networks and producers. Bensussen is adding programming across all genres—including reality, health and lifestyle—to Engine's catalogue. In addition to a range of formats, Bensussen is bringing more than 400 hours of Ecuavisa's telenovelas. Before joining Engine, Bensussen founded Ganesh Entertainment, a consulting, production and distribution firm. Prior to founding Ganesh, she was the executive director of international development at Scripps Network.

“Paulette blends tremendous business acumen with creative instinct for what sells, with access to content that travels across the world,” said Philip.

“Joining Engine is an incredibly organic fit,” commented Bensussen. “I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this amazing team. We have vast and diverse experience in developing television business around the globe, making Engine a one-of-a-kind organization, with the know-how and infrastructure to create and deliver attractive business opportunities for networks and producers worldwide.”

Paulette Bensussen joins as senior VP of sales and business development

C21

http://www.c21media.net/news/detail.asp?area=1&article=54942

Engine steams ahead with sales appointment

Engine Entertainment, the fledgling production and distribution outfit set up by TV sales veteran Chris Philip, has made another hire, bringing the founder of Ganesh Entertainment to its sales team.

Paulette Bensussen joins as senior VP of sales and business development, reporting directly to CEO Philip. She is responsible for looking after Engine's international sales catalogue. She brings with her reality, health and lifestyle shows such as HGTV's Holmes on Homes, and over 400 hours of telenovela programming. She will also work globally on developing new business with networks and prodcos.

Bensussen formed New York indie Ganesh in 2007, and went on to work with Al Gore's Current TV network. Before then, she was executive director of international development at Scripps Networks, where she worked on the global expansion of its IPTV services.

Her hire comes on the back of Engine's appointment of Michel Rodrigue, the former CEO of Distraction Formats, in a consultancy role that will see him take Engine's first format Thumb Wars to MipTV. The show has been taking a 31% overall market share on South African network SABC.

Engine, which former Power distribution chief Philip set up last month, has a debut distribution slate that includes The Bellator Fighting Championships, Young Hollywood and two shows from the Zalman King Collection.

Jesse Whittock
7 Apr 2010
© C21 Media 2010

Chris Philip Sets Up Engine Entertainment

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Chris Philip Sets Up Engine Entertainment

By Mansha Daswani

Published: March 23, 2010

LOS ANGELES: Chris Philip, most recently president of worldwide sales at Power, has set up a new international production and distribution company, Engine Entertainment, that officially launches at MIPTV.

The new venture will represent a library of content across all genres and will co-produce projects on a global scale. “We will leverage our unique relationships with the world’s top producers, advertisers, and content delivery platforms, offering them bespoke global co-production and distribution services, to deliver programming across all television genres” said Philip, the new company's chief executive. “We will offer cost- effective production alternatives and quick-to-market distribution strategies for our partners and clients, while delivering quality content for worldwide audiences." Philip will be tapping into the experience he gained at Power, where he worked with chairman and CEO Justin Bodle on driving the company's U.S. series business with projects like Crusoe.

The MIPTV slate includes The Bellator Fighting Championships franchise, Young Hollywood, two series from The Zalman King Collection and titles from the Halloween horror film. Engine is also pitching two scripted action-adventure series and two event mini-series ready for global co-production packaging.

Philip started his television career at Alfred Haber Distribution before moving on to Polygram/ITC, where he stayed through various mergers and acquisitions, eventually rising to head up distribution to Latin America at NBC Universal International Television Distribution.

Variety Mention

VARIETY

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118016785.html?categoryId=14&cs=1

Philip powers Engine

Exec to unveil TV shingle at Mip

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

Philip

Former Power sales/distribution prexy Chris Philip has formed a new shingle, which he’ll unveil next month at the Mip TV confab.

Engine Entertainment has acquired several titles to sell at the TV market, including Fox Sports Net’s “Bellator Fighting Championships.”

Show, now in its second season, attaches a tournament-style setup to mixed martial artist matches. NBC also airs weekly highlights of the MMA bouts.

Engine has also packaged episodes of “Red Shoe Diaries” and “Chromumblue.com” as “The Zalman King Collection.” Other titles include the entertainment series “Young Hollywood” and three of the “Halloween” movies, including the original.

Philip said he plans to co-produce international projects and also represent outside programs and brands in the marketplace.

“(Engine) will offer cost-effective production alternatives and quick-to-market distribution strategies for our partners and clients,” he said.

Company will open offices in Los Angeles, New York, Miami and London

At Power, Philip helped bring two series to NBC—including “Crusoe,” which he co-exec produced. Prior to Power, he was VP of NBC Universal International.

Bellator Fighting Championships aligns with Engine Entertainment

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Bellator Fighting Championships aligns with Engine Entertainment to distribute Bellator programming internationally

The international production and distribution company Engine Entertainment has completed an agreement with Bellator Fighting Championships to handle the exclusive worldwide distribution (excluding US and Canada) for this first-of-its-kind mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.

With its unique tournament format, Bellator allows fighters to control their own destiny by eliminating the subjectivity of matchmaking and replicating the objectivity of virtually every other professional sport. Guided by this concept, Bellator produces a unique, exciting, competitive and entertaining brand of MMA programming that is based on the most successful real-sports, objective competition format.

Bellator has taken the U.S. by storm since it debuted in April 2009 on ESPN Deportes. Due to the success of its first season, Bellator returns for its second and third seasons with one of the largest domestic television distribution alliances in fighting sports history, including 24 live events on Fox Sports Net (reaching 92 Million homes), with weekly highlight shows on both NBC (112 million homes) and Telemundo (62 Million homes) – bringing Bellator to virtually every home in the U.S.

In addition, Bellator will be broadcast across Canada through an alliance with The Score sports network.

Engine Entertainment is exclusively distributing the twenty-four 2010 season live events, plus all additional premium pay-per-view events that Bellator produces, worldwide (outside of the US and Canada) as well as the twelve previously aired 2009 Bellator Season 1 shows.

“With fighters from across the globe, Bellator has produced some of the most electrifying moments in MMA history,” said Chris Philp, Chief Executive, Engine Entertainment. “Bellator will thrill audiences in every country and we are excited to be distributing this successful nationally televised sports franchise worldwide.”

Said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney: “Bellator is very pleased to be working with Engine Entertainment—a dynamic and accomplished player in the highly competitive international programming sales industry. With some of the best fighters from every corner of the globe and a unique format that allows fighters to truly control their own destiny, we are confident that our real-sport format will enjoy success internationally that equals or exceeds the success we have had to date here in the U.S.”

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

About Engine Entertainment

Engine Entertainment, with offices in LA, New York, Miami, and London, is the new force in international TV distribution and production, with a management team with top-level experience in the global TV industry, high-level contacts across the world’s TV markets, and in-depth knowledge of international co-production structures. Engine Entertainment achieves worldwide penetration across all platforms and cost-effectively creates and delivers inspiring quality entertainment for worldwide television audiences. www.engine-entertainment.com

Michel Rodrigue Pacts with Engine Entertainment

Michel Rodrigue Pacts with Engine Entertainment

By Kristin Brzoznowski

Published: March 29, 2010

LOS ANGELES: Michel Rodrigue, a veteran in the international formats industry, has entered into an exclusive agreement with the newly formed outfit Engine Entertainment to serve as distribution consultantfor its formats division, Engine Formats.

Under the terms of the exclusive consulting agreement, Rodrigue will work closely with Engine's management team, led by chief executive Chris Philip, to develop the company's specialized formats division and seek out properties for worldwide distribution. Rodrigue is often referred to as "The Father of Formats," as he was key in the launch of the first-ever Television Format Market at the Monte Carlo Television Festival. He founded Distraction Formats in 1997.

At MIPTV, Engine will be showcasing the interactive Smart Phone treasure-hunt game show Thumb Wars. In each stand-alone episode, four new teams of cross-generation contestants head out on a day-long adventure, following a series of hi-tech clues that explore the history of their country.

“We are delighted to be in business with Michel and could not ask for someone more respected in the industry to help us build our formats division,” said Philip. “Michel’s experience and innovation that he brings to the formats field is second to none.”

“I’m thrilled to have found such a unique format that combines cutting-edge phone technology and history in a game filled with tension and drama,” commented Rodrigue. “I’m confident that Chris and his team at Engine Entertainment will take this to a quick international success.”

Michel Rodrigue

Rodrigue plays Thumb Wars Michel Rodrigue, former CEO of ill-fated Distraction Formats, has signed up as a distribution consultant for the new production company set up by former Power distribution chief Chris Philip. Rodrigue (left) has entered into an exclusive agreement with Engine Entertainment to launch the company's first format: Thumb Wars. Rodrigue will be shopping the property at MipTV next month. The format "combines cutting-edge phone technology and history in a game filled with tension and drama," said the former Distraction man. It has contestants using smartphone apps to receive clues for a quest to find hidden treasure. Created and produced by Stimulii and broadcast on SABC in South Africa, the reality/gameshow has averaged 31% overall market share with peaks at 41% in adults 25-34, said Engine, which has worldwide rights to the format. 29 Mar 2010 © C21 Media 2010