Fast-growing STX Entertainment is launching an international sales division with veteran exec John Friedberg hired as president.
Friedberg joined the studio in Burbank this week. He will oversee all aspects of STX’s international sales strategy, along with developing partnerships for foreign acquisitions.
STX launched last year by producer Robert Simonds and TPG managing director Bill McGlashan to develop medium-budget projects — an area largely vacated by the studios in favor of superhero movies. It aims to release as many as 15 films annually by 2017, and has lined up projects with Matthew McConaughey (“The Free State of Jones”) and Julia Roberts (“The Secret in Their Eyes”).
For the past decade, Friedberg has overseen sales and distribution in partnership with Bill Block — first at QED International and most recently at Block Entertainment. He worked on international sales for Brad Pitt’s “Fury,” Neill Blomkamp’s “District Nine” and the upcoming “Dirty Grandpa,” starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron.
He will immediately begin to assemble an international sales team for STX Entertainment.
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“John’s tremendous understanding of all aspects of film finance and international distribution gives him unique awareness of the opportunities in the international market and he is ideally suited to capitalize on the evolving international distribution platform,” said Adam Fogelson, chairman of STX Motion Picture Group.
