FEATURE
FUTURELEADERS in sales and acquisitions I
t is to those buyers and sellers working in the trenches at Cannes that Screen turned as inspiration for its special
May 2012 feature. The notion was not to address the CEOs, managing directors or veterans known by everyone and quoted by Screen during every market. This time we wanted to shine a light on the next generation of leaders in this small but crucial piece of the fi nancing and distri- bution puzzle — the younger executives who take the meetings, mill around the screenings and often close the deals. The business of independent distribu-
tion and international sales is an uncon- ventional, sometimes mysterious one. Unlike fi lm-making, there are few courses you can attend to learn the ropes or get a foot in the door. Most sellers have worked hard getting to know the buyers, film- makers and deal structures over several years under the mentorship of their fi rst or second bosses. Buyers owe the same debt to their mentors, whether they be
sons or daughters learning the trade of the family business, or youngsters who have lucked into the acquisitions game. We decided to focus on 50 of these
“future leaders”, but this is not some pro- vocative power list, nor were the subjects selected by a spurious scientifi c process. We contacted company chiefs and cur- rent leaders in the fi eld, asking who they thought was on the up and up. Sellers selected their own staff, young buyers that impressed them and other young sales executives. Buyers selected young sales, marketing and business affairs execs, some of their own staff or buyers in other territories whose performance they rate. As in the fi lm business in general, this list was put together based on the unscientifi c methods of word of mouth, good experiences and strong reputations. Many names came up over and over
again, so I’m sure we have captured some incredible talent in this feature. No doubt we’ve missed others, in which case we
will do another focus at another market. The idea was not to offend or exclude, but to shine a light on the highly skilled and often uncredited base of young talent in the independent world. A word on some of the criteria. Age is
not the principal measure of inclusion here, but rather years spent in a particu- lar discipline. Emil Elmer has only just started in sales, having spent years in acquisitions; Peter Kujawski has just switched from sales to acquisitions; Laird Adamson had a background in pro- duction before sales. We are not celebrat- ing youth so much as the journeys of these executives towards becoming lead- ers in their respective fi elds under differ- ent mentors and territorial infl uences. We at Screen hope you enjoy reading
the backgrounds and comments of our 50 Future Leaders In Sales & Acquisi- tions as much as we did. Here’s to the next 50.
Mike Goodridge, editor
» ■ 42 Screen International at Cannes May 18, 2012
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