Former Nickelodeon Staff Member Rich Ross Named CEO Of Shine America

From Broadcasting & Cable:

Ross Named CEO of Shine America

Former chairman of The Walt Disney Studios to take reins in January

Rich Ross, former chairman of The Walt Disney Studios and president of Disney Channels Worldwide, has been named CEO [chief executive officer] of Shine America, Shine Group said Tuesday.

In January, Ross will take over from Carl Fennessy, the current CEO, who will return to Australia in the middle of next year after completing his two-year term at the company in Los Angeles.

"We are delighted that Rich will be coming to Shine America to build on the brilliant and transformative work achieved under Carl's tenure," said Alex Mahon, Shine Group's CEO, in a statement. "Rich is an outstanding creative leader, responsible for not only launching iconic franchises but overseeing explosive growth in broadcast brands under his direction. He is perfectly suited to lead Shine America into its next phase of growth and complements Shine Group's senior team of creative entrepreneurs globally."

Shine America -- the U.S. division of the U.K.-based production company founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of News Corp. Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch - produces such shows as Fox's MasterChef and NBC's The Biggest Loser. Coming up for the company are Oxygen's The Face; FX's The Bridge, which is the company's first scripted pilot; and Shine America's first Spanish-language production, MundoFox's Minuto Para Ganar, which is the Spanish-language version of Minute to Win It.

In recent months, Shine America also has launched a New York-based format label, Ardaban.

Ross began his career at Nickelodeon, rising to vice president of program enterprises. He joined FX Networks in 1993 as part of their launch executive team, overseeing development and production for the network. In 1996, Ross joined Disney Channels Worldwide, rising to the position of president.

In that role, he was responsible for developing and launching such hit shows as Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, Phineas and Ferb and That's So Raven, as well as creating original movie franchises High School Musical, Camp Rock and The Cheetah Girls.

Most recently, Ross served as chairman of The Walt Disney Studios from October 2009 to April 2012. Films released during that time included Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, and the reboot of The Muppets starring Jason Segal and Amy Adams. The studio also released Disney-Pixar's Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 and DreamWorks Studios' The Help during that time. As chairman, Ross oversaw all elements of development, production, marketing and distribution for the film, musical and theatrical divisions.

Also, from C21Media:

Ross takes reins at Shine America

Former Disney exec Rich Ross has been appointed CEO of Shine America, replacing Carl Fennessy, who will return to Australia.

Ross, who was chairman of The Walt Disney Studios and president of Disney Channels Worldwide left the Mouse earlier this year.

He will take over as CEO of News Corp’s Shine America in January, succeeding incumbent Fennessy, who will head back to his native Australia after what the company described as a “pre-agreed, two-year term in Los Angeles.”

Fennessy will be reunited with his brother Mark, together maintaining the role of joint CEO of Shine Australia, returning home in mid-2013.

Ross began his career at Nickelodeon where he was promoted to VP of programme enterprises. He joined FX Networks in 1993 as part of the executive team leading its launch and then joined Disney Channels Worldwide in 1996 where he eventually became president.

At Disney he led the development of international children’s hits including Hannah Montana and Lizzie McGuire and original movie franchises including High School Musical.

Most recently he was chairman of The Walt Disney Studios from October 2009 until April this year, overseeing development, marketing and distribution of films including Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Alice in Wonderland but also the huge flop John Carter, over which he resigned.

Shine America currently produces the US version of MasterChef for Fox, The Biggest Loser for NBC and is working on its first scripted pilot, The Bridge, for FC. It is also working on its first Spanish-language production, Minuto Para Ganar for MundoFox.

It also recently launched New York-based formats arm Ardaban

Ross said: “I look forward to furthering the expansion of Shine America’s portfolio both by adapting Shine’s hit shows from around the world, as well as creating new original content.”

Shine Group chairman Elisabeth Murdoch added: “I have known and admired Rich for many years. He is a world-class executive and the ideal leader to build on our extraordinary momentum at Shine America. I am personally delighted that he has decided to join us and he will be a brilliant addition to the whole group.”

Clive Whittingham
30-10-2012
©C21Media

TAGS: Appointments
GENRES: Drama, Format, Reality
COMPANIES: Ardaban, Shine America
COUNTRIES: Australia, US

Also, from Realscreen:

Shine Group appoints Rich Ross as CEO, Shine America

Rich Ross, former chairman of The Walt Disney Studios and president of Disney Channels Worldwide has been named CEO of Shine America.

Ross will succeed Carl Fennessy, who will return to Australia upon the completion of his pre-determined two-year term in Los Angeles. Fennessy, joint CEO for Shine Australia, will also be present for the hand-over to Ross, who joins the Shine America team in January.

“We are delighted that Rich will be coming to Shine America to build on the brilliant and transformative work achieved under Carl’s tenure,” said Alex Mahon, Shine Group CEO, in a statement. “Rich is an outstanding creative leader, responsible for not only launching iconic franchises but overseeing explosive growth in broadcast brands under his direction. He is perfectly suited to lead Shine America into its next phase of growth and complements Shine Group’s senior team of creative entrepreneurs globally.”

“I am very excited to join Liz, Alex and the entire Shine team which has shown how a creatively-led content company can both be global in scope, yet nimble and entrepreneurial in local territories,” added Ross. “I look forward to furthering the expansion of Shine America’s portfolio both by adapting Shine’s hit shows from around the world, as well as creating new original content.”

Ross began his career at Nickelodeon, and then joined FX Networks in 1993 as part of its executive launch team. In 1996, he joined Disney Channels Worldwide, rising to the position of president and oversaw such hits as Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, Phineas and Ferb and That’s So Raven as well as the creation of original movie franchises High School Musical, Camp Rock and The Cheetah Girls. In 2009, he was named chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, a position he held until April of this year.

“I have known and admired Rich for many years,” said Elisabeth Murdoch, chairman of Shine Group. “He is a world-class executive and the ideal leader to build on our extraordinary momentum at Shine America. I am personally delighted that he has decided to join us and he will be a brilliant addition to the whole group. We all welcome him warmly.

“On behalf of everyone at Shine, I would like to thank Carl for his outstanding leadership over the last 18 months,” she added. “He will be missed in America as much as he will be welcomed home in Australia.”

Tags: Rich Ross, Shine America