Sundance Channel Names Laura Michalchyshyn Executive Vice President, Programming & Marketing

Sundance Channel Names Laura Michalchyshyn Executive Vice President, Programming & Marketing

NEW YORK, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Redford, Sundance Channel Founder and Larry Aidem, President & CEO, today announced that Laura Michalchyshyn has been named to the position of Executive Vice President, Programming & Marketing. Michalchyshyn, who will be based in New York, will report to both Redford and Aidem. She comes to Sundance Channel from Alliance Atlantis Communications, where she was until recently Senior Vice-President, Dramatic Programming, and responsible for all programming for Alliance Atlantis dramatic channels, including Showcase, Showcase DIVA, Showcase ACTION, and the Independent Film Channel Canada.

Sundance founder Redford commented: "Laura has a longstanding love of, and appreciation for, independent film. Couple that with a creative, television- centric aesthetic that has proven to be successful for a number of cable networks and we believe we have exactly what Sundance Channel needs in its top creative executive."

Aidem said of the hire, "Laura's television sensibility, her creative and leadership skills, and her enviable track record make for a very compelling and necessary addition to the Sundance Channel management team, especially at this point in the network's evolution."

Michalchyshyn will be responsible for all creative expressions of the Sundance Channel brand, both on and off-Channel, including original programming, film acquisition, program planning, on-air promotion and the creative strategy and implementation of all off-Channel consumer marketing. Reporting to Michalchyshyn on the programming side will be Adam Pincus, Senior Vice President, Original Programming, and Christian Vesper, Vice President, Film Programming. On the marketing and branding side, her direct reports will be Kirk Iwanowski, Senior Vice President, Marketing; Keira Alexandra, Vice President/Creative Director; and Meredith Breitbarth, Vice President, Advertising and Creative Services. Iwanowski will continue to report to Aidem on affiliate marketing and promotion.

Michalchyshyn is relocating to New York from Toronto, where she worked since 1997 as Senior Vice President, Dramatic Programming for Alliance Atlantis, she has been responsible for all programming at Showcase Television, a Canadian dramatic cable channel that broadcasts dramatic series, mini- series, television movies and feature films. In her seven years with Showcase she transformed the channel with strategic acquisitions and commissions of some of the best Canadian, American, British, Australian and other international programming from creators, major studios and distributors around the world. In 2001 Michalchyshyn led the launch of three Canadian digital specialty channels including Showcase Action, Showcase Diva and IFC Canada. In just three years, these channels have grown to be market leaders in the digital tier.

In 1995 Michalchyshyn was part of the management team that launched the first Canadian women's cable channel, WTN, where she worked as Program Manager responsible for scheduling and acquiring movies, series and documentaries. For three years at WTN she also produced an ongoing half hour short film series which launched the careers of many emerging Canadian filmmakers.

Michalchyshyn has also produced two independent films with director Noam Gonick which have traveled the international festival circuit and been released and broadcast in a number of countries. The documentary Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight (1997) and the feature Hey, Happy! (2001) have both been broadcast on Sundance Channel.

Michalchyshyn's vision for nurturing emerging talent and creating innovative, unique and critically acclaimed programming has resulted in awards and accolades including the following prizes: Excellence in Mentoring and Professional Development (WIFT), Best Documentary (Hot Docs, Manitoba Blizzard Awards), Best New Canadian Film, (Inside Out), and Showcase: Best Specialty Cable Channel (Eye and X-tra 2003, 2004).

Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel brings television viewers daring and engaging feature films, shorts, documentaries, world cinema and animation, shown uncut and with no commercials. Through its original programs, Sundance Channel connects viewers with filmmakers, the creative process, and the world of independent film. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a venture between NBC Universal, Robert Redford, and Showtime Networks Inc. Sundance Channel operates independently of the non- profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of supporting independent artists and providing them with wider opportunities to present their work to audiences. Sundance Channel's website address is http://www.sundancechannel.com/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050110/NYM162
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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Sundance Channel

CONTACT: Sarah Eaton, Senior Vice President, Public Relations of
Sundance Channel, +1-212-654-1613, sarah.eaton@sundancechannel.com

Web site: http://www.sundancechannel.com/


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