Starz Launches Motion Picture Studio

Starz Launches Motion Picture Studio

Overture Films Will Produce, Distribute 8-12 New Feature Films per Year

New Studio Will Be Run By Chris McGurk as CEO, Danny Rosett as COO

Move Completes Starz' Transformation Into a Fully Integrated Media Company

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. and LOS ANGELES, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz, LLC, today announced the formation of a new motion picture studio, Overture Films, which will produce, acquire and distribute eight to twelve full-length feature films a year. The studio will form collaborative relationships with film-makers and empower them to produce quality films that take creative risks and break new ground.

Overture Films is a wholly owned subsidiary of Starz, LLC, which is a unit of Liberty Media Corp. and which also operates the Starz Entertainment premium television business and the Starz Media production and distribution company.

Overture Films is headed by Chief Executive Officer Chris McGurk and Chief Operating Officer Danny Rosett. Both are industry veterans with significant experience in film production, marketing and distribution. McGurk and Rosett were key executives at Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc. prior to MGM's 2005 sale to a group of investors led by Sony Corp. Most recently, McGurk served as senior advisor, new ventures, to Starz Media.

McGurk served as vice chairman and chief operating officer at MGM from 1999-2005. Rosett held a variety of executive roles at MGM from 1994-2005, including president of United Artists, MGM's specialty film division. During McGurk and Rosett's tenure at MGM, the studio's slate included such successful films as Hotel Rwanda, Legally Blonde, Barbershop, Die Another Day, Hannibal, The Thomas Crown Affair and the Academy Award(R) winners Bowling for Columbine and Capote, which UA produced.

McGurk said, "Unburdened by the infrastructure and red tape of big studios, Overture Films will provide a unique opportunity for creative talent to return to the fundamentals of film making: original stories, gifted actors and innovative directors."

"At our studio the creative talent will be central not just in making the films but in helping to develop and execute the marketing and promotional campaigns, including the Internet. Overture Films will embrace and empower talent as true partners in the entire process of making and distributing films."

He added that domestic and international theatrical distribution will also be handled by Overture. The target is for about 60 percent of the films to be original productions, with the other 40 percent acquired. The studio will be based in Los Angeles, and releases will begin in mid-2007.

McGurk will report to Robert B. Clasen, chairman and CEO of Starz, LLC.

Clasen said, "Chris McGurk and Danny Rosett are superb studio executives with great track records who will operate Overture Films with a favorable business model and creative autonomy. Overture is the keystone for the new structure at Starz. It complements the home video, television production, animated film, international sales and other units that were combined with the Starz premium channel business in August when Liberty Media purchased IDT Entertainment. Starz is now a fully integrated media company with the ability to produce any kind of programming and distribute that programming across all platforms."

Clasen said the Overture Films slate will further strengthen the lineup of movies from other studio partners on the Starz premium channels and the Vongo Internet subscription movie download service. Overture will also provide a new business opportunity for Starz Home Entertainment, which will distribute the films to the home video market.

Clasen added, "With the launch of Overture Films, the Starz channels' motto 'Movies Make Us' can now be modified by adding 'Starz Makes Movies.'"

Rosett, who will report to McGurk, noted that the financial success of movies depends on having guaranteed premium television and home video distribution in place. "Overture Films from the start has a multi-year output deal with Starz Entertainment -- including the Starz premium channels and Vongo -- and a distribution agreement with Starz Home Entertainment."

Rosett continued, "We plan to release a broad and balanced spectrum of films that will target specific audiences, avoiding the 'tent-pole' focus that drives the major studios. Within the 8-12 films we release each year will be dramas, socially minded projects, thrillers, comedies, horror films and urban projects. Over the next few months, we will build the team that will be responsible for producing and distributing these films. We expect to make further announcements about our team, alliances with film makers and international distribution plans in the coming months."

McGurk added, "Danny and I are thrilled that Overture Films is being launched with the full support and involvement of Bob Clasen and the entire Starz team and the backing of Liberty Media. We cannot think of a better platform to launch a new film studio that will provide a creative haven for film makers in Hollywood."

Starz, LLC, is a holding company that operates Starz Media and Starz Entertainment. Starz, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp. that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group (NASDAQ:LCAPA)(NASDAQ:LCAPB), www.starz.com.

Starz Entertainment is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz(R) and Encore(R) brands with approximately 14.9 million and 26.6 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HDTV, Starz On Demand and Vongo(SM). Starz Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group (NASDAQ:LCAPA)(NASDAQ:LCAPB), www.starz.com.

Starz Media is a programming production and distribution company operating worldwide. It includes the Film Roman, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment brands. Its units create animated and live-action programming -- including theatrical films -- and programming created under contract for other media companies. It distributes that programming, and programming acquired from outside producers, through home video retailers, theaters, broadcasters, ad supported and premium television channels, and Internet and wireless video distributors in the US and internationally. Starz Media is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp. that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group, www.starz.com.

Contacts: Tom Southwick Jonathan Taylor
Senior Vice President Senior Vice President
Starz Entertainment/Starz Media The Lippin Group
(720) 852-5821 (323) 965-1990
(303) 513-3758 (cell) jtaylor@lippingroup.comtom.southwick@starz.com

Source: Starz, LLC

CONTACT: Tom Southwick, Senior Vice President of Starz
Entertainment/Starz Media, +1-720-852-5821, cell +1-303-513-3758,
tom.southwick@starz.com; or Jonathan Taylor, Senior Vice President of The
Lippin Group, +1-323-965-1990, jtaylor@lippingroup.com, for Starz, LLC

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

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