BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Anchor Bay Entertainment EVP of Worldwide Acquisitions and Co-Productions Kevin Kasha has been promoted to the newly created position of Head of Acquisitions at Starz, the parent company of Anchor Bay.  Kasha will oversee film, television series, and digital acquisitions for all of the Starz businesses including Starz Networks, Starz Worldwide Distribution, Starz Digital Media, and Anchor Bay Entertainment.  The promotion was announced by Michael Thornton, Chief Revenue Officer at Starz.

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"Consolidating our acquisitions responsibilities for all of the Starz businesses through an executive of Kevin's talents is a great opportunity to bring those business activities into greater alignment," said Thornton.  "Kevin has a strong track record of success through his work at Anchor Bay Films that will translate across our integrated businesses."

Kasha has been a key player in the entertainment industry for more than two decades, overseeing acquisitions, production and programming for some of Hollywood's leading independent studios.  Kasha joined Anchor Bay Films in 2008 as Senior Vice President of Acquisitions.  He was promoted to Executive Vice President, Worldwide Acquisitions & Co-Productions in the spring of 2010. 

Since joining the team, Kasha has acquired more than 100 films in a mere five years including the box office successes and award contenders City Island (starring Andy Garcia) and Solitary Man (starring Michael Douglas).  Kasha also acquired the home entertainment and digital rights to AMC's smash hit "The Walking Dead."  Recent  acquisitions include Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem, the critically-acclaimed film Kill the Irishman starring Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio, Billy Bob Thornton's Jayne Mansfield's Car and the cult hit Battle Royale.  Upcoming releases include At Middleton starring Academy Award^® nominees Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga, as well as a new joint venture with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment for the release of Gina Carano's In the Blood.  Kasha served as executive producer on the remake of the 1978 classic by Meir Zarchi, I Spit on Your Grave.  Under Kasha, Anchor Bay released both versions to critical acclaim.  Additionally, Kasha oversaw the company's partnership with the world's fastest growing sports organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship^® (UFC^®), to distribute their wildly popular UFC brand releases on Blu-ray™ and DVD formats.

Prior to joining Anchor Bay, Kasha held the senior posts at New Line Home Entertainment as well as Miramax Home Entertainment where he reported directly to Bob and Harvey Weinstein.  One of the first to recognize the newly developing field of home entertainment and television-driven acquisitions and production, Kasha has executive produced such video premiere hits as Lego's Bionicle: Mask of Light, Air Bud Spikes Back, Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch, Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, Undisputed 3, The Butterfly Effect 2, The Cell 2, Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane, The Poison Ivy franchise, MXP: Most Extreme Primate and Chestnut: Hero of Central Park.

About StarzStarz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies.  As of September 30, 2013, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 57.0 million subscribers, including 22.0 million at STARZ, and 35.0 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S.  STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY.  Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television.  Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties.  Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.

About Anchor Bay EntertainmentAnchor Bay Entertainment is a leading home entertainment company.  Anchor Bay acquires and distributes feature films, original television programming including STARZ Original series, children's entertainment, anime (Manga Entertainment), fitness (Anchor Bay Fitness), sports, and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray(tm) formats.  The company has long term distribution agreements in place for select programming with AMC Networks, RADIUS, and The Weinstein Company. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) business, www.starz.com.

SOURCE Starz

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