Content Innovation Awards 2017: Cathy Payne & Christina Jennings honoured

Endemol Shine International chief Cathy Payne and Shaftesbury Films founder Christina Jennings were last night recognised for their achievements in television.

More than 200 guests saw Payne named the first winner of the Content Innovation Awards’ International Content Leader Award and Jennings the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Awards.

The Endemol Shine sales chief (above left) has worked in television for more than 30 years, and has been in her current post since the Endemol-Shine Group merger of 2015.

Before that, she had been head of Endemol’s sales business, and before that, ran Australia’s Southern Star International. She currently oversees a team of more than 75 and a catalogue of more than 50,000 hours.

Announcing Payne’s achievement on stage last night, TBI editor Jesse Whittock paid tribute to Payne, noting her negotiation skills and ability to close significant deals were well known throughout the international TV industry.

Jennings (above right) founded Canada-based Shaftesbury, which produces The Murdoch Mysteries among others, in 1987. It is now one of the most well recognised indies on the market, and she remains CEO and chairman.

TBI’s Whittock described her as “among the most influential producers in international television for the past three decades”.

Both executives were joined by many of their colleagues at the Content Innovation Awards, which were held at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, France, last night.