News round-up: NATPE confirms physical Miami event; Endemol Shine Boomdog names scripted chief; LADstudios names production head; FilmRise true crime order

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NATPE confirms physical Miami event

The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) has confirmed its Miami-based event will take place in person, from 18 to 20 January next year.

The event, which went virtual last year, will include attendees from around the globe and an extensive event schedule that will be announced soon.

NATPE said it would follow an extensive array of Covid-related protocols, including mandatory proof of vaccination for all attendees, while outdoor tents will be available for select sessions and meetings.

JP Bommel, president & CEO of NATPE, said: “We are thrilled to see our exhibitors, sponsors coming back to Miami and to be welcoming new partners as we are ready to be the new year’s first major platform for the business of content as the industry continue to evolve globally.

“All of us at NATPE are hard at work building a strong program focusing on new business, new markets, and financing. But most importantly, we look forward to NATPE Miami as a time to celebrate our return in person for what is sure to be a productive and educational week in the content industry.”

Endemol Shine Boomdog names scripted chief

Banijay’s Endemol Shine Boomdog has named producer and director Jerry Rodriguez as its new head of scripted content and SVP.

Rodriguez, who most recently served as chief creative officer at Mexico City-based ArgosMedia Group, has produced series such as Viacom International Studio’s series Dani Who? and Comedy Central’s Drunk History Latin America, which he wrote, produced and directed for three seasons.

Rodriguez has been with ArgosMedia in various leading roles since first joining the company in 1999. In his new role, Rodriguez will lead Boomdog’s award-winning scripted team, which is behind Súbete a Mi Moto (Amazon Prime), Nicky Jam: El Ganador (Netflix) and the recently announced comedy series Todo por Lucy, a re-imagined version of classic comedy I Love Lucy, for Amazon Prime.

Alejandro Rincon, CEOn at Endemol Shine Boomdog, said: “Jerry brings with him a wealth of TV production oversight and experience and he’s the perfect executive to help us lead our forthcoming expansion of scripted development and output.”

Alongside his role at ArgosMedia Group, Rodriguez was also general director for its Mexico City-based subsidiary Headroom.

LADstudios names production head

Vice Media’s former director of commercial production Clare Priestley has been appointed as head of production at LADstudios, the creative division of social publisher LADbible Group.

Priestley will lead the production and post production team at LADstudios, which currently produces and publishes over 100 pieces of video content per month.

Prior to Vice Media, Prisetley worked as production manager and line producer for producers including Firecracker Films, IMG and Pulse Films. She reports into former Barcroft Media exec Alex Morris, who was recently named director of LADstudios.

FilmRise orders true crime series

New York-based producer and streamer FilmRise has ordered a 10-episode true crime series from FirstLookTV.

Making A Serial Killer explores what makes someone kill multiple times. The deal gives FilmRise all rights for North America, German-speaking Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. The announcement was made today by Max Einhorn, SVP of acquisitions & co-productions of FilmRise.

Each episode focuses on a different serial killer and explores the reasons given by each killer, which are then dissected by criminologists and psychologists.