Bill McGoldrick (Left), Juan Alfonso (Center), and Vibiana Molina (Right)
Courtesy of Kathryn Mueller
Chernin Entertainment has expanded its executive leadership with three key hires: NBCUniversal veteran Bill McGoldrick, Starz exec Juan Alfonso, and Fox 21 legal pro Vibiana Molina.
McGoldrick has been named executive vice president of film and television, with Alfonso serving as senior vice president over those two portfolios. Molina was named executive vice president of business affairs earlier this year. In addition to their hires, Christina Porter and Jordan Compton have been named creative executives.
The three senior roles will report into Jeno Topping, Chernin’s president of film and TV who announced the additions on Thursday.
The expansion comes as the company ramps up development and production, having closed several key content deals in the past year including a multi-year first-look partnership with Spotify to adapt original podcasts for television, film, and digital video. They also partnered with Award-winning producer Connor Schell, former senior executive at ESPN, to produce high-end unscripted.
“We are thrilled to welcome Bill, Juan, Vibiana, Christina and Jordan to our existing team of powerhouse creative executives. These talented execs each bring their own unique and valuable expertise to Chernin Entertainment during this important and exciting growth juncture. We are grateful to have assembled such a remarkably strong team,” said Topping.
The new lot joins existing Chernin creatives including David Ready, Kori Adelson, Sharla Sumpter Bridgett, Dan Finlay, Tracey Cook, Kaitlin Dahill, Samantha Varchetto, and Jamie Spetner.
McGoldrick previously served as president of original content at NBCUniversal Entertainment Networks and direct-to-consumer. There he oversaw development and current for all original content on the company’s streaming service Peacock, including the series “Dr. Death,” “Saved by the Bell,” “Girls5eva,” and “Rutherford Falls.” He also oversaw scripted originals for NBCUniversal’s cable entertainment networks (USA Network, SYFY, Bravo, and E!), and unscripted originals for USA and SYFY including series such as “Sinner,” “Dirty John” and “Suits.” Prior to taking on original content for Peacock in 2019, McGoldrick served as President, Scripted Content for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, and Unscripted Content for USA and SYFY.
Alfonso previously served as SVP of original programming at Starz where he worked in development for many shows including the upcoming horror-comedy “Shining Vale” starring Courtney Cox and Greg Kinnear, as well “Gaslit,” starring Julia Roberts and Sean Penn. Alfonso also contributed to three separate spinoffs of the hit show “Power” and the television prequels for Lionsgate’s “John Wick” franchise. Before that, Alfonso spent seven years at Disney/ABC Studios, where he developed the Emmy-winning “American Crime” and Marvel’s “Agent Carter.”
Molina previously served as EVP of business and legal Affairs at Fox 21 Television Studios, which produced series such series as “American Crime Story” and “Pose”. While at Fox 21, Molina also completed several high-profile overall deals with creators such as Tom McCarthy, Sarah Treem, Leslye Headland, Dave Kajganich, and Jenni Konner. She previously served as EVP of Business Affair for 20th Century Fox TV, handling the business affairs operations and strategy of multiple series and projects in development including crafting new templates for the studio’s musical shows, from Ryan Murphy’s “Glee” to Lee Daniels’ “Star” and “Empire.”
Porter comes from Escape Artists Entertainment. Prior to her work in creative development, she started her career in physical production and at “The Late Show.” She is also a committee member at Time’s Up Entertainment.
Before joining Chernin Entertainment, Compton worked in feature development and production at Amblin Partners. She also spent time working for John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Company and Will Gluck’s Olive Bridge Entertainment.
Variety's Matt Donnelly contributed to this post.
https://variety.com/2021/film/news/chernin-entertainment-executive-hires-bill-mcgoldrick-1235050234/#recipient_hashed=27d3e1decbdd57f8473998652dd3259302a49d011cd4c3c98101f80952412574
