Heated Rivalry indie bolsters senior team for next growth phase

Accent Aigu Entertainment, the indie behind Crave’s breakout sports romance Heated Rivalry, has restructured its leadership team to prepare it for its next growth phase.

Founders and co-presidents Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady are moving into chief creative officer and chief executive officer roles, respectively, as well as both holding exec producer positions. In their roles, they will continue to guide the Toronto-based label’s strategic direction and creative vision.

Coming into the company as president is Jayme Alter Wilson, who will lead strategy and operations alongside Tierney and Brady. Alter Wilson joins from global law firm Dentons, where she was most recently a partner in the media, entertainment and sports group within the Toronto office.

There she worked with clients across film, television, music, advertising, and other creative industries. She has advised Accent Aigu Entertainment since its inception, and her appointment formalises her relationship with company, bringing further strategic, business and legal expertise. She assumes her role in June.

Also joining the leadership team is Lori Fischburg as head of production and producer, in which she will oversee Accent Aigu’s growing slate. Fischburg has served as a line producer on several high-profile productions, including Heated Rivalry, on which she also serves as a producer.

Liane Cunje has joined the company as development executive and producer, having held a wide range of roles across the film and television industry, including managing TIFF’s festival programming and serving as its industry selection programmer. She will oversee development across Accent Aigu’s expanding slate while also serving as a producer on Heated Rivalry.

Elsewhere, Craig Merritt has been made chief financial officer, a newly created position steering all corporate financial activities.

“Accent Aigu has experienced incredible success over the past year, and we’re excited about where we are headed next,” said Tierney and Brady. “As we continue to grow, it’s important for us to bring in people who not only have deep experience in their fields, but who also understand the kind of company we want to be.

“Jayme, Craig, Lori, and Liane each bring thoughtful leadership, creative insight, and a shared commitment to storytelling as we continue building a strong foundation for long-term success.”