Indie Zig Zag has appointed Leila Monks to the newly created role of vice-president of commercial and current production as it looks to generate 50% of its business from the US within two years.

Monks, currently director at distributor TVF International, will split her time in the ‘trans-Atlantic’ role between Zig Zag’s London and New York offices.

She starts early in November, reporting into chief executive Danny Fenton, with the task of securing ad-funded programming orders, co-production and pre-sale investment, and negotiating distribution deals. Monks will work closely with commercial consultant Ben Barratt.

The hire comes as Zig Zag seeks to build on the appointment of New York-based executive vice president Matt Gould and grow its US turnover from around 33% to account for half of its income.

Fenton said Monks offered a range of strengths. “I often find that distributors can over-promise and under-deliver, but with Leila, the reverse is true.”

Topics