KENNETH CHRISTMAS JOINS MRC IN NEW ROLE AS GENERAL COUNSEL
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BEVERLY HILLS — January 27, 2021 — MRC announced today that Kenneth Christmas has been named General Counsel, reporting directly to Chief Business Officer Scott Tenley. In this newly established role, Christmas will oversee all corporate legal affairs for the leading independent entertainment company and its expansive partnerships and investments, including working closely with the company’s business affairs and mergers and acquisition teams.
“I’m very excited to welcome Kenny, who has a keen legal and business mind, to MRC as we establish the role of General Counsel,” said Tenley. “His entrepreneurial spirit, deal-making prowess in film and television, and strategic thinking will be invaluable to MRC as we continue to grow.”
Christmas is an entertainment industry veteran with a long career spanning positions at well-known studios, production companies, and law firms. Christmas most recently served as Of Counsel at boutique entertainment law firm Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano. Previously he served as Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at MarVista Entertainment, a global independent studio that creates, acquires and distributes more than 60 movies a year. He also worked at Lionsgate Television as Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs in the company’s fast-growing television division. He held various other positions throughout his career including serving as a business and legal consultant at The Tyra Banks Company, outside legal counsel for A&E Networks, working with Vincent D’Onofrio in a production company, as General Counsel/Head of Business Affairs at Edmonds Entertainment and at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, et. al, a leading talent firm in Beverly Hills. He started his career at O’Melveny & Meyers representing major studios, networks, production companies, entertainment lenders and bond companies in complex, cutting-edge transactions. A graduate of Yale Law School and Stanford University, the San Jose native has two children and lives in Los Angeles.
“I am thrilled to be joining MRC’s entrepreneurial, team-oriented culture,” said Christmas. “I’ve long admired the company and look forward to contributing to its future success.”
MRC is the leading independent entertainment company, with a record 27 Emmy® nominations in 2020, including all three scripted series from MRC Television – “Ozark,” “The Great,” and “The Outsider” and for the “77th Annual Golden Globes,” “2019 American Music Awards” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” from dick clark productions, part of MRC’s Live & Alternative division. MRC Live & Alternative successfully and safely produced live event shows in 2020 including the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “The Billboard Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.” MRC Television is currently in production on “Ozark,” “The Shrink Next Door,” and “The Great.” MRC Film received critical acclaim for its recent launches, “Knives Out,” and “The Lovebirds.” MRC Non-Fiction’s first feature documentary “The Sparks Brothers” will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this January. MRC Data, a joint venture with PMC, recently released its comprehensive Year-End Music Report.
ABOUT MRC
MRC is a diversified global entertainment company with divisions including Film, Television, Live & Alternative and Non-Fiction as well as joint ventures in data and publishing. MRC Television is the largest and most award-winning independent TV studio in North America. MRC Live & Alternative is the largest producer and proprietor of live-event entertainment programming broadcasts worldwide. MRC Film and Non-Fiction source, develop, finance, and produce critically-acclaimed films, docuseries and feature documentaries. MRC and PMC have formed a publishing joint venture and a strategic content partnership with brands The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Vibe and Music Business Worldwide. MRC and PMC’s data venture brings together MRC Data, Alpha Data and Variety Business Intelligence. MRC owns a majority stake in Civic Center Media, A-Major Media and has minority investments in A24, Fulwell 73, Sugar23 and T-Street. For more information on MRC please visit: www.mrcentertainment.com.