Scott Tenley, Chief Commercial Officer, Entertainment Studios MRChas been promoted to CEO, the company announced Thursday.
As part of the new executive structure, MRC founders Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu will serve as chairman.
More from Variety
Tenley’s promotion comes seven months after he successfully negotiated the separation of MRC from Valence Media, reorganizing the company into a premier independent film and television studio. In his new role, Tenley will oversee the studio’s film, television and non-fiction divisions, strategic partnerships, and all of the company’s shared services functions, including finance, legal and human resources.
“Scott Tenley has been involved in nearly every MRC deal, every achievement over the past 16 years. He has blazed a trail in nearly every aspect of our business, from selling ‘House of Cards’ to Netflix, to being on Amazon Prime Video From the establishment of the Academy of Country Music Awards to the evolving credit arrangements, equity arrangements and more,” Wiczyk said with Satchu in a statement. “But Scott is more than just a trader: He is the heart of our culture, our loudest cheerleader, our fiercest defender, and our community ambassador. Scott is an agent of change without him , businesses cannot be successful. He is the conductor who brings every department together and redefines collaboration in a way you won’t see anywhere else. In an industry that is often plagued by selfishness and self-interest, Scott makes Sharing becomes fun and safe.”
“Over the past 16 years, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by the brightest and hardest working colleagues as we have built an amazing business working alongside the best and brightest artists and storytellers,” said Tenley . “In the simplest terms, like them, I find joy in making great movies and TV shows – something we do best at MRC. I am so grateful to Modi, Asif and all colleagues and partners who have given me the rare opportunity to have a small role in the making of iconic films and television shows.”
While at MRC, Tenley helped companies secure billions of dollars in equity and mezzanine capital alongside partners including Goldman Sachs, WPP, ATT, JP Morgan, Abry Partners and Eldridge. He was also the architect of MRC’s credit facilities with JPMorgan Chase and leading entertainment banking consortiums including Comerica Bank, Union Bank, Bank of America, CIT Bank, City National Bank, East West Bank, Wells Fargo Bank and others.
Most recently, Tenley led the team that sold “Poker Face” to Peacock. The deal to sell Chloe Domont’s “Fair Play” to Netflix and the sale of Emerald Fennell’s “Salt” in the biggest Sundance sales of the year He also played a key role in the deal that sold “Ben” to Amazon and secured a second season. and a spin-off of the hit Amazon Prime Video series Endpoint List. In 2021, he oversaw the sale of the Academy of Country Music Awards to Amazon, the first sale of a major Hollywood awards show to a streaming service. Tenley, a joint venture between MRC and UTA completed in 2018, created Civic Center Media, one of the first agency-affiliated production entities with shows including “The Great” on Hulu, “The Terminal List” on Amazon, HBO, and “The Mental Hospital Next Door” on Apple TV+. In 2012, Tenley spearheaded the sale of House of Cards to Netflix, an innovative deal that created the first original series on streaming.
best breed
sign up Variety Newsletter. Follow us for the latest news Facebook, Twitterand instagram.