James Baker has been appointed President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Red Arrow Studios, the global production network of German media company ProSiebenSat.1.
Baker, currently COO of Red Arrow Studios, will succeed Jan David Frouman, Chairman and CEO, and a member of ProSiebenSat.1′ Executive Board, wo has decided to leave both posts when his current management contract concludes at the end of February 2019 after 15 years with ProSiebenSat.1.
Baker will report directly to Max Conze, CEO of ProSiebenSat.1.
“Red Arrow Studios is an important part of ProSiebenSat.1, and I would like to thank Jan for successfully building and leading the group from the start. I’m also very pleased that we’ve been able to promote James Baker to lead the company going forward. He knows Red Arrow inside and out, and together we will expand our production footprint, further strengthen the operational performance of the Red Arrow companies and particularly develop a broader German content production ecosystem,” said Conze.
In his new role, Baker will manage the 20 production companies that are part of Red Arrow Studios’ global network, take responsibility for Red Arrow’s strategic expansion initiatives and work closely with Wolfgang Link, Chief Content & Channel Officer, and Henrik Pabst, Chief Commercial Officer (as of January 2019), at ProSiebenSat.1’s Entertainment segment.
Bo Stehmeier, President of Red Arrow Studios International as of January 2019, will report to Baker and oversee TV distributor Red Arrow Studios International and US independent film distributor Gravitas Ventures. Reza Izad, CEO of Studio71, will continue to lead the global multi-platform company and report directly to Conze.
Frouman said: “My time with ProSiebenSat.1 was a defining life experience. Professionally. Culturally. Socially. I have worked with talented colleagues around the world. My decision to leave wasn’t made lightly. But I’m simply ready for a new chapter. James has been a part of the success story since the early days. Red Arrow is in very good hands.”
