Peter Schlessel (pictured) has slotted an important piece of the jigsaw into place in the wake of the departure of former president of theatrical releasing Bob Berney and his wife, evp of marketing Jeanne Berney.

Birch previously served as head of marketing at DreamWorks where she led the campaign for last year’s North American box office smash and Oscar nominee The Help. Schlessel is expected to announce a head of distribution in the near future as he prepares to return the company to its roots as a bona fide distributor.

She will take charge of FilmDistrict’s domestic feature marketing slate and will report directly to FilmDistrict CEO Schlessel. That slate includes Lockout and Red Dawn, set to go out through Open Road on Apr 13 and Nov 2, respectively, as well as Rian Johnson’s eagerly anticipated sci-fi Looper in association with Endgame and Sony on Sept 28.

“We’re excited to have Christine join the FilmDistrict team,” Schlessel said. “She’s long been known as one of the industry’s most versatile marketing executives. With a varied background in marketing, creative advertising and market research, she is a multi-faceted player who can think strategically, and execute creatively for our slate.”

“I look forward to working with Peter, Adrian Alperovich, Lia Buman and everyone at FilmDistrict to build a marketing team that’s as aggressive and agile as today’s media landscape demands,” Birch said. “We live in a world where the ability to communicate ideas and reach people with our message requires constant conversation and creativity. I want to create an environment that makes those efforts a top priority.”

Before DreamWorks Birch spent more than a decade at Sony where her roles included svp of market research and evp of creative advertising. Her credits include Hitch, The Grudge and Something’s Gotta Give.

FilmDistrict’s pipeline includes Sundance pick-up Safety Not Guaranteed on Jun 8, Playing The Field on Dec 25 and Parker on Jan 25, 2013.  The company is also set to commence production this year on a reimagining of Evil Dead with Ghost House Pictures and Sony Pictures and has announced a sequel to horror hit Insidious.