Adam Schlesinger, formerly director of development at Jean Doumanian Productions, has joined ErgoArts Inc as vice president of business affairs and production, a newly created post at the New York-based production outfit.

Formed in 1999 to conduct the feature film activities of Rigas Entertainment, ErgoArts is headed by Ellen Rigas Venetis and has so far produced Songcatcher directed by Maggie Greenwald which was acquired for domestic distribution by Trimark Pictures and, following Trimark's acquisition by Lions Gate Entertainment, will now be released by Lions Gate Films in June 2001. International sales are handled by Film Four International which itself acquired the film off United Artists Films when it was closed down.

Schlesinger, in conjunction with Rigas Venetis and vice president of development and production Wendy Sax, will oversee a slate of films including The Fabian Waltz, a romantic comedy about a summer spent together by George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and Beatrice Potter in 1895, Dear Juliet, a romantic comedy written by James Bosley and set in Verona and Untitled Baseball Project, a drama being written by Damian Slattery about a Greek immigrant teenager torn between his dream of playing ball for the Yankees and his duty to fight for his country in World War II.

Rigas Entertainment is a media company formed by Ellen Rigas Venetis and her father, John Rigas, the founder and CEO of Adelphia Communications, the fourth-largest cable company in the US.