The British Film Institute (BFI) has appointed Vicki Brown as its senior executive for sales and distribution for the BFI Filmmaking Fund.
Brown joins from London and New York-based sales firm Together Films, where she was head of acquisitions, sales and distribution. She was also previously director of international sales at UK sales outfit Altitude Film Sales. She will be responsible for ensuring features awarded BFI National Lottery production funding are successfully delivered to the marketplace and to UK and international audiences.
This includes oversight and joint approval of production funding decisions from Discovery and Impact funds, and inputting into and signing off sales, distribution and commercial strategies for all titles.
She will also be responsible for aligning her work supporting Filmmaking Fund titles with the UK Global Screen Fund, the BFI’s National Lottery International Fund and the organisation’s wider international strategy, as well as working in tandem with other key stakeholders such as BBC Film, Film4, and other national, regional and commercial funders.
The newly-created role encompasses much of what Katie Ellen’s role entailed, the former head of distribution and commercial strategy at the BFI, who is now head of production at UK sales agent HanWay Films.
A new senior production executive will be recruited in the coming months, who will support the physical production and delivery of Filmmaking Fund-backed projects.
Brown and the soon-to-be recruited senior production executive will report directly into fund director Mia Bays when Natascha Wharton, head of editorial, steps down later this year. Long-serving BFI Filmmaking Fund executives, editor-at-large Lizzie Francke and head of production Fiona Morham, have now left.
With £36.6m to invest over three years in the UK independent sector, the team will oversee delivery of four focused funds: Development, Discovery (backing debuts), Impact (for second features and beyond), and the Creative Challenge Fund which will fund development labs which is due to be launched later this year. The BFI’s support for high-end shorts and immersive during the previous strategy period is currently being reviewed, the results of which will shape how similar work will be supported in the future.
Bays said: “With the launch of our new, refocused fund, and the departure of several long-serving executives, we are forming a new-look team to deliver the ambitious strategy we outlined earlier this year. We are also ensuring we have the expertise to provide support for our funded projects across the whole process.
”The sales and distribution role is vital to our team, as it is focused on supporting our films to maximise their impact with audiences and industry. Vicki brings a wealth of experience, and her fantastic mix of creative and commercial rigor will no doubt help the range of titles from both new and established teams that make up our slate.”
Brown added: “Having spent most of my career in international sales, I look forward to working with a variety of incredibly talented filmmakers and industry partners to support Filmmaking Fund projects in reaching a global audience. It is a welcome return to the BFI, having kicked off my film journey at the London Film Festival many years ago.”
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