Black Bear has hired former Paramount chief content licensing officer and president of Republic Pictures Dan Cohen as head of television distribution and launched Black Bear Digital Networks.
Cohen will oversee Black Bear’s licensing infrastructure that exploits films after theatrical release. The company currently releases 10-12 theatrical titles a year and the upcoming slate includes Sundance hit Wicker and 2027 titles like Jason Statham Stole My Bike.
Black Bear Digital Networks will help independent content owners monetise across FAST, AVoD, and Multicast networks and will also serve as a pipeline for Black Bear content alongside third-party libraries, talent, and brands. The service’s inaugural clients include CJ ENM, Tubi, Sinclair Networks, and The National Wrestling Alliance.
At Republic Pictures, Cohen oversaw titles such as Tim Fehlbaum’s September 5 and Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry. Prior to joining Paramount in 2017, he served 20 years at Disney/ABC where his posts included Walt Disney Studios’ EVP of pay television and digital sales for home entertainment and television distribution.
Black Bear CEO Teddy Schwarzman said Cohen’s experience “will be invaluable on multiple fronts, as we continue to invest in our U.S. distribution business”. Cohen said, “There’s a great opportunity to expand the ways Black Bear films reach audiences while also creating new avenues for third-party content owners through Black Bear Digital Networks.”
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