Deluxe, a global provider of digital and cloud-based solutions to the world’s leading content production studios and distributors, has appointed Anna Lee to the newly created role of chief strategy officer. Lee will report directly to Deluxe CEO Cyril Drabinsky and be responsible for developing, communicating, executing, and sustaining strategic initiatives for the company.
In making the announcement, Drabinsky said, “Anna is an exceptional leader and her experience in digital cinema, supply-chain workflows, and the global OTT space will ensure that Deluxe can maximize opportunities given the dramatic shifts in the marketplace.”
Lee joins Deluxe from Netflix, where she most recently served as head of global content services. She joined the company in 2008 as VP, supply chain development, and later became VP of content acquisition, adding the role of head of global screenings in 2019.
In her roles at Netflix, Lee was responsible for creating and implementing systems and frameworks in areas including asset deliverables and technical operations, optimization of operational efficiencies, creation, localization and distribution of content assets in the digital cinema and digital platform spaces. Prior to her tenure at Netflix, Lee was SVP of global media markets at Bertelsmann AG and is a cum laude graduate of the Wharton School.
Of her new Deluxe roost, Lee stated, “I’m honored and thrilled to be joining such an iconic company that continues to shape the media industry through innovation and technology, as well as becoming part of the management team that will steer its evolution.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More