Markets

 NATPE Global announces an exclusive fireside chat with Fernando Szew, CEO of FOX Entertainment Global and MarVista Entertainment. The return of NATPE Global will take place January 16 to 18, 2024 at the InterContinental Miami, a large-scale luxury convention venue conveniently located in the heart of the city’s vibrant downtown district.

Szew will discuss FOX Entertainment Global’s remit and ever-increasing presence on the international stage by distributing a growing slate of FOX Entertainment’s animated, live-action and unscripted IP from such creative units as FOX Alternative Entertainment, Studio Ramsay Global, FOX Entertainment Studios, Bento Box Entertainment, TMZ, MarVista and select content that streams on Tubi. With more than 20 years of experience on the global landscape, Szew will also discuss industry trends, challenges and opportunities the television industry faces daily in today’s fast-changing world.

“We’re delighted to welcome Fernando to NATPE Global to share and expand upon his plans for FOX Entertainment Global,” said Claire Macdonald, Executive Director, NATPE Global. “It’s been less than a year since the distribution arm launched, marking FOX’s return to the international arena, and we’re looking forward to hear his take on the unit’s approach of selling a wide array of content to platforms worldwide.”

Szew and his team oversee the international, multi-platform sales and distribution of intellectual property owned and produced by FOX Entertainment and its growing portfolio of in-house production studios, as well as premium content acquired from outside producers to buyers across the globe. He is also Founding Partner and CEO of MarVista, one of the world’s leading independent studios, which was acquired by FOX Entertainment in 2021.

Series distributed by FOX Entertainment Global include FOX Entertainment’s wholly owned animated series Krapopolis, created by Emmy Award-winner Dan Harmon, and Grimsburg, starring and executive produced by Jon Hamm; and single-camera comedy Animal Control, starring Joel McHale. Set to premiere this coming season, Krapopolis and Grimsburg are produced by Bento Box Entertainment, while Animal Control is produced by FOX Entertainment Studios and has been renewed for a second season.

FOX Entertainment Global also distributes unscripted programming produced by FOX Alternative Entertainment and Studio Ramsay Global, the production entity formed by award-winning chef, restaurateur and presenter Gordon Ramsay and FOX Entertainment. Series represented by the company include FOX Alternative Entertainment’s upcoming gameshow Snake Oil, hosted by David Spade and executive produced by Will Arnett, as well as Studio Ramsay Global’s hit competition series Next Level Chef and Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars.

Additionally, FOX Entertainment Global serves as the global distributor of a high volume of original and acquired movies, series, specials, documentaries and other genres that stream on its sister AVOD platform, Tubi.

Under Szew, MarVista has become a fast-growing studio, producing more than 2,500 hours of content – all now distributed worldwide by FOX Entertainment Global -- expanding its portfolio to a distribution footprint of over 125 global territories. MarVista is a preeminent supplier of content to U.S. platforms such as Disney, Lifetime, Hallmark, NBC Universal, Nickelodeon, BET, OWN and streamers Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Roku, Tubi and Pluto, among others. Recent productions include the Roku comedy First Time Female Director, written and directed by and starring Chelsea Peretti; the romantic comedies Daughter of the Bride, starring Marcia Gay Harden, Halston Sage, Andrew Richardson and Aidan Quinn; The Christmas Break, with Justin Long and India Mullen; The Kiss List, based on Sara Jo Cluff’s YA novel; and the hit Hallmark Channel drama series The Way Home, starring Andie MacDowell, Chyler Lee and Evan Williams, which will return for a second season.

With more than 35 countries represented and over 200 buyers registered, NATPE Global will bring together the most important buyers and sellers of projects in development and catalogue programming as well as decision-makers from the entire media ecosystem spanning content development, licensing, and platform distribution. Key executives from A&E Networks, Amazon Prime Video, Blue Ant Media, ¡HOLA! TV, National Geographic Channel, Paramount+, Pluto TV, REELZ Channel, Roku, SVT, TelevisaUnivision, TV Globo and Warner Bros. Discovery are amongst those that have confirmed their participation.

Located on prime waterfront in downtown Miami, and just minutes away from South Beach, the Design District and Wynwood’s many galleries, restaurants and boutique shops, NATPE Global’s new home offers contemporary luxury suites, cabanas and 100,000 square feet of exhibition space at flexible levels of entry and scale to offer opportunities for all clients.