Meg Thomson Hired by Local-Language Consortium Globalgate (EXCLUSIVE)

Newly launched local-language film specialist Globalgate Entertainment has made its first hire and appointed industry veteran Meg Thomson as VP of worldwide content, Variety has learned exclusively.

Globalgate was launched on May 2 by industry vets Paul Presburger, William Pfeiffer and Clifford Werber, who partnered with Lionsgate and a consortium of eight other international distributors and co-financiers.

Thomson previously served as managing director of Eccho Remakes, representing worldwide remake rights to local-language films. The Eccho Remakes’ catalogue has led to remakes-in-the-works of the Danish comedy “What Goes Around,” the Spanish film “The Body” and the Norwegian horror film “Manhunt.”

Prior to Eccho Remakes, Thomson was a producer of “Siren,” “Flying Home” and “Dot the I.”

Globalgate Co-Chairman Werber said, “Meg has long demonstrated an ability to astutely recognize universal stories that can successfully migrate from one territory to another. She has been far ahead of the curve with regard to the local-language film business and a great addition to our team.”

Globalgate includes Televisa/Videocine, Gaumont, Lotte, Tobis, Nordisk, Kadokawa, TME and Belga. It’s aimed at capitalizing on the worldwide growth of local-language films, sourcing and curating intellectual property and deploying the Globalgate Fund to co-finance mainstream, local-language movies in key international territories.

Lionsgate noted last week that the market share of local-language films is expanding in territories around the world, currently topping 90% in India, nearly 60% of China and Turkey, more than 55% in Japan and 50% in Korea.

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