Screen Media Promotes Seth Needle to EVP, Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Hires Katharyn Howe (EXCLUSIVE)

Brent Lang
·2 min read
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Screen Media has promoted Seth Needle to executive vice president, global acquisitions and co-productions. Needle, who has been with Screen Media for a decade, will continue to report to David Fannon, president of Screen Media and executive vice president of distribution at Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.

Needle oversees all acquisition efforts at Screen Media, including finding domestic new releases and foreign sales. He also programs the company’s Crackle Plus network. In addition, he oversees Screen Media’s involvement in the company’s co-production efforts.

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Screen Media also announced the hiring of Katharyn Howe to the post of vice president, global acquisitions and co-productions. Howe will report directly to Needle and will be responsible for continuing the company’s acquisitions and productions efforts, while also managing the department’s staff, which includes Creative Executive Conor McAdam and Managers of Acquisitions Brendan Murray and Logan Taylor.

“I am very excited announce Seth’s promotion and Katharyn’s hiring,” said Fannon. “Seth and I have worked together for more than 10 years and this promotion is well deserved. Bringing Katharyn on board demonstrates Screen Media’s commitment to quality. I am excited to add her to our talented, hard-working team.”

During his tenure at Screen Media, Needle has been involved in the deals for such films as Rod Lurie’s “The Outpost,” Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” Jake Paltrow’s “Young Ones,” Roger Michell’s “Blackbird,” Stephen King’s “A Good Marriage,” Helen Hunt’s “Ride” and Chris Messina’s “Alex of Venice.”

Since overseeing acquisitions for the Crackle Plus network, Needle has been behind bringing in many notable titles such as the highly successful series “On Point,” the Ja Morant series “Promiseland,” sci-fi/thriller series “Spides,” the Serge Ibaka documentary “Anything is Possible,” the Nintendo origin series “Playing with Power: The Nintendo Story,” and the football series “Bucket List,” hosted by Brian Bosworth.

Needle has also acted as an executive producer on behalf of the company for “Willy’s Wonderland,” “You Might Be the Killer,” “Girl,” and “Portals.” Prior to Screen Media, Needle worked in the acquisitions department at Lionsgate as well as the research department at Marketcast.

Howe spent the last five years at SXSW Conference and Festivals. Prior to SXSW, Howe worked with Relic Pictures as an executive producer of Diego Luna’s Sundance 2016 film “Mr. Pig,” and was part of acquisition teams at Entertainment One Films, Phase 4 Films and IFC Films and Focus Features. Notable acquisitions during that time include Stephen Frears’s “The Program,” Shaka King’s “Newlyweeds,” and Bess Kargman’s “First Position.”

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