On the eve of the Cannes Film Festival, film finance and sales company Mr. Smith Entertainment has made several important promotions and added new employees to its team.
Shane Kelly, who has been with the company since 2019, will be promoted to senior vice president of international sales and acquisitions. In this new role, he will continue to oversee sales and distribution efforts, as well as formalize additional project acquisitions as part of his remit, and will continue to report to his CEO at Mr. Smith, David Garrett. In his previous role as Vice President of International Sales and Distribution, Kelly helped manage the company's structure through sales, finance, marketing and distribution.
Additionally, Emma Mason has been promoted to Vice President of International Marketing and Promotions and will continue to lead the marketing and promotions team and oversee Mister Smith's festival strategy.
Katie Hogan will be promoted to distribution and marketing executive reporting to Kelly and Mason. And the company has hired Martina Buendia Silva, who has a background in finance and production, as her new executive sales assistant.
Augusta (“Goose”) Charlton joined the team in 2023 as Director of Sales and Acquisitions.
Garrett said: “Shane has been integral in shaping the company's acquisition and sales strategy in response to a fairly volatile period in our business over the past few years. His expertise, creative acumen and broad His relationships make him a valuable leader not only here at Mr. Smith but across the industry as we evolve as a full-service sales, finance and production outlet for best-in-class producers and filmmakers. We are thrilled to recognize the hard work and talent of Shane, Emma and Katie. We have a passionate and forward-thinking management team that is attuned to trends not just in the film industry, but in culture in general. But I think Mr. Smith will continue to be an important trendsetter in this industry.”
Mr. Smith's Cannes Film Festival includes Thunder Road Pictures' World War II action thriller Perdition, directed by Henry Dunham, starring Sam Claflin and Rupert Friend, and directed by Sean Byrne, starring Hussey. Includes the release of the horror feature Dangerous Animals, which was filmed in Australia. Harrison, Jai Courtney, Josh Houston.
Mr. Smith's work also includes the mystery thriller “Wichita Libra,” written and directed by Dunham and starring Phoebe Dynevor. Young Werther, a Canadian romantic comedy directed by Jose Lorenzo and starring Douglas Booth, Alison Pill, and Patrick J. Adams. Ant Timpson's adventure comedy “Bookworm” starring Elijah Wood and Nell Fisher. “Grafted” is a body horror film directed by newcomer Sasha Rainbow. Brian Epstein biopic “Midas Man,'' starring Jacob Fortune Lloyd, Emily Watson, and Eddie Marsan. About Tribeca's documentary contest title “Stylbender,'' directed by Zoe McIntosh, and UFC world champion Israel Adesanya. “The Threesome” is a comedy directed by Chad Hartigan and starring Zoey Deutch, Jonah Hauer-King, and Ruby Crews. If She Burns is a psychological thriller directed by Alex Wolff, starring Victoria Pedretti, Wolff, Asa Butterfield, and Justice Smith.