Byron Allen's Allen Media Group proudly announces the hiring of Matthew Signer as Executive Vice President of Production & Content for Allen Media Group. Signer will focus on development and production of movies, television series, documentaries, and other premium content for distribution via the Allen Media Group platforms Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, the Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures digital distribution unit Freestyle Digital Media, the free streaming service Local Now, as well as external streaming services and platforms. Signer reports directly to Allen Media Group Founder/Chairman/CEO Byron Allen, and is based at the Allen Media Group headquarters in Los Angeles.
Matthew Signer most recently held the position of Senior Content Executive with Quibi, where he reported directly to company founder Jeffrey Katzenberg. Projects overseen at Quibi include THE NOW, starring Dave Franco and Bill Murray, written and directed by the Farrelly Brothers, SURVIVE, starring Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins, 50 STATES OF FRIGHT, executive produced by Sam Raimi, THE EXPECTING, starring Annasophia Robb, and WHEN THE STREETLIGHTS GO ON, produced by Paramount Television/Anonymous Content. Prior to Quibi, Signer was Head of Films for AwesomenessTV, where he ran the motion picture division. Signer was also Executive Vice President of Production and Creative Affairs during his 14-year employment with Dimension Films, where he oversaw all aspects of the film and television slate. Movie titles Signer oversaw include: the Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures release 47 METERS DOWN, PADDINGTON, POLARIOD, AMITYVILLE: THE AWAKENING, SCARY MOVIE 5, SCREAM 4, SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR, GOLD, SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, and APOLLO 18. Signer also helped launch Dimension Television, where he developed and produced multiple series, including: SCREAM for MTV and Netflix, THE MIST for Spike (now Paramount Network) and Netflix, and SPY KIDS: MISSION CRITICAL for Netflix. Signer earned his bachelor's degree from Duke University.
"Matt Signer is an excellent executive who gets things done," said Byron Allen, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Allen Media Group. "His extensive experience in the development and production of content will help propel us to greater success as our industry continues to adapt and expand."
"I met Byron Allen when I sold him the movie 47 METERS DOWN and watched him make it the number one independent film release of the year," said Matthew Signer, Executive Vice President of Production & Content for Allen Media Group. "I've been fascinated with his company's expansion ever since. I'm incredibly excited to be joining one of the fastest growing global media companies in the world, and look forward to spearheading the development of premium film and television content for Allen Media Group's multiple platforms."
About Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios
Chairman and CEO Byron Allen founded Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios in 1993. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Raleigh. Allen Media Group owns 23 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 19 U.S. markets and ten 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 180 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, JUSTICE CENTRAL.TV, THEGRIO.TV, and THIS TV. Allen Media Group will add its eleventh network, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPANOL in 2021. Allen Media Group also owns LOCAL NOW and THE GRIO free-streaming AVOD services, powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, which delivers real-time, hyper-local news, weather, traffic, sports, and lifestyle information. Allen Media Group also produces, distributes, and sells advertising for 67 television programs, making it one of the largest independent producers/distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations. Allen Media Group International Television continues to extend its corporate branding and content around the globe. It currently has active license agreements and programming in South Africa, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, The Bahamas, Canada, and New Zealand. With a library of over 5,000 hours of owned content across multiple genres, Allen Media Group provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, multimedia platforms, and the World Wide Web. Our mission is to provide excellent programming to our viewers, online users, and Fortune 500 advertising partners.
Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures is a full-service, theatrical motion picture distribution company specializing in wide release commercial content. ESMP released 2017's highest-grossing independent movie, the shark thriller 47 METERS DOWN, which grossed over $44.3 million. In 2018, ESMP also released the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Western HOSTILES, the historic mystery-thriller CHAPPAQUIDDICK and the sequel to 47 METERS DOWN, 47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED. The digital distribution unit of Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, digital and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films.
In 2016, Allen Media Group purchased The Grio, a highly rated digital video-centric news community platform devoted to providing African Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national news outlets. The Grio features aggregated and original video packages, news articles and opinion pieces on topics that include breaking news, politics, health, business, and entertainment. Originally launched in 2009, the platform was then purchased by NBC News in 2010. The digital platform remains focused on curating exciting digital content and currently has more than 100 million annual visitors.
