Zygi Kamasa, longtime CEO of Lionsgate’s film and TV operations in the United Kingdom, is stepping down at the end of July to pursue a new film and television business opportunity.
Kamasa, who made the announcement on Wednesday, did not disclose specifics of the new opportunity. He has served at the helm of Lionsgate UK since he sold his own company, Redbus Film Distributors, to Lionsgate in 2005. The company said its UK business has grown tenfold since then.
“I’ve had an amazing tenure growing the UK business from the foundations of my own indie film distributor, Redbus, into a world-class platform overseeing franchises such as ‘The Hunger Games,’ executive producing over 30 local British films and expanding into UK TV production with shows like BBC’s ‘Motherland’ and ‘The Goes Wrong Show,’” said Kamasa.
Lionsgate’s Nicola Pearcey will remain president of business in the U.K. and will assume Kamasa’s leadership responsibilities over the next few weeks.
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“Now I’m moving on to my next exciting entrepreneurial opportunity that I plan to announce in the coming months. I leave our UK business in great shape and in very capable hands with Nicola Pearcey taking over my day to day role,” Kamasa said.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer praised Kamasa, saying, “Zygi is a great entrepreneur with savvy business instincts, strong talent relationships and a sharp eye for exciting content. He has played an important role in moving our global content platform forward over the past 15 years in the UK & Europe, and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
During Kamasa’s 15-year tenure, he and his team have overseen the investment, production and distribution of more than 350 films, including “The Hunger Games” and “Expendables” franchises, “La La Land” and “Olympus Has Fallen.” Kamasa has also shepherded “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” “Harry Brown,” “Brooklyn,” “Eddie the Eagle” and “Military Wives.”
