LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Longtime Showtime Networks executive David Nevins has been named chief executive of the North Road Company, an independent studio founded by Hollywood veteran Peter Chernin, who announced the appointment on Thursday.
Nevins will oversee North Road’s portfolio of scripted and unscripted content and documentaries, and also look to make acquisitions. Chernin will continue in his role as executive chairman.
“David is one of the top creative executives in the industry,” said Chernin of the executive hire. “So I think it’s a no-brainer.”
The studio also announced it had raised $150 million from the Qatar Investment Authority, building on the $500 million in funding it previously received from Providence Equity Partners and $300 million in debt financing from Apollo Global Management.
Nevins told Reuters he would look for acquisitions that would build North Road’s growing portfolio.
North Road’s properties include Chernin Entertainment, the film and television studio behind such Oscar-nominated movies as “Ford v Ferrari” and “Hidden Figures,” and the Netflix series, “Luther,” and Kinetic Content, the studio behind such unscripted series as Netflix’s “Love Is Blind.”
It also acquired documentary filmmaker Words + Pictures, the studio behind the Academy Award-winning “O.J.: Made in America.”
Earlier this year, North Road Company completed its first major international acquisition, Karga Seven Pictures, a Turkish film and television studio. This spring, it took a minority stake in former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions.
Before joining North Road, Nevins served as chairman and CEO of Paramount Premium Group and as chief creative officer of Paramount+ scripted series, where he was responsible for Showtime Networks and oversaw scripted original dramas and comedies for the streaming service.
He previously served as head of Showtime, which earned 244 Primetime Emmy Award nominations over his tenure.
Nevins left Paramount in 2022.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by Sandra Maler)
