The CNN Films team is expanding; hiring some and promoting others.
Courtney Sexton has been promoted to vp, Dana Panagopoulos has been upped to director of production, and Molly Harrington has been promoted to manager of CNN Original Series.
The promotions follow the November departure of Vinnie Malhotra, who joined Showtime as svp of documentary and unscripted programming.
New hires include Alex Hannibal, who joins from the Tribeca Film Festival, as associate director; Ryan Robinson joins from VH1. She will be the new business coordinator for the L.A. team. In New York, Sierra Cowan joins as manager of development and Katie Isaacson is the new development coordinator.
“I am delighted that CNN Films and CNN Original Series are in a position to expand and attract these talents from around the industry to join us at this exciting point in our growth,” said Amy Entelis, evp, CNN talent and content development. “I am pleased to recognize how much Courtney, Molly, and Dana, have contributed to our success.”
As it celebrates its 36th anniversary this week, CNN continues to expand beyond live news. CNN Films, CNN Original Series, and the 7-month-old digital network GBS, give the cable news network greater audience reach and new revenue opportunities. Just last week, CNN sold its first original series to a streaming network, as Race for the White House is now available to Hulu subscribers.