TORONTO – Independent broadcaster Hollywood Suite announced this week vice-president of programming Ellen Baine (above) will be retiring in March.
“After starting in the TV business in the traffic department of Citytv in the X0’s (I’m not allowed to say exactly when!), Ellen has screened thousands of hours of tv programs and movies, programmed years of and years of content, haggled with hundreds of distributors and producers, verbally jousted with opinionated viewers and sock puppets, represented in front of a few CRTC hearings, sat on a few film festival juries, and led and mentored numerous programming teams,” said Hollywood Suite president David Kines in a note to staff this week.
Baine’s LinkedIn profile recognizes her nine-year run as VP programming at the independent broadcaster and cheekily notes prior to that she was “princess of programming” for 17 years at CHUM Television.
“Ellen has been instrumental in the launch and growth of HS, jumping on board in early 2010 before we had an office or money, and it is hard to imagine life here without her. But imagine we must,” added Kines email to staff. Hollywood Suite runs four movie services featuring films from t
he 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and ’00s, along with on demand and mobile app Hollywood Suite GO.
Sharon Stevens (right) , who has been with the company since 2017 has been promoted to senior director of programming, effective immediately, and will gradually take over Baine’s duties before her March 27th departure.
