TORONTO – Media Headquarters (MHQ) announced yesterday the promotion of Melanie Brobyn (above) to executive producer and vice president and the hiring of former Nelvana vice president of finance Dave Shippel (below) as chief financial officer.
MHQ further announced that Drew Carnwath has been hired in the role of development producer.
“It’s a very exciting time for Media Headquarters,” said Robert Cohen, CEO and founder of MHQ, an Emmy-nominated production company.
“The marketplace is changing right now, it’s dynamic and it’s complex but it’s also filled with opportunity.” Because of this, there are plans for MHQ to aggressively grow its slate of productions and the company, according to Cohen.
The new appointments will help set “a foundation for further growth” he said.
Brobyn has been working at MHQ for over a decade as vice president of production and business affairs.
“Over the course of her employment at Media Headquarters she has gradually taken on more and more responsibility and gotten to know every aspect of how Media Headquarters runs and has truly become a top-notch producer of breakthrough programming,” said Cohen.
“She is a powerful force,” he said.
Shippel brings a lot of experience from working for large companies. He was looking to start a new chapter in his life, working in “a position that would allow him to put all of his experience at some of these major companies, to apply that experience to the growth of an independent production company, so it’s a really nice match,” Cohen said.
He brings “exactly the kind of insight and experience that will be very important and useful for us as we plan our Media Headquarters future.”
Carnwath also brings a lot of experience to his new role at MHQ, having worked in unscripted television for 15 years on shows for independent production companies and other organizations including the CBC.
