In a timely development before AFM that ends months of speculation, co-founders Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane announced on Wednesday (17) that Lee-Kim has arrived as partner and president of international sales and Jack will serve as head of international marketing and publicity.

The move bolsters the production, financing and sales company’s executive suite with two weeks to go before the start of the Santa Monica film market. Good Universe’s first two titles as previously announced are the reimagining of South Korean smash Oldboy directed by Spike Lee and the comedy Last Vegas, which CBS Films will distribute in the US.

Lee-Kim most recently served as president of international at Lionsgate where she led sales on The Hunger Games and Saw franchises as well as third-party content such as Kick-Ass and Immortals. She will use her relationships to develop ties with third-party producers and financiers of broadly commercial fare and drive the international group’s evolution into the television business.

Jack arrives from Lionsgate where he served as evp of international marketing and oversaw marketing, publicity and distribution initiatives for the past five years, working on The Hunger Games, Kick-Ass, Drag Me To Hell, Immortals and Cabin In The Woods, among dozens of others.

He will build bespoke sales launches and supervise international distribution on Good Universe’s slate, which thus far includes Spike Lee’s reimagining of South Korean smash Oldboy and comedy Last Vegas with CBS Films.

The arrival of Lee-Kim and Jack reunites a tight team with Drake and Kahane that has put more than 70 films into the global market place and generated more than $4.5bn at the worldwide box office. The four executives worked alongside each other at Lionsgate, Mandate Pictures and Senator International. Lee-Kim formerly served as vp of international sales at Mandate Pictures after she joined the company in 2004, while Jack previously held positions at Mandate Pictures, Rysher Entertainment and Sony.

“Helen is one of a kind,” said Drake and Kahane. “Her smarts, energy and enthusiasm have earned her the top spot in the international business. Her success and history of building extraordinary teams is why she is the go-to for distributors, filmmakers and financiers worldwide. We have worked closely together on so many great movies and know that she is a key building block in the continued success of our company.”

“The beauty of being reunited with the guys is that we have such shorthand from years of working together and I can hit the ground running,” said Lee-Kim. “I’m so excited to put my mark on the company and take it to the next level. We’ll be an unstoppable team.”

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