FilmRise expands CFO Johnny Holden’s position to chief strategy officer

Studio and streaming network FilmRise has elevated a member of its C-suite, expanding the role of CFO Johnny Holden to include the newly created position of chief strategy officer.

In addition to continued oversight of financial operations as CFO, Holden’s expanded position as CSO means he’ll work closely with FilmRise CEO Danny Fisher and executive teams to bolster the company’s data-driven content acquisition and distribution growth efforts, particularly in the AVOD and FAST space.

FilmRise Johnny Holden
Johnny Holden, FilmRise CFO, CSO (FilmRise)

Holden joined the company in 2020 as finance chief. Prior to FilmRise, Holden served as CFO and VP of Finance for Vice TV at Vice Media. Since joining the company FilmRise said he played a key part in growing it to become an industry-leading FAST channel syndicator and content provider for AVOD platforms. FilmRise also credited Holden’s strategic initiates as helping the company’s growth, particularly around data-driven analytics processes to shape its content acquisition decisions, along with distribution of FilmRise content on “dozens of streaming platforms and over 400 FilmRise syndicated FAST channels worldwide.”

FilmRise counts a library of over 30,000 movies and TV episodes across a variety of genres, with TV series that include Gordan Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares”, Canadian hit drama “Heartland,” true crime series “Forensic Files” and “Unsolved Mysteries,” among others.

According to a May 2024 “State of FAST” report by FASTMaster Gavin Bridge, FilmRise accounts for three of the six most-distributed FAST channels in the U.S. – including Forensic Files, Heartland, and Unsolved Mysteries – each of which are available on 13 platforms. And its FilmRise Free Movies FAST channel, featuring a broad array of films, is the fourth most-distributed FAST movie channel in the U.S. with availability on 10 platforms.

 “Johnny's management is characterized by a forward-thinking approach and dedication to fostering a collaborative and inclusive company culture. His unwavering commitment to excellence and innovative strategic planning has solidified FilmRise’s position as a leader in the industry, propelling its growth and success,” said Fisher in the announcement Wednesday. “We are confident that Johnny’s ongoing strategic initiatives will continue to bolster the company as a dominant player in the AVOD/FAST space worldwide.”

Earlier this month FilmRise elevated Jonitha Keymoore as head of content for the company, where she’s responsible for all content licensing and production activities across its streaming network of AVOD apps, FAST channels and digital streaming partners.  Prior to joining the company in early 2021, Keymoore was senior director of content acquisitions at Paramount.