Gary R. Benz, CEO of GRB Studios, announced several management changes in its International Sales unit. The leadership of the unit will be assumed by Hud Woodle whom GRB appointed as Executive Vice President, International Sales and Operations. Woodle previously worked at GRB as Director of Sales in 2006 and 2007. He is tasked with running the global distribution business as well as forging international partnerships.
Melanie Torres has been promoted to Vice President, International Sales. She will report to Woodle and continue handling sales for US Hispanic, Lat Am, Spain and Italy.
Sarah Coursey, Senior Vice President, International, will continue her focus on global acquisitions and co-productions as well as sales into Canada, Russia, Benelux, and Scandinavia. Longtime GRB associate Liz Levenson will also be charged with acquisitions and remains responsible for sales into Africa, and the Middle East and Torquil Macneal will continue overseeing sales for the APAC region. Coursey, Levenson and Macneal will report directly to Woodle.
Most recently, Woodle worked at Scripps Networks International in a variety of roles: Vice President of International Program Sales and Distribution; General Manager at Food Networks Asia (working in New York and Singapore); and Director of Program Sales covering Asia, LatAm and Iberia. Prior to Scripps, Woodle worked at GRB as Director of International Sales; at NBC Universal International Television as a Sales Executive for E! Entertainment, and he spent a year at Tech TV in 2002 in global program sales. He began his career at E! Entertainment in 1999 handling inflight sales.