Jason Bergsman Named CEO Of The Russo Brothers' AGBO

LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AGBO, the artist-led entertainment company founded by award-winning directors Anthony and Joe Russo, has announced that Jason Bergsman has been appointed as the Company's new CEO. Bergsman reports to Anthony and Joe Russo and will lead all aspects of the Company's strategy and business operations. 

AGBO was founded in 2017 to leverage the Russo Brothers' distinct ability to oversee and create broad entertainment universes around storytelling. Today's announcement further emphasizes the Company's focus on developing, producing, directing, and incubating intellectual property-driven global franchises for film, television, and digital platforms. In his new role, Bergsman will oversee the expansion of this creative direction and the Company's next phase of growth, as AGBO forges dynamic partnerships and innovates disruptive storytelling across media platforms.  

"We are thrilled Jason is joining the AGBO team and are excited to work with such a dynamic, forward-thinking, and accomplished individual," said co-founder and Chairman Joe Russo. "He brings a consistent and proven track record of business results to lead our Company to its next stage of growth." 

"We are confident Jason is a great fit for AGBO and welcome his leadership and passion for our business," added co-founder and Chairman Anthony Russo. "Additionally, we are proud to promote Angela, Jake, and Nicholas, who have shown incredible creativity, expertise, and skill during their successful tenures with the Company."

"I'm excited to partner with the Russo Brothers to lead AGBO at such a pivotal time in the Company's development," said Jason Bergsman. "In today's changing film and television sectors, AGBO is singularly positioned to create enduring value through the unique creative leadership of Joe and Anthony, and the strength of the Company's talented team. I look forward to building and executing on Joe and Anthony's vision."

Bergsman brings deep business and corporate development experience to the role and will work alongside AGBO Vice Chairmen Mike Larocca and Todd Makurath. Prior to joining AGBO, Bergsman was a founding member of The Chernin Group (TCG), where he served as Partner and Executive Vice President. At TCG, Bergsman principally focused on building digital media and consumer companies, at investment stages ranging from incubation through later-stage acquisition. Bergsman serves on the board of directors of MeatEater, an outdoor lifestyle media brand majority-owned by TCG, and among other investments, served on the board of directors of Crunchyroll, the leading global SVOD service for Japanese animation (a division of Otter Media). In addition to his involvement in forming and operating Otter Media, Bergsman helped lead financings of TCG and affiliated entities, including CA Media (a TCG-controlled media investment vehicle focused on India and Indonesia) and TCG Capital Management.

Additionally, AGBO announced the promotions of Angela Otstot to President of Creative, Jake Aust to President of Physical Production, and Nicholas Anglewicz to COO.

Angela Otstot joined AGBO in 2017 and served as SVP of AGBO's story department under Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (screenwriters of the Avengers and Captain America films, among others). Jake Aust joined AGBO in 2017, after a 20-year career as a producer, often having partnered with the Russo Brothers. Nicholas Anglewicz joined AGBO in 2018 as EVP of Finance & Strategy, with a background in entertainment finance, production, and distribution.

The announcements follow Netflix's April 24, 2020 debut of action-thriller feature film Extraction, produced by AGBO and written by Joe Russo — which is on its way to becoming the biggest-ever film premiere on Netflix. Last week, the Russo Brothers also marked the anniversaries of the most recent films they directed, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the top-grossing film in Hollywood history. 

In addition to the release of Extraction, starring Chris Hemsworth, AGBO's slate this year includes the Russo Brothers-directed drama, Cherry, starring Tom Hollandand written by Angela Otstot; Sundance horror-thriller Relic, starring Emily Mortimer; and Matthew Michael Carnahan's directorial debut City of a Million Soldiers.

ABOUT AGBO

Founded by award-winning, record-breaking directors Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an artist-led entertainment company focused on creating content borne of innovative story universes across film, television, and digital platforms. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, AGBO was founded in 2017 by the Russo Brothers, along with Mike Larocca and Todd Makurath.

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SOURCE AGBO