EPIX Selects Film Festival Veteran Jill Burkhart to Lead the Development of Documentaries

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EPIX™, the multiplatform premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service, today announced that Jill Burkhart has been appointed Director of Documentary Development, effective immediately.

“Jill’s experience working with independent film producers, studios, and festivals uniquely qualifies her for this new role in deepening EPIX original programming slate”

The new position has been added as EPIX deepens its commitment to original programming and documentaries, coming off the network’s first Emmy nomination for Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story. Adding to its broad slate of documentaries including the 2010 Academy Award winning The Cove, Scorsese’s Shine a Light, Nanette Burstein’s bittersweet verite American Teen, More Than a Game, Michael Moore’s classic Bowling for Columbine, Lewis Black: Basic Black and Inferno: The Making of the Expendables, EPIX Originals will introduce new features: The Harvest, about American child migrant farmworkers, and My: Moment about Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn.

Burkhart most recently served as the Executive Director of the Nantucket Film Festival, which she founded along with her brother Jonathan Burkhart in 1996. Throughout her tenure at the Nantucket Film Festival, Burkhart oversaw content and programming, including serving as a curator of the film program, developing panel topics, selecting scripts and cast for readings, and cultivating relationships with screenwriters, filmmakers, and industry executives. Previously, Burkhart worked with Madstone Films as a curator for its Very Indie Film Series and also lead the Screenwriters Colony, a month long writing retreat for screenwriters to work on their scripts with industry professionals. Burkhart attended New York University for Theatre and The New School for Film.

“Jill’s experience working with independent film producers, studios, and festivals uniquely qualifies her for this new role in deepening EPIX original programming slate,” said Laverne McKinnon, Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Development at EPIX. “Her background in all aspects of filmmaking will help drive momentum behind a dynamic slate of powerful stories which speak to a wide range of audiences. We are thrilled to present new groundbreaking documentaries and look forward to Jill’s contribution in sharing these stories with our audience.”

About EPIX

EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), is a next-generation premium entertainment channel, video-on-demand and online service launched on October 30, 2009. With access to more than 15,000 motion pictures spanning the vast libraries of its partners and other studios, EPIX provides a powerful entertainment experience with more feature films on demand and online and more HD movies than any other service. It is the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up of new Hollywood titles, classic feature films, original series, music and comedy specials through the linear channel, video-on-demand and online at EpixHD.com, the leading online destination for movies. EPIX has made the commitment to deliver the industry’s most expansive online collection of movies, making more than 3,000 titles available on EpixHD.com. The service is available to over 30 million homes nationwide through carriage agreements with Verizon FiOS, DISH Network, Cox Communications, Mediacom Communications, Charter Communications and NCTC. In addition, Netflix members can instantly watch an array of new releases and library titles from EPIX streamed over the Internet from Netflix 90 days after they premiere in premium pay TV and on demand, giving EPIX another distribution channel to bring its films to more consumers.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EpixHD.com.