Job losses as Sony restructures UK-based sales

Two of Sony’s London team have been made redundant, with another likely to also go as the studio restructures its London-based EMEA sales effort.

Alex Beckett and Federico Perale have been let go, with the position of another of the London-based sales team also under review.

In related news TBI understands that Tom Bairstow is leaving SPT, although not as part of the restructuring. It isn’t yet known where he is headed.

Perale was executive director, digital distribution, EMEA, at SPT and held various digital roles at the studio’s UK base. Before SPT, he was a business development exec at Discovery’s European operation.

Beckett was sales manager at SPT for three and half years. Bairstow was executive director, distribution for EMEA.

It has been a period of change at Sony’s London-based EMEA team, which numbers about 45. Dee Robertson joined the SPT team earlier this year from Warner Bros. to bolster its UK and Ireland sales team, taking a VP title, as TBI revealed at the time.

The EMEA sales effort is run from London under the stewardship of Angel Orengo, who relocated from Hong Kong to London in 2015 to become executive VP, international distribution.

Sony declined to comment and would not say why it is has trimmed its London team. One source told TBI it is keen to move to a more data and research-focused sales operation, although no hires have been confirmed in this respect.

SPT was at MIPCOM last week selling new season shows including Kevin Can Wait for CBS and ABC’s Imaginary Mary, and new network dramas including Timeless (pictured) and The Blacklist: Redemption.

It also sells cable dramas Preacher, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul among others, and has upcoming ITV period drama The Halcyon coming through from its prodco Left Bank Pictures, which is also making The Queen for Netflix.

In unscripted, two SPT prodcos, Victory and Gogglebox have closed this year. On the entertainment side, the company recently announced several new deals for evergreen format Who Wants to be a Millionaire.