LOS ANGELES, CA (May 23, 2022)- Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports and Entertainment company, announced today that film veteran Chris Horton has joined the executive team as Senior Director of Business Development. Horton is a highly-respected thought-leader in the Industry, with over 20 years of experience across every facet of the independent film landscape—ranging from financing and production, to sales and distribution. The announcement was made today by Gravitas’ President Michael Murphy, to whom Horton directly reports.
In this newly-created role, Horton is responsible for developing original IP to further bolster the award-winning content libraries of Gravitas and Anthem properties—driving forward the media companies’ mission to create and distribute content for passionate communities across multiple platforms. The new IP will be produced for AVOD and FAST Channel platforms, complementing the companies’ deep library of movies and TV, as well as their already-existing roster of FAST Channels that includes AXS TV Now, IMPACT! Wrestling, Gravitas Movies, Gravitas Documentaries, Gravitas Adrenaline, Fight Network, UNEXPLAINED, and Inside Sportfishing.
Before joining Gravitas, Horton spent nine years with the Sundance Institute, where he founded and led the Creative Distribution Initiative. While there, Horton also spearheaded the marketing and distribution efforts for over 200 films, including Columbus, Unrest, and Thunder Road. Prior to Sundance, Horton served as the head of acquisitions for independent distributor FilmBuff, where he acquired over 300 films. He spent his early career working with John Sloss’ Cinetic Media.
Commenting on the new opportunity, Horton said, “It’s thrilling to be working with Nolan, Michael, and the rest of the Gravitas team. I’ve known and admired them for years, and am excited to implement and drive new content strategies to help the company grow.”
“As we continue to produce new FAST channels in a dynamic global environment, adding senior talent with strong experience as entertainment executives with a solid foundational understanding of how to connect the dots becomes more and more crucial,” said Murphy. “If you know Gravitas, you know Chris was cut from a similar cloth, making him the perfect complement to our team. It’s great to have an immediate shorthand with a new teammate and it’s been fun to watch Chris triangulate on viable commercial opportunities right out of the gate. We could not be more excited to have him onboard.”
About Gravitas Ventures
Gravitas Ventures is a leading all rights distributor of independent feature films and documentaries. Founded in 2006, Gravitas connects independent filmmakers and producers with distribution opportunities across the globe. Working with talented directors and producers, Gravitas Ventures has distributed thousands of films into over a hundred million homes in North America - over one billion homes worldwide. Recent releases include Queen Bees directed by Michael Lembeck, Our Friend directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, starring Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, and Jason Segel, Vanguard, directed by Stanley Tong and starring Jackie Chan, The Secret: Dare to Dream, directed by Andy Tennant and starring Katie Holmes; For more information, please visit www.gravitasventures.com, and follow @GravitasVOD on Twitter and @gravitasventures on Instagram.
About Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. is a global multi-platform media company with offices and studios in Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, Kansas City, Cleveland and Toronto. Anthem's portfolio includes AXS TV, a leading music, entertainment and lifestyle television channel and digital media company; global film distribution company Gravitas Ventures; Fight Network, the world's premier combat sports channel; IMPACT Wrestling, one of the world's leading wrestling organizations specializing in original programming and live events; Invicta Fighting Championships, the world’s premier all-women mixed martial arts promotion; Game+, the leader in Esports and gaming content; GameTV, the home of game shows and competition-based reality series; and HDNet Movies, which features theatrically released films and documentaries. Anthem also has a significant ownership interest in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S.