Jill Offman has been promoted to executive vice president and will add oversight of The Paramount Channel to her current role as head of Comedy Central International and managing director of MTV United Kingdom and Comedy Central UK. Both will report to David Lynn, president and CEO of VIMN.
Additionally, Offman will continue to report to James Currell, president and MD, VIMN UKNEE; and Alex Okosi will continue to report to Raffaele Annecchino, president and MD of VIMN SWEMEA with respect to their existing roles.
"Alex expertly spearheaded the growth and expansion of Viacom in Africa and has overseen the creation of an incredible variety of content and experiences that spotlight the best of African-American and African culture and creativity. I look forward to seeing him bring that same passion and strategic approach to the BET brand in markets around the world,” Lynn says.
"Jill is a creative, strategic leader whose vision continues to drive share and distribution growth for Comedy Central internationally. In this new role, she will lead the international development of one of the most iconic entertainment brands in the world,” adds Lynn.
In his expanded role, Okosi will manage the development and overall strategy for BET International. He will continue to oversee entertainment brands MTV Base, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, NickToons, VH1 Classic, and BET on the African continent.
Under Okosi’s leadership, VIMN Africa has become one of Viacom’s fastest growing international operations driven by the expansion of its portfolio of brands on multiple platforms, including pay-TV, FTA, the Internet, SVOD, and mobile. Now in its 13th year, VIMN Africa delivers more channels to Africa than any other international network, with a collective footprint that reaches 48 territories and more than 100 million viewers.
Appointed executive vice president and managing director of VIMN Africa, Okosi joined Viacom in 1998 as part of the trade marketing team in New York, prior to joining MTV Networks affiliate sales and marketing division in Los Angeles in 2000. By mid-2003, Okosi transferred to MTV Networks International’s strategy and business development team in London where he created the business plan that led to Viacom’s expansion into Africa.
In her new role, Offman will direct the international brand strategy and development of The Paramount Channel, which debuted outside of the US in 2012 and has since grown to 12 channels available in 115 countries.
She will continue to lead Comedy Central outside the US, where she oversees the creative vision and business strategy. Under her leadership, Comedy Central International has grown its share of viewing seven percent year-over-year and expanded its international footprint to nearly 200 million households in 145 countries.
Offman is also managing director for Comedy Central UK and MTV UK. In this position, she leads the programming teams for both brands in this market, with responsibility for all the original commissions and acquisitions, as well as research, marketing, communications, and creative.
Offman joined Comedy Central UK in 2008 and oversaw a successful rebrand from Paramount Comedy to Comedy Central the following year. Offman began her career as a journalist and award-winning filmmaker for the CBC in Canada. She was later hired as head of programming for Discovery Canada’s factual channels portfolio and was subsequently recruited to head up Discovery in the UK, being promoted to run programming for all 11 channels in the Discovery portfolio.
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