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Cineflix Rights Boss Chris Bonney to Retire in 2021

Chris Bonney, CEO of London-based distributor Cineflix Rights, is set to retire from the company next year.

The executive, a well-respected industry veteran who has grown Cineflix Media’s distribution operation, will step down following a period of transition, during which time the company will appoint a successor.

Bonney joined Cineflix Media in 2012 from Warner Bros. International Television Production to lead Cineflix Rights. Through his leadership, the company has grown into one of the U.K.’s largest independent television distributors, with a roster of 100 creative producer partners. The company’s 5,000-hour catalogue of scripted and factual content has been sold into more than 500 broadcasters and platforms around the world.

During Bonney’s tenure at Cineflix Rights, he increased the company’s deals with third-party partners to almost half of its overall portfolio, and ushered in innovative financing models to help producer partners, including Cineflix Productions, deliver programming.

Bonney’s oversight of the company also intersected with a major expansion into the scripted arena. Cineflix Rights had a hit on its hands with “Tehran,” the first non-English language program for Apple TV Plus, which has grown into one of the platform’s most successful plays to date.

Other scripted slam dunks include “Marcella,” “Happily Married,” “The Minister” and “An Ordinary Woman” alongside the international roll out of Cineflix Studios-produced “Coroner” and “Wynonna Earp.”

On the non-scripted side, Bonney also helped to grow the factual slate and establish “Property Brothers” as a global TV franchise and deliver long-running shows such as “Border Security” and “Food Factory” via partnerships with production outfits including LMNO, Windfall Films, Finestripe, Scott Brothers Entertainment and Hoff Productions.

Prior to joining Cineflix Media, Bonney served as senior vice president of sales and acquisitions at Warner Bros. International Television Production. Prior to that, he served as managing director of Outright Distribution and was also a board director at British production outfit Shed Media.

Glen Salzman and Katherine Buck, co-founders and co-CEOs of Cineflix Media, said: “Over the last eight years, Chris has played a pivotal role in positioning Cineflix Media as a global content powerhouse. Under his skillful leadership, he has assembled a phenomenal team at Cineflix Rights and has drawn up a solid blueprint for enduring momentum and success.

“Chris is very well-respected by his colleagues and peers alike, and we’re sad that he will be stepping down. However, we are grateful that he will continue to drive the company forward while we recruit his successor. And of course, Chris will always remain part of the Cineflix family.”

Bonney added, “Cineflix Rights is now well placed as a distributor with a highly successful scripted business alongside its longstanding factual operations. After 35 years in the industry, it feels like the right time for me to make a move to a new phase in life, and for a new hand to take the company to its next stage.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with such a talented and friendly team over the past eight years, as well as the many incredibly creative producers and broadcasters I’ve had the opportunity to deal with during my time here. I’d also like to thank Glen and Katherine for all their support over the years. As I’ll be around for a while yet, it’s more The Long Goodbye than Short Cuts before I head off to the golf course and experience parts of the world I’ve always wanted to visit.”

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