Scandinavian major Svensk Filmindustri has announced on Wednesday the appointment of Allan Spelmann (pictured) at the helm of the company’s theatrical and home entertainment activities in Norway, effective August 1st.
Spelmann replaces Guttorm Petterson who run SF’s Norwegian arm for 15 years and has since moved on to manage the Norwegian cinema association Film & Kino.
Spelmann was Sales Director for the TV Network Discovery Channel for over seven years. As SF’s new Vice President of Sales & Distribution, he will report to Antti Toiviainen, Chief Distribution & Sales Officer in charge of the entire Nordic theatrical, home entertainment businesses as well as international sales. "It feels great to have Allan joining the SF team. Besides a very solid and well documented sales background and leadership experience, he is highly competitive,” said Toiviainen.
Since the appointment of its new CEO Jonas Fors, Bonnier-owned Svensk Filmindustri has re-organized across the Nordic region, especially within home entertainment. The group cites the shift from traditional physical distribution to digital distribution and illegal downloading- especially in Sweden and Norway- as the main causes for today’s tougher market conditions that have required structural and strategic changes within the group, including a centralization of its decision-making and increased coordination on a Nordic level.