Noah Media hires distribution and marketing head

Sports documentary producer Noah Media Group has hired Universal Pictures’ Drew Masters as head of distribution and marketing.

Masters, who will be based in Noah’s London office, will be responsible for the company’s international distribution strategy and advertising and will continue to develop the infrastructure and data strategy for Noah’s distribution arm, Noah X.

Masters was an international marketing manager at Universal Pictures, overseeing the international roll-out of feature films and documentary acquisitions, including Five Feet Apart, Assassination Nation and Mandy.

The new hire follows recent launch of Noah’s international sales arm.

Noah’s current sales slate includes Take His Legs, which will air on Channel 4 in the UK next month and charts Australian comedian Adam Hill’s formation of the world’s first physical disability rugby league team; Cannes Official Selection feature Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans; Out of Their Skin, in which UK soccer legend Ian Wright charts the 40-year history of black British football; and The Edge, this summer’s feature documentary that explores Test cricket and the extreme price of success on players’ mental health.

Noah is in pre-production on its next feature-length documentary about the football player, manager and World Cup winner, Jack Charlton. The film is expected to be released theatrically in 2020.

Noah CEO John McKenna said: “Everyone at Noah is delighted that such a highly respected talent as Drew has joined us from Universal. I look forward to working with him as we take our distribution plans, through Noah X, to the next phase.”