Cineflix Media is making a splash with its new scripted division, announcing Tuesday that it has hired former CBC exec Sally Catto as EVP of Cineflix Studios.

Starting this September, Catto will head up the Canadian arm of the newly launched division. Based in Vancouver, Catto will report to Cineflix CEO Glen Salzman and Christina Wayne, who run the Studio division out of the New York office.

In joining Cineflix, Catto leaves a high profile role at the CBC, where she was most recently executive director of arts and entertainment for English television. During her time at the pubcaster – during which she was also creative head of television drama – Catto was responsible for overseeing Ceeb successes such as Being Erica, Heartland and Republic of Doyle.

Despite a long and successful run at the CBC, the opportunity at Cineflix was too good to pass up, she tells Playback Daily.

“It’s a remarkable opportunity – to build a scripted division in Canada, from the ground floor up,” she says. “This really marks the opening of the Canadian arm of Cineflix studios and to be focusing again on Canadian talent and building Canadian programming is just a really wonderful opportunity for me.”

Her immediate focus will be developing and producing one-hour dramatic and half-hour comedic series, she says.

“We’re looking for high caliber programming with healthy budgets,” she says. “Our primary target is Canadian broadcasters but obviously we are looking for programming that will appeal outside of Canada as well.”

Cineflix launched its scripted division last summer, naming former AMC exec Wayne to head up the new division. The company also has offices in Montreal, Toronto, London and Dublin.

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