Mark Borde, president of the theatrical motion picture distribution unit at Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios, is leaving the company after three years in the position, the company announced Monday.
In 2015, Borde sold his Freestyle Releasing to Allen, who then formed Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures. Borde was an executive producer behind Entertainment Studios’ “47 Meters Down,” Christian Bale’s “Hostiles” and the Ted Kennedy thriller “Chappaquiddick.”
Back in October, TheWrap reported that Entertainment Studios was “aggressively” pursuing mergers after launching an international sales and distribution division and raising $500 million in credit facilities. The company said the money raised would be used for general business purposes: productions, co-productions and acquisitions.
Borde has been a part of the independent movie business as a distributor, a film producer, a theater owner, and is a voting member of the Academy. Borde was honored at the 2018 ShowEast convention in Miami and was given the “Al Shapiro Distinguished Service Award.” He will soon join the Napa Valley Film Festival activities as part of the faculty later this month.
“Mark Borde, a second-generation movie distribution entrepreneur, co-founded Freestyle Releasing over 17 years ago with the late, great Susan Jackson. One day at lunch in 2015, Mark graciously agreed to sell me the company, instantly putting our corporation into the movie business,” said Allen in a statement. “Since acquiring Freestyle, Mark has helped me to build a first class, wide-release, international independent film distribution company at Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures. Mark’s reputation as a consummate professional is well-deserved, and I know he will continue to make a lasting impact on our industry for years to come. All of us at Entertainment Studios look forward to working with Mark again as he pursues the next phase of his very distinguished career.”
“Byron Allen is a brilliant businessman, a visionary, with unbelievable energy, and simply an unstoppable force of nature,” Borde said. “I loved working with Byron and the phenomenal team he has assembled. I have put my legacy in the right hands, and I am highly confident he will take this company to extraordinary new heights.”