Premier distributor of audiovisual rights for and from Africa, Cote Ouest Audiovisuel welcomes Michael Dearham as senior VP of the group and GM of the Mauritian Office. Dearham is the former head of M-Net’s Sales and Library acquisitions department and sole curator of the world’s largest African Film Library owned by M-Net, Africa’s leading pay-TV broadcaster.
In his new position Dearham’s principal mandate is to oversee with full authority the English Programming part of the business and to shape the strategic growth and development of the Cote Ouest Audiovisuel Group as a whole.
Bernard Azria, CEO of Cote Ouest comments: “Mike is a highly qualified professional who will undoubtedly take Cote Ouest one step further and who will contribute greatly to the expansion of our activity across English-speaking Africa. We are proud to welcome such an outstanding professional of the African market.”
Dearham is a film industry veteran, credited with a string of leadership positions within various media initiatives, including South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the Sithengi Film and TV Market and the Film Resource Unit.
He started his career in radio communications and political science and has held a number of high level consultancy posts within the South African government and the international donor community. Dearham has directed and judged at several African and international film festivals and, in 2005, received the prestigious Prince Claus Award (an initiative of the Dutch Government) for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the African film industry.
“I am extremely excited about joining Cote Ouest – a great company with a solid track-record and world-class potential. Cote Ouest offers a unique opportunity for me to apply my experience toward further growth and development of the African film and television sector. I look forward to working with and learning from the exceptionally talented management team and staff,’’ says Dearham.
Cote Ouest Audiovisuel owns a unique catalogue of TV programmes including prestigious soap operas and telenovelas, major US and African feature films, TV series, movies made for TV, documentaries and animations for the young audience.
This independent company has offices in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), in Ebene City (Mauritius) and in Casablanca (Morocco) to effectively serve its customers across the entire continent.
Cote Ouest has sealed exclusive agreements with M-Net in South Africa, Globo TV in Brazil, major and independent producers in the USA and many other producers worldwide, thus securing the distribution of thousands of hours of the best drama to its numerous clients.
The company distributes an annual average of over 20,000 hours of programmes to nearly 75 television stations spread across 42 markets.
