C21: Magnify Media hires Viacom, Twofour alumnus Anthony Appell as sales chief

Plimsoll Productions-owned UK distributor Magnify Media has appointed senior executive Anthony Appell as head of sales and coproductions.

Most recently, Appell was head of pre-sales and coproductions consultant for Viacom International UK for three years, during which time he was responsible for the global copro Story of the Songs for the UK’s Channel 5 and US channel Reelz.

Prior to that, he was director at Twofour Rights for five years where he launched and managed the company’s rights department. There, he was responsible for all global and US copros including Impossible Engineering, Born to Kill, Lost World of Pompeii and This Time Next Year.

Previously, Appell was VP of sales for Zodiak Rights, securing scripted copros for Sundance US and Channel 4 in the UK for sitcom The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret as well as the US adaptation of Being Human on BBC America and Netflix.

The appointment comes a year after UK indie Plimsoll Productions took full ownership of Magnify, which shortly after bolstered its team by hiring Becci Payne as director of sales and Cecilia Ingebrigtsen as director of format sales.

“Anthony is a well-respected and seasoned sales executive with a deep knowledge and understanding of a vast array of genres – everything from formats to docuseries to natural history,” said Magnify CEO Andrea Jackson. “He’s the perfect addition to help lead our efforts as we continue to expand our global team.”