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Shaftesbury Appoints Industry Veteran Jay Switzer to Board of Directors

shaftesbury films inc [1]Shaftesbury [1] has announced the appointment of Jay Switzer, former President and CEO of Canadian broadcaster CHUM Limited, to the production company’s board of directors, effective Jay Switzer [2]immediately.

“Jay has been one of the Canadian broadcast industry’s most successful leaders for the past 25 years, and has been integral to the creation of some of this country’s most dynamic programming and media brands,” said Christina Jennings, Chairman & CEO, Shaftesbury. “His wealth of experience will be invaluable to Shaftesbury as we continue to expand and diversify our business and develop additional opportunities for growth.”

“It is a true privilege to join the board of a company I have admired for more than 20 years,” said Switzer. “Christina and her team are the best in the business and I look forward to working with the board to help Shaftesbury develop and grow into the future.”

A respected veteran of the Canadian arts and media industry for more than two decades, Switzer served as President and CEO of CHUM Ltd. prior to its sale in 2007, and was instrumental in the development and launch of CHUM’s specialty channels dating back to MuchMusic in 1983/84. Switzer is co-founder and Chair of Hollywood Suite Inc., which recently announced the launch of a multiplatform four-channel HD specialty movie package in Canada, and also serves on the boards of Canadian media companies William F. White International Inc. (Comweb Group) and OUTtv, as well the Canadian Centre for Diversity. Switzer is a former Vice Chair of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and a former longtime Governor of the Banff Television Foundation.

Switzer holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario), and has been recognized with numerous awards for his leadership in both broadcast industry and community initiatives.

Switzer joins current Shaftesbury board members Jennings; Scott Garvie, Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, Shaftesbury; Millard Roth, former CEO, The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association; Carey Diamond, President and CEO, Whitecastle Investments Ltd.; and Donald Ziraldo, co-founder of Inniskillin Wines Inc. and Chairman of Mobilotto Inc. and Ziraldo Icewine.