V10 Entertainment Gears Up For MIPCOM By Tieing With Former Paramount, Amazon MGM Studios & Vision Plus Execs

EXCLUSIVES: Distributors are really getting into the pre-MIPCOM swing.

L.A.’s V10 Entertainment is gearing up for the TV content confab by adding a trio of veteran sellers to its ranks. Michelle Payne, Matt Vassallo and Poh Lin Ho will be in Cannes with the America’s Funniest Home Videos seller in strategic partner roles.

Payne is based out of London and will lead sales in EMEA. With decades of experience in TV sales, she was most recently a consultant for Fox while it was building its international distribution arm. Prior to that, was a Senior VP at Paramount predecessor ViacomCBS, where she oversaw sales in EMEA.

Vassallo, who works out of L.A., has been in TV distribution, acquisitions and co-production for 15 years. He was most recently Head of Series Acquisitions & Distribution Strategy at Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, leading series acquisitions and developing the go-to-market strategy for Amazon MGM Studios content. He also worked as EVP of International Distribution at MGM Studios, prior to its acquisition by Amazon.

Ho has worked as a senior media exec for more than 35 years in areas such as acquisition, regional syndication, and media investment. She was at Malaysian content group Vision Plus Entertainment for well over three decades before exiting her CEO post in 2023. Since then, she has operated independently.

V10 will be in Cannes with the likes of America’s Funniest Videos, America’s Funniest People, Hooligans: The ARCH Racing Project with Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger and MotoAmerica’s live races. Samantha Cooper and Josh Vodnoy, V10’s co-Heads of Global Licensing and Distribution continue to lead the sales operation.

“As V10 continues to expand its footprint across every major market, we’re bringing on world-class executives who understand the nuances of local audiences and platforms,” said Cooper. “This global buildout allows us to maximize the reach of our flagship properties like Hooligans with Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger, to live MotoAmerica races, to AFV with Alfonso Ribiero — all while unlocking new territories for our clip show formats.”

Vodnoy added the hires “accelerate” V10’s efforts ahead of MIPCOM, which begins in under two weeks. “We look forward to leveraging our strategic partners to champion our IP internationally, expand our reach into new territories, and build lasting opportunities for our content in key markets,” he said.

Having been founded in 2022, V10 comprises companies such as Venture 10 Studio Group, Fishbowl Media, America’s Funniest Home Videos maker Vin Di Bona Productions and Clip Tiger. It has a comedy content library of more than 3.1 million digital assets and produces over 250 hours a year for 44 owned and operated FAST and digital channels.

In April last year, V10 acquired the digital rights management and production company, Towerhouse.