U.S.-based distributor Neon has promoted Elissa Federoff to president of distribution and Christina Zisa to president of publicity.
Both Federoff and Zisa have been with Neon since its inception in January of 2017. Federoff, previously executive VP of theatrical distribution, has been overseeing the company’s release strategy across all its titles. She previously held posts at The Orchard, Radius, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Lionsgate.
Zisa has been upped from executive VP of publicity, in a role where she created and implemented all awards, events and publicity campaigns for including “Parasite,” “Honeyland,” and “I Tonya.” She previously worked with Neon CEO and founder Tom Quinn at Radius.
At Neon, the pair most recently worked on “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho’s thriller that made history at the Oscars. The film, which landed for Academy Awards, grossed over $54 million at the domestic box office, the third-best result ever for a foreign language film in the U.S.
“Elissa Federoff and Christina Zisa have been the cornerstone to Neon’s success since we launched,” Quinn said. “In a very short time, they’ve broken multiple box office records as well as changed the history of the Academy Awards forever. Personally and professionally they embody all the things that make Neon a unique and special place for filmmakers and films to thrive. Cinema’s future looks bright with these caretakers at the helm, and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish next.”
Neon’s next release is Matt Wolf’s Sundance documentary “Spaceship Earth,” which will debut next month in drive-in theaters and on demand. The company also recently acquired “Pig,” a thriller starring Nicolas Cage and Max Barbakow’s twisted romantic comedy “Palm Springs” with Andy Samberg, which Neon bought with Hulu at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Also on deck is Josephine Decker’s “Shirley” starring Elisabeth Moss and the documentary “Gunda,” which was directed by Viktor Kossakovsky and executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix.