Television and film executive Zennen Clifton, who was most recently executive vice president of 3BD Networks at studio 3BlackDot, is joining Apple TV Plus as a creative executive.
Clifton will work on the Los Angeles-based domestic development team, reporting to head of development and current programming Matt Cherniss.
At 3BD Networks, he led all direct-to-consumer content initiatives as well as 3BD’s full-service branded content studio. Prior to that, Clifton served as vice president of TV and digital at MACRO, a global media brand driven by and representative of the voices and perspectives of people of color. The Princeton grad also co-founded full-service production company No Label in 2016 with NBA All-Star Baron Davis to develop both long- and short-form content for multicultural audiences; No Label has since developed projects for Sony, Lionsgate, Amazon, MACRO and Warner Horizon.
Apple TV Plus, which launched in Nov. 2019, recently touted its most-watched weekend in the service’s history with the premiere of the Fisher Stevens-directed “Palmer” starring Justin Timberlake, helped by the second seasons of period comedy “Dickinson” and M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological horror thriller “Servant.” The streaming service last week renewed “Trying” for a third season ahead of its Season 2 premiere; alternate history drama “For All Mankind,” “Servant,” “Dickinson” and animated musical comedy “Central Park.”
Clifton is not the only recent addition to the Apple TV Plus team, which in January brought on board JP Richards as head of its film marketing strategy. Cherniss, formerly the head of WGN America, has been with Apple TV Plus since 2017.