Justin Wilkes, chief strategy officer of Imagine Entertainment and president of Imagine Documentaries and Brands, has been promoted to president. The company is headed up by Executive Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.
With Wilkes’ promotion, co-president of documentaries Sara Bernstein has been named president of documentaries, leading the division.
Wilkes will be working with Imagine’s COO Steve Shikiya, president of features Karen Lunder, president of TV Kristen Zolner, Bernstein, EVP of brands Marc Gilbar and Brooke Posch, president of Jax Media. Jaz Media is a wholly owned subsidiary of Imagine Entertainment. He will continue to work with Alex Gibney and Jigsaw Productions across their slate.
“Justin is a rare executive who excels across both the business and creative ambitions for the company,” stated Grazer and Howard. “He has a clear direction for expanding potential and growth, and has proven to be a powerful producer and creative collaborator with the most visionary talent in our business. We are excited for him to work with us and across all the divisions at Imagine to maximize opportunities that fit within the ethos we embarked on when we started Imagine close to 40 years ago, which has always been to tell culturally-resonating stories that matter.”
Wilkes, an Oscar-nominated and multi-Emmy-winning producer, launched the Documentaries launched the Documentaries label with Bernstein in 2018. Since then, he has increased his managerial responsibility with the parent company, including leading Imagine’s partnership with The Washington Post in his role as chief strategy officer.
Over the past four years, Imagine Documentaries has become a leading force in the premium non-scripted business with a slate of critical and commercial successes garnering 14 Emmy nominations this past year alone. Wilkes recently produced the award-winning Imagine docs, “Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues” for Apple TV+ as well as Netflix’s “The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari.” Imagine released 37 films and series in 2022.
“Together with Brian and Ron,” stated Wilkes, “we have opportunity to harness the full potential of Imagine’s brand within the marketplace as a strong, independent, talent-friendly content studio with luxury pedigree. Within the storm of industry-wide disruption, we will lean into our core businesses and position ourselves as a haven for talent, IP and creativity.”
