ABS-CBN announced the appointment of Kriz Anthony Gazmen as the new head of ABS-CBN Film Productions Inc. effective May 1, succeeding Olivia Lamasan who will continue to serve as a consultant of the company known for its film brands Star Cinema and Black Sheep Productions.
Before this appointment, Kriz served as the business unit head of Black Sheep. His creativity, innovation, and business savviness were instrumental to the successful establishment of the young film brand in 2018, introducing a new wave of storytelling in hit movies such as “Exes Baggage” (2018) and “Alone/Together” (2019).
He joined ABS-CBN Films as a creative producer for Star Cinema in 2007 and steadily took on bigger roles eventually becoming creative director in 2015. His notable projects include “I Love You Goodbye” (2009), “No Other Woman” (2011), “One More Try” (2012), “The Trial” (2014), and “Etiquette for Mistresses” (2015).
Kriz graduated with a Cum Laude distinction from the University of the Philippines - Diliman with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Audio-Visual Communication.
In his new role, Kriz will usher in a fresh era of storytelling as ABS-CBN Films continues to explore novel approaches in content creation and platform migration in order to reach more audiences.
Meanwhile, Olive will be a consultant for content, partnerships, and talent management via RISE Artists Studio.
The award-winning filmmaker fondly called ‘Inang’ in the industry has been with ABS-CBN for over 34 years, with unforgettable cinematic milestones under her direction including “Sana Maulit Muli” (1995), “Madrasta” (1996), “Milan” (2004), “In the Name of Love” (2011), “The Mistress” (2012), “Starting Over Again” (2014), and “Barcelona: A Love Untold” (2017). She also helped shape the ABS-CBN drama landscape on television as a creator of game-changing hits “Maalaala Mo Kaya,” “Pangako Sa’Yo,” “Forevermore,” and a lot more.
Amid the many challenges brought by the pandemic, Olive steered ABS-CBN Films towards new ventures and partnerships, making its well-loved content available across different platforms while maintaining its position as a reliable producer of inspiring Filipino stories.