Westfield Acquires Scott Sanders Productions; Continues Work on Broadway's COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, UP HERE and IN THE HEIGHTS Movie

Westfield Corporation announced today that Broadway, film, and television producer Scott Sanders, who recently received the Tony Award for his Best Musical Revival of The Color Purple, has been appointed as Westfield's first-ever Creative Head of Global Entertainment. His company, Scott Sanders Theatrical Productions, will be wholly acquired by Westfield.

Sanders will be charged with creating immersive entertainment and experiential events destined for Westfield properties around the globe, while continuing to develop and produce a targeted group of first-class Broadway shows, live entertainment and other media productions. Joining Sanders will be his long-time collaborator, Carol Fineman, who will assume the role of Vice President, Theatrical Productions and Producer, and whose primary responsibilities will include continued oversight of their current and upcoming stage projects. Sandy Block is leaving the company to seek new opportunities, while continuing in his capacity as Producer and Marketing Director of The Color Purple.

With Sanders' appointment, Westfield will be further deepening its consumer engagement with organically-inspired events and wholly-integrated theatrical experiences tying together high-end retail, music, fashion, food, culture and cinema. Westfield's flagship centers are based in the world's leading cities including Westfield London and Stratford City in the UK, Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco, Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose, Westfield UTC in San Diego and the newly opened Westfield World Trade Center in New York.

"As we continue to integrate our digital platform with our physical assets, it is important that we also provide vibrant, exciting places for retailers and consumers," said Peter Lowy, Co-CEO of Westfield. "Scott's talent and experience will help us create compelling new content and entertainment. This continues our tradition of making our centres about more than just shopping. Live events and entertainment have always been critical to Westfield and Scott will provide a new dimension to our approach and help us further our engagement with our consumers."

"I am elated to take on this unique opportunity to join the Westfield team that is reinventing the concept of innovative, location-based entertainment," said Scott Sanders. "With a focus on their flagship centers around the world, the possibilities are thrilling."

Under the Westfield banner, Sanders and his team will continue to oversee development and production of their current slate of Broadway-bound productions including Tootsie, Coal Miner's Daughter and Up Here, as well as the motion picture adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights. Additional stage titles will be announced.

Beyond his current Broadway interests, Sanders' career spans several decades and all areas of entertainment inclusive of feature films, television, and live events. In addition to his singular presentation of the historic Michael Jackson Super Bowl halftime show in 1993, Sanders is widely credited with reinventing the programming of Radio City Music Hall and turning it into one of the most prestigious and highest-grossing theatres in the world.

Lisbeth R. Barron, Chairman & CEO, and the team at Barron International Group, LLC, acted as exclusive financial advisor to Scott Sanders Theatrical Productions for the transaction.

Helmed by Scott Sanders, SSTP is an award-winning theatre, film and television Production Company. Its current shareholders are Sony Pictures Entertainment; Kraft Theatre, LLC; Roy Furman; James Fantaci; and Scott Sanders. The company developed and produced such stage properties as After Midnight, which won a Tony Award in 2014; the first-ever Broadway revival of Evita starring Ricky Martin, Elena Roger and Michael Cerveris; the critically acclaimed The Pee-Wee Herman Show (on Broadway and in Los Angeles); Oprah Winfrey at Radio City Music Hall: O Magazine's 10th Anniversary and the 2013 London production of The Color Purple that became the 2016 Tony Award-winning current Broadway revival. Other projects in development include Tootsie, Coal Miner's Daughter and Up Here for the stage. For more information, visit www.scottsandersproductions.com.

Scott Sanders is a Tony and Emmy Award-winning producer and one of the entertainment industry's most creative and prolific entrepreneurs with a proven track record of producing quality entertainment properties for a variety of media. His career began at Radio City Music Hall producing and promoting headliner artists including Liberace, Sting, Diana Ross, Madonna, Luther Vandross and The Grateful Dead. As Executive Producer there for 15 years, he has been widely credited with reversing the venue's steady decline after its near-bankruptcy with his inspired programming at the 6,000 seat New York landmark venue. He also extended the Radio City Music Hall Productions brand outside of Rockefeller Center by producing such notable events as Michael Jackson's historic Super Bowl halftime show at the Rose Bowl Stadium and galas for Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush. Sanders later co-founded and became president of Mandalay Television, and executive produced six network series for Columbia TriStar Television, including "Young Americans," starring Kate Bosworth, "Cupid," starring Jeremy Piven, "Mercy Point" and "Rude Awakening." He also produced pop star Josh Groban's Broadway debut in a concert version of Chess at the New Amsterdam Theatre. His Production Company Creative Battery (a partnership with AEG Live) produced Elaine Stritch: At Liberty, which won the Tony Award in 2002 and the 2004 Emmy Award for the HBO documentary, Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeanceand the original Broadway production of The Color Purple, among others. Sanders was Executive Producer for Queen Latifah's first-ever jazz album, The Dana Owens Album, which received a 2005 Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. With Walt Disney Pictures, he produced the film The Odd Life of Timothy Green. Upcoming film projects include Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights for The Weinstein Company.

Carol Fineman won a 2016 Tony Award for the revival of The Color Purple. Additional Broadway producing credits include: The Pee-Wee Herman Show (both in Los Angeles and on Broadway), Evita starring Ricky Martin and the Tony Award-winning After Midnight. She is also the founder/producer of Worth Street Theater Company. Select credits there include Christopher Shinn's Four, The Normal Heart with Raul Esparza, and the Drama-Desk Award-winning Stage Door Canteen which entertained the workers and volunteers at ground Zero with Broadway talent. Fineman lead the press department at The Public Theater for 11 years under the leadership of George C. Wolfe. Highlight credits from both downtown and Broadway productions with the Public include The Tempest; Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk; Elaine Stritch: At Liberty; and The Seagull with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Her current role is Producer & Vice President/Theater at Scott Sanders Theatrical Productions.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos