Our Leadership Team

Peter Chernin is one of the industry’s most accomplished media executives with a three-decade history leading and growing blue chip content companies as well as investing and cultivating direct to consumer businesses. Chernin Entertainment has produced some of the most commercially and critically successful content of the last decade, including the PLANET OF THE APES trilogy that re-launched the franchise for a new generation and earned an Academy Award nomination, FORD V FERRARI, which won two Academy Awards from four nominations, the Best Picture-nominated HIDDEN FIGURES, and the FEAR STREET trilogy, based on R.L. Stine’s horror series and arising from a first-look film pact with Netflix. On the television side, Chernin Entertainment’s recent titles include TRUTH BE TOLD, starring Octavia Spencer, and SEE, starring Jason Momoa — both for Apple TV+ — as well as Netflix’s BOMBAY BEGUMS and Fox’s hit comedy, NEW GIRL.

Stephanie Noonan Drachkovitch is Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Peabody, Emmy®, Gracie and GLAAD award-winning non-fiction producer at 44 Blue Productions.  A former studio executive, Stephanie oversees 44 Blue’s development team and, along with Co-CEO and Co-Founder Rasha Drachkovitch, executive produces multiple series on 44 Blue’s dynamic slate of programming.  Her broad range of programming experience has helped shape 44 Blue’s diverse slate, from Netflix’s LIFE AFTER DEATH WITH TYLER HENRY to Discovery+ award-winning limited series LAST CHANCE TRANSPLANT and Oxygen’s true crime franchise REAL MURDERS OF ORANGE COUNTY and REAL MURDERS OF ATLANTA.  

Libby Geist is responsible for overseeing all documentaries and docuseries at Words + Pictures, from development through delivery.  Recent projects under Geist include two-time Emmy winner “SuperLeague: The War for Football” (AppleTV+), “SuperMan: The Christopher Reeve Story” which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival (Warner) and Full Court Press (ESPN/ABC), amongst many others. Prior to joining W+P, she served as the Vice President & Executive Producer of ESPN Films and Original Content.  Geist has spent her entire career in documentary film, from the trenches at Shoot the Moon Productions, then ESPN and now, President & Executive Producer at Words + Pictures.  

Scott Manson is the President of North Road Company, where he oversees global operations, strategy, and content expansion.  Before joining North Road, Scott served as Chief Operating Officer at SB Projects and President of Business Solutions for HYBE America, where he led corporate strategy and business development for a roster including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and J Balvin. With a background that spans producing hit series like Scorpion and Dave, and securing major deals with Amazon Studios and Spotify, Scott's career has been defined by driving creative and business growth in the entertainment industry.

Connor Schell is the CEO of non-fiction production studio Words + Pictures. He founded W+P with TCG after a nearly two-decade long tenure at The Walt Disney Company, where he served as the Executive VP of Content for ESPN and oversaw live event production, studio programming, and the launch of ESPN+ as well as the celebrated 30 FOR 30 series. Schell has executive produced critically acclaimed docuseries such as THE LAST DANCE and the Academy Award-winning film O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA.

Julián de Tavira is a Mexican film and television director and producer with over 15 years of experience. Throughout his career, he has worked as an assistant director, planner, producer, and director on notable projects such as "Juana Inés," "Malinche," "El Chapo," and served as the executive producer and director of "Hernán." In 2020, de Tavira joined Perro Azul. His talent and experience allow him to participate in both development and production fields. He has contributed as an Executive Producer of several shows like “Belascoarán”. 

Chris Coelen is the CEO and founder of Kinetic Content and one of the most prolific producers in the TV Industry. His current slate at Kinetic includes hits in every non-scripted genre and brand-new programming at 11 different networks. Some of Kinetic’s most popular shows include the award winning phenomenon LOVE IS BLIND S1-S4, which trended on Netflix at #1 for over 10 weeks, THE ULTIMATUM: MARRY OR MOVE ON & QUEER LOVE(Netflix), which received a reported 1.3 billion viewers, ABC’s latest Summer hit, CLAIM TO FAME, and cable TV’s highest rated show on Wednesday’s (beating out the NBA), MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT - just to name a few. 

After graduating from NYU film school and toiling for untold years as a cinematographer, Ken parlayed his experience as a cameraman into new opportunities as a producer and director on TV shows of all types before eventually teaming up with Banks Tarver to launch Left/Right.  Twenty years and twenty pounds later, the company has produced hundreds of hours of television in an extraordinarily eclectic mix of genres ranging from hard-hitting documentaries to side-splitting comedies, covering topics from secret societies to science fiction to school segregation.  Our shows have been nominated for numerous Emmy® Awards and have won multiple awards, including a Peabody® and the Emmy® for Best Nonfiction Series. Ken enjoys identifying and hiring smart people and taking credit for their great work.

Rochelle Gerson is the Head of Business Affairs at the North Road Company. She oversees the strategy and execution of all content deals across North Road’s expanding portfolio of premium production companies around the world. With a demonstrated history of dealmaking for some the industry’s biggest companies including Netflix and HBO, Gerson provides counsel to North Road’s industry-leading executive team.

Diego Rabasa is a Mexican writer, editor, and documentarian with a career that spans from publishing to audiovisual production. As a co-founder of Editorial Sexto Piso, he contributed to the publication of over 600 books by authors from more than 40 nationalities, and received several International prizes. In 2020, he joined Perro Azul as the head of the Development Department, where he co-served as showrunner for the series "El Colapso" on ViX+ and Executive Producer for “El Secreto del Rio” in Netflix.

Darian Singer is the Chief Financial Officer of The North Road Company. His role focuses on leading the integration of North Road assets and overseeing the development of North Road infrastructure as it looks to grow further. Darian is responsible for financial oversight, human resources, analysis and execution of M&A as well as other operational tasks. 

As President of Film and Television at Chernin Entertainment, Topping oversees all of the company’s development and production of feature film, television and other forms of content. Jenno joined Chernin in 2011 and was elevated to President in 2013. At Chernin, Topping has developed and overseen projects including the Oscar® nominated feature films  FORD vs FERRARI, HIDDEN FIGURES, and THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. Her TV credits include SEE and TRUTH BE TOLD. 

Rodrigo Cortina serves as the CFO of Perro Azul, bringing extensive experience in the entertainment industry and a robust background in finance. His career includes significant contributions in public administration, where he specialized in corporate finance and investment project evaluation. Rodrigo's expertise ensures a strong financial foundation for Perro Azul's diverse creative projects.

Alexis Fridman is a distinguished producer and writer with a career spanning over two decades. He began his journey in the film industry with Lemon Studios in 2002, producing his first feature film, "Matando Cabos." Throughout his career, Fridman has been involved in numerous successful projects, including the Netflix series "Who Killed Sara?", “Daughter From Another Mother”, “Belascoarán” and “Nothing to See Here” among many more. 

Lauren Goldberg is General Counsel at North Road and oversees all legal matters across the company.  Prior to North Road’s formation, Lauren has been working at The Chernin Group since 2015.  During her tenure, she led legal on a number of transformative transactions, including the sale of Otter Media to AT&T, the formation and growth of TCG, an investment firm co-founded by Peter Chernin, and the creation and build of North Road.  

David Ready is the Executive Vice President of Film & Television at Chernin Entertainment. As a core member of leadership, he spearheads all aspects of the company’s film and television efforts from development, through production, to release. In this role, David is responsible for managing the Chernin Entertainment executive team, setting strategic goals and innovations for the company, fostering relationships with filmmakers and talent, and managing key relationships with distribution partners.

Paige Suen is the Head of People for The North Road Company and oversees all people practices across the global organization. She most recently led Human Resources efforts at Westbrook and brings a wealth of experience in film and television production as well as infrastructure building to support a talented creative workforce.

Juan Uruchurtu began his career in the audiovisual industry in 1998, and since then he has worked for various production companies in Mexico and Latin America. As a producer, he has worked with some of the most important creators in Mexico such as Luis Estrada, Ernesto Contreras and Hiromi Kamata on projects ranging from independent films to major international productions. In 2019, together with Alexis Fridman, he founded Perro Azul, where they have produced series and films for Netflix, Vix and Max.