Milt Barlow Appointed CEO of Australia’s Tangren Cultural

By Patrick Frater

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Veteran film distributor Milt Barlow has been appointed as president and CEO of Tangren Cultural Group, a leading Australian distributor of Asian movies. He takes over as CEO following the exit of former CEO Kristy Wang.

Barlow has been COO of since May, when the company acquired Barlow’s Asia Releasing. He was previously CEO of Village Roadshow between 1988 and 1998, launched
New Zealand-based Incubate, and co-found China Lion, a company which since 2010 released 50 Chinese films in North America.

Tangren began operating as a distributor in Australia and New Zealand last year and has rapidly scaled up, to claim a nearly 50% share of the Antipodean market for Asian theatrical content. Tangren is now planning an “aggressive launch” into North America and Europe in 2019. Plans include the opening of a L.A.-based HQ with some 35-40 staff.

‘In a short space of time Milt has taken Tangren to new heights. His deep experience in film distribution in general and his decade long experience and leadership in Asian film distribution has proven to be a terrific asset for Tangren and we are delighted that Milt will lead the company worldwide to new successes in the years ahead,” Tangren director Audrey Zhou said in a statement.

“Tangren is making great strides through its aggressive acquisition schedule, unique marketing and desire to be a vertically-integrated global leader,” said Barlow.