EXCLUSIVE: Justin Lacob has been appointed president of XTR, the film and television studio he co-founded with Bryn Mooser.
Today’s announcement comes as Mooser shifts his focus to leading XTR’s parent company, the newly established AI film and animation studio Asteria.
“Lacob is a two-time Emmy-nominated producer, executive, and content strategist with more than 20 years of experience in the media industry,” notes a release. “In addition to his role of Head of Development at XTR, he is also a co-founder of XTR and a co-founder of DOCUMENTARY+, a streaming platform and channel that showcases diverse and impactful stories from around the world, where he will also serve as President.”
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In his new role, “Lacob will oversee all aspects of XTR’s original content development and production, along with sales, strategy, and partnerships, focusing on expanding the studio’s portfolio of documentary features, series, podcasts, and short form and branded content,” according to the release. On the Asteria side, he will also lead the development and production of scripted live action and animation projects, alongside Asteria’s Nick Confalone.
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For DOCUMENTARY+, Lacob will continue to oversee the platform as it expands beyond AVOD and FAST to other forms of distribution, as well curating its originals program, which includes the 2024 Oscar-nominated animated short Ninety-Five Senses and its collaboration slate with Rolling Stone.
Mooser, who co-founded XTR and has led the studio to acclaim, including Oscar nominations for Ascension and the aforementioned Ninety-Five Senses, is CEO of Asteria, a company “which aims to revolutionize film and animation through cutting-edge AI technology.”
“There is no better development executive in the non-fiction industry than Justin,” Mooser said in a statement. “He is an encyclopedia for what studios are looking to buy and understands the non fiction landscape deeply. I am so excited to see where he takes XTR.”
Lacob commented, “I’m truly honored to take on this broader role at XTR. I look forward to continuing to work with our talented team to create stories that not only entertain, but also spark important conversations. As XTR embarks on this exciting transition, the studio remains committed to its mission of producing high-quality, impactful non-fiction content and I am also excited to be championing artists through our live action and animation slate.”
During his tenure at XTR, Lacob has worked with emerging and established filmmakers to bring their visions to life across multiple platforms and genres, including the Emmy-nominated series They Call Me Magic for AppleTV+, Menudo: Forever Young for HBO Max, the Peabody winning feature The Territory for National Geographic and Disney+, Periodical for MSNBC Films, Emmy nominated series Playing Fields for the Olympic Channel, Oscar nominated films Ascension and Ninety-Five Senses, and The Lionheart for HBO Sports.
Prior to XTR, Justin was instrumental in shaping the brand identity and programming strategy of Spike and Paramount Network, where he launched and executive produced successful scripted, unscripted, and documentary series, including the Emmy-nominated Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, long-running reality series Bar Rescue, and the epic event scripted series Tut.