Media Release
3 June 2005 – The Southern Star Group today announced the appointment of Don Groves as Manager of Communications.
In the new position, Groves will be responsible for co-ordinating publicity for the Group’s production arm, Southern Star Entertainment, the Endemol Southern Star joint venture, international distribution division Southern Star International, and the Group’s overall media profile.
He will report to Southern Star Group executive chairman Neil Balnaves, who said, “Don is an experienced entertainment journalst who brings a wealth of local and international industry knowledge. contacts and expertise. He will enhance the Group’s profile and stature as we prepare for our busiest ever production period in the year starting July 1.”
Grove spent the past 13 years as Asia-Pacific bureau chief of Variety newspaper, covering the Australian entertainment industry and the box-office performances of Hollywood and national films outside the US. Before that he served for nearly six years as the paper’s European Editor and Chief European Correspondent, based in London. Earlier in his career he worked for the Sydney Sun-Herald and TV Times.
He starts at Southern Star on June 14.
Southern Star is an integrated film and television production and distribution group. Divisions of the company are involved in film, television and video production; sales and distribution; and licensing and merchandising. Southern Star is a division of Southern Cross Broadcasting (Australia) Limited, a publicly listed company on the Australian Stock Exchange.