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Elisabeth Murdoch’s Shine International moves headquarters to London from L.A.

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Elisabeth Murdoch’s rapidly growing international sales and distribution arm for her TV production company Shine is buttoning up its headquarters in Los Angeles and moving to London.

Shine International, which sells such successful television formats as ‘MasterChef’ and ‘The Biggest Loser,’ will keep a small presence in L.A., the company said in a statement Tuesday.

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However, the division’s president, Chris Grant, has decided not to relocate to Britain. He will stay on with Shine for six months to help with the transition.

Grant’s exit comes in the wake of the resignation of Howard T. Owens, the longtime managing director of Shine’s U.S. television company Reveille. Owens’ employment contract ends in June. He is being replaced by Eden Gaha, executive producer of ‘Celebrity Apprentice.’

Owens’ and Grant’s departures are significant because they represent the completion of the management change-over from the Ben Silverman era of Reveille to one that better reflects the tastes and discipline of Murdoch, the daughter of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch.

Silverman, the former NBC programmer, sold Reveille -- which had been something of a seat-of-the-pants operation with big credits including the U.S. remake of ‘The Office’ -- to Murdoch in 2008 for about $125 million. Silverman relied heavily on four executives, including Owens and Grant, to run the operation, and Silverman’s underlings stayed on with Reveille after Murdoch acquired the production company.

“At this stage of the company’s growth, Shine International needs its headquarters alongside our teams that manage and exploit group formats, brands and digital rights, with local sales experts in our global production centers,’ Shine Group President Alex Mahon said in a statement. She will assume overall responsibility for Shine International in the interim.

The restructuring does not affect former Fox Studios chief Emiliano Calemzuk, who continues as chief executive of Shine Group Americas, in charge of operations in the U.S., Canada and South America.

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Executive Vice President John Pollak will continue as sales head through the end of the year. Martin Rakusen, senior vice president for business and operations, plans to relocate to the London office.

“I am incredibly proud of the substantial growth that Shine International has achieved since we started the company, and particularly in the last few years since joining the Shine Group,’ Grant said in the statement. ‘L.A. is my home and rather than relocate, it is also a good time for me to allow my colleagues to build on the success we have, together, created.”

In addition to the London headquarters, Shine International will have offices in France, Germany, Australia and the Nordic region.

-- Meg James

Top left photo: Elisabeth Murdoch. Credit: Tim Matthews / Allstar

Bottom right photo: Ben Silverman with Steve Carell of ‘The Office.’ Credit: Chris Carlson / Associated Press

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