AMPLIFYING GROWTH, CONCORD ORIGINALS ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE ROLES FOR CHARLES HOPKINS AND WESLEY ADAMS

Appoints Imogen Lloyd Webber as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications (Worldwide)

Concord Originals, the film and TV division of Concord, the world’s leading independent music company and licensor of stage productions, has expanded its executive ranks and elevated Charles Hopkins to Vice President of Development and Wesley Adams to Vice President of Production and Distribution, it was announced today by Sophia Dilley, Executive Vice President of Concord Originals. Considered one of the preeminent homes for music-to-screen and theatre-to-screen development, the company has also promoted Imogen Lloyd Webber to the new role of Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications (Worldwide) for Concord Originals and Theatricals, the theatre division of Concord.

Concord Originals is backed by Concord, which has substantially grown over the past few years. In October, Concord closed an $850 million asset-backed securitization deal (its third such deal and the industry’s largest music-backed ABS to date). The company has also expanded its global footprint with new offices in Miami and Melbourne, adding to its existing locations in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, London and Berlin. This company-wide growth will expand the rosters and libraries from which Concord Originals can produce projects, and in turn, create synergies across the company’s different divisions to create culturally impactful and relevant entertainment.

Hopkins, who previously served as Director of Development and Production, will develop scripted and unscripted projects for film and television across a variety of genres and mediums. He is producing the recently announced Untitled Robert Johnson Biopic about the legendary blues musician Robert Johnson. Concord Originals is partnering with Jesse Collins Entertainment on the forthcoming film, marking the first authorized narrative feature on Johnson, known as the King of the Delta Blues.

Formerly Director of Development and Production, Adams will oversee all aspects of production and distribution for the Concord Originals slate from concept through to release on multiple platforms. She will also manage ongoing distribution efforts for Concord’s film library, including Rodgers & Hammerstein classics. Most recently, Adams executive produced Alison Ellwood’s documentary feature Let the Canary Sing, chronicling musical icon Cyndi Lauper for Paramount+ and co-executive produced the star-studded My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80^th Anniversary Concert, broadcast on PBS and Sky Arts.

Based in Los Angeles, both Hopkins and Adams will continue to report to Dilley, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series for the SXSW Audience Award-winner “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.,” a multi-part docuseries about the legendary Stax Records for HBO from executive producer Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made in America) and director Jamila Wignot (Ailey).

“This is a pivotal period of scale and growth for Concord Originals as our slate is increasingly comprised of projects that our division has ideated in-house and is driving forward. We take pride in our roll-up-the sleeves mentality and in being a value-add creative resource for our artists and rightsholders to tap into and grow new audiences for their work. Charlie and Wes are perfectly suited to help lead the charge in our next phase,” said Dilley.

“I am thrilled to continue originating projects that take Concord IP and flip it into unexpected, noisy and compelling films and series,” added Hopkins. “I am excited by the ideas where inventive use of music, an artist’s story, a play or a musical allows for truly original storytelling.”

“It’s been a privilege to be on the ground floor of Concord Originals’ evolution and to grow with the division since its inception. The rhythm we’ve cultivated as a team has enabled our expansion as a full-service company that creates all forms of content and executes at the highest level. I am excited to continue stretching the value we bring to the table as a trusted artist partner and through our insights-driven and forward-thinking philosophy to content distribution,” commented Adams.

In his six years at Concord Originals, Hopkins has led projects that have been in development or distribution with Amazon, Netflix, Skydance and more. Hopkins executive produced Paris Barclay’s documentary feature Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It about the celebrated musician Billy Preston. Hopkins also spearheaded a short film financing initiative which saw three QTBIPOC filmmakers receive funding to produce short films incorporating Concord’s IP and which premiered at Outfest Los Angeles 2023. The initiative was re-launched in 2024 with NewFest. After stints in talent management and production, Hopkins climbed the ladder at an indie film sales and production company before joining Concord Originals. Hopkins is originally from Australia, where he graduated Arts: Media & Communications and Law at The University of Melbourne.

Adams, who joined Concord in 2018, executive produced the documentary feature Shari & Lamb Chop directed by Lisa D’Apolito (Love, Gilda) and the upcoming TV series adaptation of Alberto Ferreras’ novel B as in Beauty which is being developed by Concord Originals, Marsh Entertainment, and Telemundo Streaming Studios, alongside writers Manuel Figueroa & Jordan Heimer. Adams is a Los Angeles native and a graduate of University of Southern California. She began her career at Creative Artists Agency in music touring, then transitioned to Universal Music Publishing Group before joining the team at Concord.

As EVP of Marketing and Communications (Worldwide) for Theatricals and Originals, Webber will oversee the elevation of thousands of works and continue to supervise the Rodgers & Hammerstein brand for stage and screen. She was nominated for a 2023 Emmy Award for executive producing, alongside Dilley, an ABC News Studios documentary on Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The duo also recently executive produced My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert in London’s West End, which was subsequently seen in cinemas, broadcast on PBS and Sky Arts, and released as an album on Concord Theatricals Recordings. Formerly an SVP at Concord Theatricals, Webber has led its Marketing and Communications strategy since the company’s inception in 2018. Educated at Cambridge University, Webber is additionally an internationally bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster. She is a member of the Broadway League and SAG-AFTRA.

About Concord Originals

Concord Originals is the film and TV division of music and theatre juggernaut, Concord. The team develops and produces stories anchored by Concord’s artists, music and theatrical works, taking a proactive, narrative-driven approach to each project, and partnering with A-list storytellers to produce premium content for screen and beyond. The division’s slate is comprised of feature films, series, documentaries, and podcasts and its partners include HBO, Paramount, Netflix, Skydance, Telemundo Streaming Studios, Audible, Nuyorican Productions, Samuel Goldwyn Films, 3AD, Sky Arts and many others. 

Concord Originals most recently partnered with Jesse Collins Entertainment on The Untitled Robert Johnson Biopic, the narrative feature film on the legendary blues musician Robert Johnson. Current and upcoming projects also include the SXSW Audience Award-winner “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.,” a multi-part docuseries about the legendary Stax Records for HBO from executive producer Ezra Edelman (O.J.: Made in America) and director Jamila Wignot (Ailey) – the series was nominated for two Emmy Awards including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Additional projects include two documentary features that Concord Originals has co-financed including Shari & Lamb Chop directed by Lisa D’Apolito (Love, Gilda) and Paris Barclay’s documentary feature Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It about the celebrated musician Billy Preston (which had its world premiere at SXSW); Alison Ellwood’s documentary feature Let The Canary Sing, chronicling musical icon Cyndi Lauper, for Paramount+; Ilya Chaiken’s music doc Pretty Ugly: The Story of the Lunachicks from Academy Award-nominated executive producers Julie Cohen and Betsy West (RBG); and the star-studded My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80^th Anniversary Concert, broadcast on PBS and Sky Arts. Concord Originals also has an active scripted slate, including a remake of The King and I with Temple Hill for Paramount Pictures, a limited series adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella with Skydance TV and Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions and a bi-lingual (English/Spanish) TV adaptation of Alberto Ferreras’ award-winning novel “B as in Beauty” with Marsh Entertainment and Telemundo Streaming Studios.