EXCLUSIVE: EST N8, the global production and sales company established through a partnership between EST Studios and Bangkok-based N8 Studios, has appointed industry veteran veteran Jan Paul (JP) Villanueva as Executive Vice President of Acquisitions & Global Distribution.

With a career backed by more than $100M in revenue generated across global markets, Villanueva will head up acquisitions and international partnerships as EST N8 expands its sales and distribution activity across the premium independent film space. 

Reporting to EST N8’s Head of Studios, Sophie Shi, he will focus on connecting high-value IP and curated film slates to audiences and distributors worldwide. 

Villanueva previously held executive posts at Vertical Entertainment and Viz Media, where he led the digital sales and distribution of over 100 titles. Prior to that he had stints at Disney, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Over the course of his career, he has worked with more than 40 SVOD, AVOD and FAST platforms and had experience in distributing films through both the major studio and indie ecosystems. 

“We are thrilled to have JP join our team; his deep understanding of the global film acquisition and distribution landscape will significantly enhance our efforts in Asia and beyond,” stated Kris Eiamsakulrat, Co-CEO of EST N8. 

Founded by Jaeson Ma and Eric Tu in 2022, EST Studios is involved in production, financing and international sales of Asian content across all genres, with credits including Hidden Letters and TIFF-selected K-Pops!, directed by Anderson .Paak. 

N8, founded by Kris Eiamsakulrat and Rachel Y. Wu in 2023, is an independent film and TV studio based in Bangkok with offices in New York and LA. The company co-produced and released Thai hit horror Home For Rent, working with GDH 559, as well as co-producing Cannes Critics Week winner A Useful Ghost, Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s Morte Cucina and Bhutanese Oscars submission The Monk And The Gun, More recently, N8 partnered with GDH to handle Southeast Asian distribution of Michael Mann’s Ferrari.