The Leopard USA team is made up of passionate, creative people from all over the world. Our people are brilliant, imaginative, and fun! We love creating shows, and using our experience to make the best, most entertaining programs possible. Meet the Leopard USA team:
James Burstall
CEO
James is a forward-thinking leader. He is passionate about ideas and talent. He trained as a journalist, then showrunner. As Executive Producer, his scripted and non-scripted credits include Mormon Love for Facebook, award-winning movie An Englishman in New York starring John Hurt and Cynthia Nixon and the daily hit House Hunters International on HGTV. He studied at the universities of Bristol and Oxford in the UK and Stanford in California. He speaks five languages and is learning Mandarin.
Steven McGovern
Chief Operating Officer
Steven has over 20 years of experience in the television industry, with a strong background in unscripted production across a broad spectrum of genres for multiple networks in the UK and USA. As Chief Operating Officer, Steven is responsible for managing and overseeing the day-to-day business operations of Leopard USA.
Steven has strong leadership skills and an ability to build and manage successful teams. He is dedicated to fostering a creative and collaborative work environment where employees can thrive and produce their best work.
Prior to joining Leopard USA, Steven was EVP of Production & Operations at Jupiter Entertainment where he oversaw a slate of series including the hit true crime series “Snapped” for Oxygen.
Matt Widmayer
SVP Finance
Matthew joined the Leopard team in early 2016 assuming the role of Corporate Controller. Matthew brings over eleven years of experience in accounting & management from multiple industries. Matthew’s analytic skills and high attention to detail has helped him manage his career through multiple complex accounting fields within the corporate world including Sarbanes Oxley compliance and acquisitions. Prior to joining Leopard, Matthew had managed a full accounting team overseeing monthly and annual reporting as well as quarterly and annual audits.
John Bertholon
Executive VP of Programming
John is an award-winning producer with a consistent record of success in production and content development, encompassing a diverse career. With over 20 years in the business and direct oversight of nearly 1500 hours of programming, he is a team-builder with applied development, creative, technical, and leadership skills across a broad range of TV genres. Prior to joining Leopard in 2008, a showrunning stint at UK-based Lion Television netted successful runs of Discovery’s It Takes A Thief and adaptation of the UK hit Cash Cab which earned him an Emmy in 2009. He has also served as showrunner and supervising producer on multiple projects for Oxygen and FOX Syndication where he cut his teeth in high-volume content generation and delivery. John is currently overseeing House Hunters International for Leopard, and has served as EVP Programming, VP Programming and Executive Producer for the company on multiple series for A&E, HGTV and Travel Channel.
Wendy Hall
Line Producer
Wendy is Leopard USA’s longest serving employee. She has worked on all of the company projects since she moved to the US in late 2007 and after almost 15 years on the East Coast, recently relocated from New York to California to continue as Line Producer at Leopard's Los Angeles offices. She has managed shows for various networks including HGTV, A&E, TLC and Food Network and oversees production for all of Leopard’s development projects. Before joining the US team, Wendy was based in Leopard’s London office, managing episodes of Car Booty for BBC1 and numerous factual and scripted development projects, as well as coordinating the observational documentary series' Crash Scene Investigators for ITV and BBC’s Missing, and ITV documentaries Body Building Pensioners and Me and My Face. Wendy also worked as Post Production Coordinator on Leopardrama's Mysterious Creatures for ITV starring Brenda Blethyn and Timothy Spall, and Production Coordinator on The Grey Man for BBC1 with Olivia Colman.
Lindsay Goyette-Burke
Head of Talent and Casting
Lindsay is an energetic casting director with a passion for finding great stories and sharing them with the world. For the last five years, she has overseen the casting department for the globe-trotting hit House Hunters International for HGTV. In her prior role as Director of Casting and Talent at ITV, Lindsay oversaw casting for History Channel hits like Forged In Fire and American Restoration, and contributed to the casting team for Netflix's breakout smash Queer Eye.
Susan Maldonado
Human Resources/Payroll Manager
Recently relocated to vibrant New York City after spending some time in Nevada, Susan is passionate about her role in managing human resources & payroll. With a deep-rooted love for the job, Susan finds fulfillment in helping others navigate the intricacies of their employment and ensuring smooth operations within the organization. She brings a wealth of experience and expertise in HR practices and is committed to fostering a positive work environment. It is her pleasure to contribute to the success of Leopard USA and support its talented workforce.
Laura Miranda
Executive Assistant
Laura is a seasoned executive assistant with over 5 years of experience in the entertainment industry. After receiving her B.A. in Cinema & TV Production from Cal State Northridge, she's gone on to assist on many independent films, commercials and short films. Multi-faceted and passionate about television development, Laura is happy to continue her professional growth at Leopard USA.