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Chris Forrester,
Ed Horowitz, president and CEO of SES Americom (and pictured, left), has surprisingly left the company. This is not the first sudden departure from this major subsidiary of SES.
Mr Horowitz has quit to join Global Entertainment & Media Holdings Co., (GEMC) a new US “blank check” shell company created to pursue opportunities in “entertainment and media and related industries” according to their recently issued prospectus. GEMC is looking to raise around $150m to aid its objectives, initially via the sale of shares in the business using Merrill Lynch. The business will be listed on the AMEX exchange. Mr Horowitz was one of the sponsors of the business when it was formed earlier this year. He joins an illustrious board, headed by Jules Haimovitz, Ronald Bernard, and Mark Piegza (see below for their backgrounds). His departure from SES enables him to return to his roots and closer to programming.
Meanwhile, SES’ overall president and CEO Romain Bausch will take responsibility for SES Americom along with its other executives. Bausch will spend one week in four at Americom’s offices in Princeton. He told Americom staff on May 8 that there were internal and external candidates for the top job.
Mr Horowitz replaced Dean Olmstead at SES Americom, who also left the company unexpectedly (and now runs Echostar Holding’s satellite services operation as President).
GEMC details:
Here are the senior staff backgrounds (data from the company’s prospectus).
Jules Haimovitz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Haimovitz has 37 years of operating experience in the media and entertainment industry. He was most recently Vice Chairman and Managing Partner of Dick Clark Productions. Prior to joining Dick Clark, Mr. Haimovitz was President of MGM Networks, Inc. and had also served as special consultant to the Chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. From 1997-1999, Mr. Haimovitz was President and Chief Operating Officer of King World Productions Inc., the leading worldwide distributor of first-run syndicated programming such as Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy! and The Oprah Winfrey Show. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Blockbuster Inc., Infospace, Inc., TVN Entertainment and ImClone Systems Incorporated and, over the course of his career, has also served on the Board of Directors of DIVA Systems Corp., Video Jukebox Network Inc., Spelling Entertainment, Orion Pictures Corporation, Showtime, The Movie Channel and Lifetime.
Ronald Bernard, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Bernard has 30 years of experience in the entertainment, sports and media industries in both operating and financial capacities. Since 2003, he has been working with a number of private investors in identifying and acquiring media properties.
Mark Piegza, President and Secretary. Piegza has 16 years of investment banking experience in the technology, media and telecommunications industries, over which time he has developed senior relationships across a broad range of sectors and companies and has executed a variety of transactions, including public and private offerings of debt and equity, merchant banking transactions, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings. Mr. Piegza was a Managing Director in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group, and its predecessor, at Banc of America Securities from February 2003 until October 2007. At Banc of America Securities, Mr. Piegza had global responsibility for the satellite sector and was also responsible for coverage of accounts in several other sub-sectors, including cable, diversified entertainment and sports. Prior to joining Banc of America Securities, Mr. Piegza was an Executive Director in UBS’ Media Group, focused on the satellite and broadband sectors. Prior to joining UBS, Mr. Piegza worked in the Media & Telecom Group, in New York and Hong Kong, of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette from 1993 to 2000 and Credit Suisse First Boston (after its acquisition of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette) from 2000 to 2001. Prior to joining Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Mr. Piegza worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Citibank and had previously started his investment banking career in 1989 in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Drexel Burnham Lambert.
Ed Horowitz, president and CEO of SES Americom (and pictured, left), has surprisingly left the company. This is not the first sudden departure from this major subsidiary of SES.
Mr Horowitz has quit to join Global Entertainment & Media Holdings Co., (GEMC) a new US “blank check” shell company created to pursue opportunities in “entertainment and media and related industries” according to their recently issued prospectus. GEMC is looking to raise around $150m to aid its objectives, initially via the sale of shares in the business using Merrill Lynch. The business will be listed on the AMEX exchange. Mr Horowitz was one of the sponsors of the business when it was formed earlier this year. He joins an illustrious board, headed by Jules Haimovitz, Ronald Bernard, and Mark Piegza (see below for their backgrounds). His departure from SES enables him to return to his roots and closer to programming.
Meanwhile, SES’ overall president and CEO Romain Bausch will take responsibility for SES Americom along with its other executives. Bausch will spend one week in four at Americom’s offices in Princeton. He told Americom staff on May 8 that there were internal and external candidates for the top job.
Mr Horowitz replaced Dean Olmstead at SES Americom, who also left the company unexpectedly (and now runs Echostar Holding’s satellite services operation as President).
GEMC details:
Here are the senior staff backgrounds (data from the company’s prospectus).
Jules Haimovitz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Haimovitz has 37 years of operating experience in the media and entertainment industry. He was most recently Vice Chairman and Managing Partner of Dick Clark Productions. Prior to joining Dick Clark, Mr. Haimovitz was President of MGM Networks, Inc. and had also served as special consultant to the Chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. From 1997-1999, Mr. Haimovitz was President and Chief Operating Officer of King World Productions Inc., the leading worldwide distributor of first-run syndicated programming such as Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy! and The Oprah Winfrey Show. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Blockbuster Inc., Infospace, Inc., TVN Entertainment and ImClone Systems Incorporated and, over the course of his career, has also served on the Board of Directors of DIVA Systems Corp., Video Jukebox Network Inc., Spelling Entertainment, Orion Pictures Corporation, Showtime, The Movie Channel and Lifetime.
Ronald Bernard, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Bernard has 30 years of experience in the entertainment, sports and media industries in both operating and financial capacities. Since 2003, he has been working with a number of private investors in identifying and acquiring media properties.
Mark Piegza, President and Secretary. Piegza has 16 years of investment banking experience in the technology, media and telecommunications industries, over which time he has developed senior relationships across a broad range of sectors and companies and has executed a variety of transactions, including public and private offerings of debt and equity, merchant banking transactions, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings. Mr. Piegza was a Managing Director in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group, and its predecessor, at Banc of America Securities from February 2003 until October 2007. At Banc of America Securities, Mr. Piegza had global responsibility for the satellite sector and was also responsible for coverage of accounts in several other sub-sectors, including cable, diversified entertainment and sports. Prior to joining Banc of America Securities, Mr. Piegza was an Executive Director in UBS’ Media Group, focused on the satellite and broadband sectors. Prior to joining UBS, Mr. Piegza worked in the Media & Telecom Group, in New York and Hong Kong, of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette from 1993 to 2000 and Credit Suisse First Boston (after its acquisition of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette) from 2000 to 2001. Prior to joining Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Mr. Piegza worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Citibank and had previously started his investment banking career in 1989 in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Drexel Burnham Lambert.