Chris McGurk Joins IDT Entertainment as Senior Advisor, New Ventures; Former MGM Vice Chairman Joins Veteran Entertainment Management Team With Key Focus On Creating New Live Action Theatrical Production And Distribution Arm.BURBANK, Calif. & NEWARK, N.J. -- IDT IDT Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA, USA) IDT I Don't Think IDT Identity Theft IDT Interrupt Descriptor Table IDT Integrated DNA Technologies IDT Inactive Duty Training IDT Instructional Design & Technology Entertainment is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris McGurk to the newly created post of Senior Advisor In some countries, a Senior Advisor is an appointed position by the Head of State to advise on the highest levels of national and government policy. Sometimes a junior position to this is called a National Policy Advisor. , New Ventures. Mr. McGurk's longtime career in the entertainment industry includes stints atop MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. , Universal Pictures, and the Walt Disney Noun 1. Walt Disney - United States film maker who pioneered animated cartoons and created such characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; founded Disneyland (1901-1966) Disney, Walter Elias Disney Company Motion Picture Group. In his position as senior advisor, Mr. McGurk will focus his industry experience on leveraging IDT Entertainment's assets to build a new live action theatrical production Noun 1. theatrical production - the production of a drama on the stage staging production - a presentation for the stage or screen or radio or television; "have you seen the new production of Hamlet?" and distribution arm. He will report to IDT Entertainment CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Morris Berger and will work closely with the company's roster of senior executives to maximize current productions across all platforms and to identify and propose potential new ventures. IDT Entertainment is a subsidiary of IDT Corporation (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : IDT, IDT.C), an international telecom, entertainment and technology company. "In putting together our executive team we look for multi-dimensional thinkers who can lead our company with the wisdom of experience and the passion of an entrepreneur," says Stephen R. Brown, IDT Entertainment Chairman. "Chris McGurk is obviously one of those unique individuals. He has been a driving force of the entertainment industry's major new developments of the past two decades. That kind of innovative thinking is perfectly in sync with IDT Entertainment's 'outside the box' philosophy and we're thrilled to have him on board." "IDT Entertainment has assembled an impressive executive team and has acquired a group of core entertainment assets that bodes well for the future," says Mr. McGurk. "I very much look forward to helping the company build from that outstanding base. Our goal, in both the content and distribution arenas, is to become a fully integrated media company uniquely positioned for ongoing success in the digital age." "Chris McGurk is one of the most gifted and accomplished executives in the entertainment industry," says IDT Entertainment CEO Morris Berger. "In essence, he will act as our own 'entrepreneur-in-residence.' He's a tremendous addition to our roster of esteemed industry executives and we're thrilled that he will bring his business vision, comprehensive knowledge, and peerless contacts to IDT Entertainment. With his arrival and the business lines he will pursue we are poised to become a more complete studio." As Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. of MGM from 1999 to Spring of 2005, Mr. McGurk had responsibility for all corporate functions and operating divisions of the company including the studio's film and television production and distribution units, all global home entertainment, consumer products merchandising, music, networks and interactive groups, and all financial, legal and human resources functions. Among the films under Mr. McGurk's guidance while heading MGM were Hannibal, Legally Blonde, The World Is Not Enough, the Barbershop franchise and Die Another Day, the most successful Bond release ever. The Academy Award(TM) winners No Man's Land and Bowling for Columbine columbine, in botany columbine (kŏl`əmbīn), any plant of the genus Aquilegia, temperate-zone perennials of the family Ranunculaceae (buttercup family), popular both as wildflowers and as garden flowers. were developed and produced under his auspices and he guided the development of Hotel Rwanda, which was nominated for three Academy Awards. Capote, nominated for five Academy Awards and this year's winner for "Outstanding Lead Actor," was developed and produced during Mr. McGurk's tenure. Mr. McGurk was President and Chief Operating Officer at Universal from late 1996 to 1999. He was responsible for all operating and planning activities for the Motion Picture Group, as well as all international operations, worldwide home entertainment, exhibition (UCI UCI University of California, Irvine UCI Union Cycliste Internationale (International Cycling Union) UCI Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos UCI United Cinemas International (UK) and Loew's Cineplex), October Films and Polygram Filmed Entertainment. Prior to his tenure at Universal, Mr. McGurk spent eight years at The Walt Disney Studios The name Walt Disney Studios may refer to:
Before Disney, Mr. McGurk held key posts in finance, sales, marketing and planning at Pepsico, Inc. before advancing to Chief Financial Officer of Pepsi Cola East. Mr. McGurk is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and serves on its Executive Branch Committee and is also a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He serves on numerous industry-related and charitable organizations. Mr. McGurk and his wife Jamie received the H.E.L.P. Group's "Spirit of Hope Award" in 2002 and its "Leader of Vision" award in 2003. Mr. McGurk holds a B.S. degree, summa cum laude sum·ma cum lau·de adv. & adj. With the greatest honor. Used to express the highest academic distinction: graduated summa cum laude; a summa cum laude graduate. , from the Syracuse University School of Management and a M.B.A. degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Recruiters also voice a strongly positive opinion of students. According to BusinessWeek's biannual MBA rankings: "Chicago's grads were hands-down favorites in our survey of companies that hire MBAs. . Mr. McGurk will be based in IDT Entertainment's new West Coast headquarters in Burbank. IDT Entertainment is a vertically integrated entertainment company that develops, produces, and distributes proprietary and licensed entertainment content. Its first CG animated feature film, Everyone's Hero, with a voice cast led by Whoopi Goldberg, Rob Reiner, Brian Dennehy, William H. Macy, Raven Symone, and Mandy Patinkin, will premiere on September 15 through its multi-picture distribution deal with Twentieth Century Fox. Important Note: In this press release, all statements that are not purely about historical facts, including, but not limited to, those with the words "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "intend," "estimate, "target" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995. While these forward-looking statements represent IDT's current judgment of what may happen in the future, actual results may differ materially from the results expressed or implied by these statements due to numerous important factors, including, but not limited to, those described in IDT's most recent report on SEC Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. (under the heading "Management's Discussion and Analysis Management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) A report from management to shareholders that accompanies the firm's financial statements in the annual report. It explains the period's financial results and enables management to discuss topics that may not be apparent in the financial of Financial Condition and Results of Operations"), which may be revised or supplemented in subsequent reports on SEC Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings IDT may make with the SEC. |
|
||||||||||||||||

Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion