Newsmakers. (People).

Advertising & P.R.

Nan Vaughn Paturzo, Judy Thomas, Terri Foy Gray, Kate Heydlauff Kirkman, Belinda Sue and Matt Bouyea have joined Lunch Advertising in Santa Monica. Paturzo is associate media director. Thomas has been named director of national broadcast. Gray is the new director of local broadcast. Kirkman is serving as the media strategist. Both Sue and Bouyea are media planners. Also, Mark Tall has been named head of brand planning at Lunch. Tall was most recently employed by Ground Zero.

Jason Wonacott has been hired as a senior account executive at JMPR Public Relations in Woodland Hills. He is responsible for heading up the public relations efforts, including strategic council and media relations, for Carroll Shelby Licensing, Advanced Engine Technologies, 9-Lives Inc. and Qvale Automotive Group among others. Wonacott previously worked for the Bohle Company, a public relations firm in Los Angeles.

Architecture & Design

Joe Badawi has been promoted to project director at IA, a workplace solutions firm in Los Angeles. He specializes in the design of interior environments and is responsible for working with clients on a daily basis in addition to supervising the development of construction documents, programming, space planning, design review and presentation drawings. Most recently, Badawi was a senior project manager at the firm.

Entertainment

Jon Bergen has been named national director, sales for Gold Circle Music Label Group, a full-service music label in Los Angeles. Most recently, Bergen served as West Coast sales and marketing manager at Beyond Music in Los Angeles. Also, Alan Oreman has been named senior vice president of promotion. He will lead the promotions team, creating and executing radio campaigns for the company's roster of clients. Oreman previously served as vice president of promotion for Almo Sounds.

Jonathan Braun has been promoted 5 senior licensing director of Broadcast TV at Megatrax Music, a North Hollywood-based supplier of production music for film, television, Internet, advertising and multimedia clients. He will be responsible for licensing Megatrax music to all foreign territories not currently signed under existing agreements in addition to expanding the company's outreach into government and corporate accounts. Braun previously was involved in marketing and trade show operations. Cassidy Richey has been promoted from sales administrator to account executive. She is responsible for licensing Megatrax music to post-production companies, advertising agencies and corporate clients. Also, Chuck Hamshaw has been hired as an account executive, responsible for licensing company music to radio stations, video game developers and streaming media companies. Previously, Hamshaw was a tourmg musician and regular outside composer.

Gary Kurtz has been named executive vice president, development at Global Media Television, a developer/distributor of original television programming in Los Angeles. He will be responsible for overseeing all drama program development on behalf of the company with United States-based producers and broadcast outlets. Kurtz was most recently executive vice president for Los Angeles-based Associated Television International.

Sara Rose has been promoted to senior vice president, production and acquisitions at United Artists, the specialty films unit of MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Inc. in Santa Monica. Rose previously served as vice president, production acquisitions. Dennis O'Connor has been appointed vice president, marketing at United Artists. He was most recently vice president of theatrical distribution at Universal Focus, the specialty film division of Universal Pictures.

Greg Schenz has joined the Los Angeles office of Intermedia, an entertainment investment company, as vice president, business and legal affairs. Schenz most recently served as an associate at Loeb & Loeb LLP, where his practice focused on development, production, finance and distribution in the motion picture and television production industry.

Government

Lisa B. Lench, Luis A. Lavin, Joe W. Hilberman, Michael L. Stern and Anne H. Egerton have been appointed as judges of the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Lench serves as deputy chief of the narcotics section of the United States Attorney's office, where she has worked since 1991. Lavin is director of enforcement and general counsel for the Los Angeles City ethics commission. Hilberman is a civil litigator with the firm Fonda, Hilberman & Fraser, which he founded in 1996. Stern, also a litigator, has his own practice in Los Angeles, and focuses on federal and state civil litigation. Egerton is the former senior vice president and general counsel, West Coast, for NBC. All the appointments were made by Gov. Gray Davis and all but Lench's spot come as a result of retirements.

Health Care

Michael Mayers has been named director of public and government affairs at SCAN, a Long Beach-based health plan that focuses on providing personal care and health services exclusively to older adults. He will oversee the company's legislative lobbying activities in Sacramento and Washington D.C. Prior to joining SCAN, Mayers was assistant director of congressional affairs for the American Osteopathic Association.

Hospitality

Glenn Bishop has been appointed general manager of the Portofino Hotel & Yacht Club in Redondo Beach. He previously served as western regional director of engineering for parent company, Noble House Hotels and Resorts. Jeannene Glenn has been promoted to director of sales and marketing. She was most recently director of sales.

Julia A. Stewart has been appointed president and chief operating officer and a member of the board at IHOP Corp., the owner, operator and franchisor of International House of Pancakes in Glendale. Stewart was most recently president, domestic division, for Applebee's International where she was responsible for the domestic operations of the restaurant chain.

John Thacker has taken on the duties of managing Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. Thacker is a regional vice president for the company and most recently served as managing director for the 790-room Loews Miami Beach Hotel in South Beach. Robert Blongiewicz has been hired as national sales manager to serve corporate business travelers west of the Mississippi. Most recently, he was a senior account manager for business travel at the St. Regis Los Angeles.

Law

Rex S. Heinke has joined the Los Angeles office of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP in Los Angeles. As a member of the firm's litigation group, he will lead Akin Gump's appellate and litigation strategy group. Heinke was formerly a partner at the appellate boutique Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP.

Media

Clark Bender has been named executive director of TMS Movie Products and Greg Baerg has been promoted to executive producer of Zap2it.com, both properties of Tribune Media Services. Bender will be responsible for day-to-day operations of TMS' movie information products, working with sales, technology and internal operations, as well as exhibitors. Most recently, Bender was executive producer for the movie section of Zap2it.com. Baerg will oversee all editorial content for Zap2it, including movies, TV and Internet events. Baerg was previously Zap2it's TV producer.

New Media

Richard R. Heitzmann has been named senior vice president of corporate development at US Search.com Inc., an Internet-based provider of information and risk management services in Los Angeles. He will initially focus on the identification of acquisition targets. Heitzmann was previously a vice president at Pequot Ventures.

Retail

George Frahm has been promoted to senior vice president of administration at Stater Bros. Markets in Colton. He is responsible for overseeing the operations of the company's personnel, training, labor relations, insurance, workers' compensation and support services departments. Frahm most recently served as vice president of labor relations. Don Baker has been promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer at Stater Bros. Baker is an 18-year veteran of the company and most recently served as executive vice president.