MCA/Universal Adds Executive VP Post
M. Kairey has been named to the new post of executive vice president of MCA/Universal Home Video. Kairey is responsible for all aspects of the home video operation and will be reporting to Louis Feola, president of MCA/Universal Home Video. Kairey has been in the video industry for 15 years, and joined MCA/Universal in 1988 as vice president of advertising and promotion. He moved up to vice president of marketing in 1990, and became senior vice president of marketing and sales in 1992. In other news at MCA, Patti Jackson has been named vice president of programming for MCA Home Entertainment, reporting to Suzie Peterson, senior vice president of creative affairs for MCA/Universal Family Entertainment, Universal Cartoon Studios and MCA Home Entertainment Group. Jackson was director of programming. Jackson succeeds Peterson, who was named to her new position several months ago.
EDT Reorganizes Management
HOUSTON -- ETD Entertainment Distributing here has reorganized its upper management team, naming Ron Eisenberg, its former president and chief executive officer, as chairman and chief executive officer.
Eisenberg, who previously had day-to-day responsibilities for all operating aspects of the company, now focuses on new product opportunities, acquisitions and overall company strategy. The company's annual volume is $1.5 billion. It is the largest video distributor in the nation, serving Blockbuster Entertainment, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and many supermarket accounts, Eisenberg said.
David Streusand, who has been ETD's chief financial officer for 14 years, was named president and chief operating officer of the company. ETD has not yet named a new chief financial officer.
In other changes, Jim Pollan, formerly senior vice president, has been named executive vice president of the ETD Video division, a new position. Additionally, Dennis Crowley, former vice president of the company's Eastern division, and Bill Kidd, former vice president of the Western division, were both given the title of executive vice president at the ETD Magazines & Books division. Both are new positions.
Rentrak Names New Officer
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Carolyn Pihl has joined Rentrak Corp. as chief accounting officer, reporting to F. Kim Cox, executive vice president. Pihl comes to Rentrak from the Portland office of Arthur Anderson, where she held the title of senior manager of the Audit and Business Advisory Group. Pihl replaces Karl D. Wetzel, who has been reassigned to the company's Blowout Entertainment division, where he reports to Steve Berns, president. Rentrak is in the process of divesting, at least in part, its interest in Blowout, which operates leased space video rental departments in supermarkets and supercenters.
Turner Taps Account Manager
ATLANTA -- Turner Home Entertainment has named Suzette Schafer national account manager for sell-through sales. She will be responsible for specific account sales, including those to Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Price-Costco. In this newly created position, she will report to Patrick Connor, director of national accounts.
