NEWSMAKERS
Fox Executive Moves to Smaller House
Maureen Smith said it wasn’t tough to leave a job atop one of the nation’s most watched cable television stations for a small production house without any shows airing the United States.
Smith, the former president of Fox Family Channel (now ABC Family) and Fox Kids Network, is now a partner with Studio City-based TLC Entertainment. (The company has no connection with cable’s The Learning Channel.)
“My experience at Fox had been so entrepreneurial. Even though the companies were very large, we felt like a small operation,” Smith said. “I was looking for something that I could build again.”
The boutique production house founded 15 years ago by Rob Loos and George Taweel has focused on family entertainment, creating “The New Captain Kangaroo” and “McGee and Me!” for cable channels like Fox Family. TLC has also produced holiday specials and has become a leading producer of Christian-themed specials. This year, the company has been working on a five-part video series titled “The Kids 10 Commandments” for release next spring.
At TLC, Smith said she would oversee the drive to acquire new properties to be produced by the company and to manage development of those properties across different media platforms. Although some shows will be produced with television in mind, others will be made specifically for the home entertainment market and will be released on videocassette and DVD.
Smith, 38, who is married and has two children, began her media career in 1986 as one of the original Fox Broadcasting employees.
After Fox Family was sold to Walt Disney Co. earlier this year, Smith stayed on for six months before leaving and joining TLC.
“I’m going to take some of the wonderful things I learned working with Rupert Murdoch, Peter Chernin and Haim Saban and bring them to TLC,” Smith said.
Darrell Satzman
Education
Bill Garcia, vice president of business development for Los Angeles-based M Squared Inc., has been named a member of the board of the Cypress College Foundation. He will be creating partnerships with the business community to help advance the work of the foundation and raise funds.
Entertainment
Chris Petrikin has joined the William Morris Agency as senior vice president, corporate communications and will be responsible for overseeing media relations and public affairs for the company’s worldwide operations. He joins WMA from the Writers Guild of America, west, where he served as executive editor, publications.
Finance
Neil D. Berlant has joined the Los Angeles-based Seidler Cos. Inc., an investment bank, as first vice president and managing director of Water Group, a newly established practice focused on the water industry. Berlant, founder of Water Research Associates, previously had senior positions at Wells Fargo Investments and UBS PaineWebber.
Preferred Income Fund Inc./Preferred Income Opportunity Fund Inc. has announced election of a new director and the promotion of several present officers. Donald F. Crumrine has been named chairman and chief executive of the funds. Robert M. Ettinger is the new president and secretary as well as a member of the board. Peter C. Stimes, the fund’s vice president and treasurer, has been named chief financial officer and chief accounting officer.
Carl W. Raggio has been named president and chief executive of DataTech Management Inc., a Gardena firm providing back office services to the banking industry. He was previously chief operating officer at Ventura County Bank.
Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt LLP have added Douglas J. Nakakihara as senior manager in the accounting firm’s business consulting practice based in Long Beach. Nakakihara will focus on financial and technology consulting. He has served as assistant controller of Sunkist Growers Inc.
Health Care
Hawthorne-based Osteometer MediTech Inc. announced that Ron Novak was appointed national sales manager for North America. He had been vice president of sales and marketing with Desert Medical Corp. Osteometer develops and manufactures diagnostic tools such as bone scanners targeted at diseases such as osteoporosis.
Hauser Inc., a Long Beach-based supplier of herbal extracts and nutritional supplements, has announced that Anthony F. Del Vicario has been named vice president of new products and business development. Del Vicario was most recently vice president of strategy for Geneva Pharmaceuticals, the generic drug subsidiary of Novartis.
Hospitality
Chuck Rink has been promoted to chief operating officer of Acapulco/El Torito Restaurants. Rink, who had been executive vice president of operations with El Torito, had been with the division since 1983. Acapulco Restaurants bought the chain in 2000.
Lana Dubovik has been appointed to the new position of area director of sales and revenue management for the KOR Hotel Group, owner of the Avalon Hotel and Maison 140 in Beverly Hills and Viceroy in Santa Monica. Dubovik has been director of corporate sales at the Renaissance Hollywood hotel.
Law
Monica Bachner, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Deborah L. Christian, a Superior Court commissioner, and Dennis J. Landin, a chief deputy federal public defender, have been appointed judges of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Kimberly A. Rible has joined Gaines & Stacey LLP as an associate. Her practice will focus on land use, zoning and environmental law. Rible is a recent graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law and a graduate of St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.
Manufacturing
Drew Baker has been promoted to vice president of marketing and repair development for Bearing Inspection Inc., a Los Alamitos-based turbine repair firm. Prior to the promotion, Baker had been director of quality and engineering.
Marketing
Troika Design Group, a Hollywood design and production company that specializes in the creation of network identities and show packaging, has named Reid Thompson as senior designer. He will be working on an E Entertainment Television rebranding project. Thompson was a broadcast designer at Pittard Sullivan.
Non-Profit
Steven E. Price has been named vice president of advancement at the Jewish Community Foundation, a charitable gift-planning agency. Price will focus on the Foundation’s efforts to build and administer endowments for synagogues, social service agencies and other organizations in the Jewish community. He previously served in senior business affairs and new venture roles at Mattel.
Real Estate
Scott Heaton has joined Insignia/ESG as senior managing director, based in the Commerce/Mid-Cities submarket. Heaton joined Insignia/ESG from Colliers-Seeley, where he had been senior vice president in its Commerce office.
Urban Pacific Builders of Long Beach has named Dana A. Yogel and Marni J. Stirling project manager and associate project manager, respectively. Yogel had been president of Max Development in Long Beach, a project management firm. Stirling had been a sales representative with Dispensing Solutions Inc.
Menemsha Cos. of El Segundo, a construction services firm, has named Tommaso Latini senior vice president of business development. He most recently was president of Fisher Development in San Francisco.
Technology
Don Yarter has been named vice president of business development and Griselle Colon vice president of marketing at eConnect. Yarter, a founding partner of Vincere Consulting Group, will focus on securing strategic partners for eConnect, while Colon will oversee its marketing activities. She had previously been an executive at La Agencia de Orci.
CarsDirect.com has appointed Keri Fox and Lori Kuhn advertising sales account executives. Fox, serving the Eastern region, joined the firm from L90. Kuhn will serve as account executive for the Western region and joined the firm from Salon Media Group.
Electronic Clearing House Inc. announced the appointment of Carl R. Terzian, chairman of Carl Terzian Associates, a public relations firm in Los Angeles, to its board. ECH contracts with businesses, banks and collection agencies for debit and credit card processing, check guarantee, check verification.
Michael J. Veitch has been named chief marketing officer of Youbet.com Inc., an online live event and wagering company. Veitch will lead all marketing, sales and member services divisions. Prior to joining Youbet, Veitch served as chief executive of Access Media.
Christopher J. Magee has joined EPolicy Solutions Inc. as senior vice president of sales. Torrance-based Epolicy provides Web-based help for insurance companies, agents and brokers to improve efficiency. He most recently was chief executive officer and president of AMS Services.
Thomas E. Everhart has joined the board of Acorn Technologies, a Los Angeles firm that assists companies and academic and research institutions in commercializing technology. Everhart currently serves on the board of Raytheon Corp. and has served on the boards of General Motors and Hewlett-Packard.
Dr. Ivan C.A. Walks is the senior medical advisor for Canoga Park-based E Team, a company which provides software to public agencies and corporations for use in emergency response management, building security and disaster preparedness. Walks is the former health officer for the District of Columbia.
Wholesale
John Murray has been named president and chief executive of the Southern California Regional Purchasing Councils Inc. Murray is a former manager of business development for Affiliated Computer Services and commissioner at the Los Angeles Board of Public Works.
