NEWSMAKERS

Fox Executive to Mend Gemstar Fences

Ray Hopkins is yet another Fox executive charged with cleaning up the Gemstar mess.

The new executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing at Gemstar-TV Guide International, Hopkins has joined former Fox Cable colleague Jeff Shell, Gemstar’s new chief executive, following the ouster of founding chief executive Henry Yuen.

Hopkins, who has been senior vice president of affiliate sales and marketing for Fox Cable Networks, will be responsible for managing Gemstar’s relations with U.S. cable and satellite providers. The company distributes interactive programming guide technology and publishes TV Guide.

Gemstar was a Wall Street favorite just two years ago but its stock value has plunged 96 percent since then, plagued by questionable accounting practices and court rulings against its patents for on-screen TV programming guides.

“I’m going to be in charge of distribution deals, especially for the interactive programming guide,” said Hopkins, who will be based at Gemstar’s Pasadena headquarters.

News Corp., Fox’s parent company, has a 42 percent stake in Gemstar.

One of Hopkins first priorities, he said, is building new relationships with the nation’s cable television operators, which were alienated by Yuen’s bullying approach in selling Gemstar’s interactive programming guide.

Hopkins also must hammer out a deal with Time Warner Cable, the nation’s No. 2 operator, as a first step toward bolstering distribution numbers for Gemstar’s programming guide.

Gemstar has existing deals with AT & T; Broadband and Comcast Corp., the nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 cable operators, respectively, which are scheduled to merge in November.

Hopkins, a New Jersey native, received his bachelor of arts in political science from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa., in 1987.

He and his wife live in Manhattan Beach and they are expecting their first child.

Conor Dougherty

Accounting & Consulting

KPMG LLP announced that Maureen Ellen Fahey has been admitted to the partnership. Based in Los Angeles, Fahey provides assurance services to healthcare clients in the western region. She joined KPMG in June.

Aerospace & Defense

Defense Industries International Inc., a Los Angeles manufacturer of personal military and civilian protective equipment has hired John E. Krings as its lead U.S. defense industry consultant. He will be responsible for introducing the company to industry and government decision-makers. Krings had served as a corporate marketing director for McDonnell Douglas Corp. and was an assistant secretary of defense.

Architecture

Jeffrey A. Dreesman has joined RTKL, a designer and developer of hospitals and medical facilities in Los Angeles, as vice president in the company’s healthcare sector. He will oversee the company’s strategic facilities planning business, which includes market analysis, operations planning, facility planning and programming services. Dreesman previously was an associate and senior medical planner and healthcare architect at Perkins & Will in Santa Monica.

Banking & Finance

Mark A. Sampson has joined Vintage Capital Group LLC in Los Angeles. Sampson had been a principal and co-founder of Bison Capital prior to joining the firm.

Education

Steve Anker has been named dean of the CalArts School of Film and Video in Valencia. He previously served as director of the San Francisco Cinematheque and artistic director of the Foundation for Art in Cinema.

Entertainment

Kevin Belinkoff was promoted to vice president of programming, a newly created position, at the Game Show Network in Santa Monica. Belinkoff will be responsible for development and production and will continue to oversee issues related to scheduling, library acquisitions, stunt programming, all current series productions and will be the liaison to outside producers on creative matters.

Angel Rivera has been appointed national director of diversity and affirmative action at the Screen Actors Guild. He will oversee compliance and enforcement of all SAG non-discrimination contract provisions in addition to implementing programs to better monitor the hiring practices of SAG employers. Rivera was previously director of corporate global diversity at Foote, Cone and Belding.

Health Care

Paul Wafer has been appointed vice president of business development at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach. He previously was chief operating officer at LaPalma Intercommunity Hospital. St. Mary has also appointed Barry Heller chief of staff. Heller has been with St. Mary since 1981 and most recently served as vice chief of staff.

Insurance

Ronald S. Packouz has joined Marsh Risk & Insurance Services in Los Angeles. He is a managing director and will be responsible for client service and business development. Packouz has been with Marsh’s Portland office for 17 years and most recently served as sales manager and technology practice leader for the Northwest region.

Aaron Schmitz has been named account executive in the Torrance office of Dodge Warren & Peters, an insurance brokerage. He will consult and design commercial risk management solutions for new and current clients.

Law

David Allen has joined the corporate practice group at Allen Matkins Leck Gamble & Mallory LLP. He will represent clients in biotechnology, health care, finance and technology. Allen was previously with Latham & Watkins.

Foley & Lardner announced Richard W. (Jack) Lasater II has joined its Los Angeles office as a partner in the business law department. Lasater, who specializes in corporate and securities matters, including general business advice, mergers and acquisitions, financing and securities compliance, will be a member of the firm’s corporate, transactional and securities and real estate practice groups. Prior to joining Foley & Lardner, Lasater was a partner with Crosby, Heafy, Roach and May.

Media

Palisades Media Group announced the addition of senior media buyer Stephanie Bernardo to its Santa Monica office. Bernardo will be responsible for spot radio, television and cable media buys for PMG’s business department. Bernardo joined PMG from La Agencia De Orci & Asociados where she was the Hispanic market broadcast media buyer.

Panavision Inc., a Woodland Hills maker of video cameras, announced the appointment of Bobby G. Jenkins as executive vice president and chief financial officer. He succeeds Scott Seybold who has become executive vice president of business development. Jenkins previously was chief financial officer of Sunbeam Inc.

Natalie Cole has been named associate publisher at the LA Weekly. She previously served as director of sales development and general merchandise for the Los Angeles Times. LA Weekly has also appointed Snookie Stoddard as classified advertising director. Stoddard previously was recruitment manager for classified advertising at the Ventura County Star.

Non-Profits

Susan Shaw has been named director of business development for the Central City Association, a non-profit organization advocating the redevelopment of downtown Los Angeles. She will be responsible for member services and community relations, in addition to overseeing CCA events. Shaw most recently ran her own public relations firm.

Real Estate

Richard Davis has been appointed executive vice president at Colliers Seeley International, a real estate brokerage in Los Angeles. He will be a brokers’ advocate for the more than 140 professionals within Colliers Seeley’s 13 offices in Southern California. Davis previously was a managing director at Trammell Crow, where he was responsible for the overall financial performance and management of the firm’s regional operations.

Hoonie Kang has been promoted to project manager at Kearny Real Estate Co. in Los Angeles. He is responsible for assisting in the analysis and execution of acquisitions, asset management and dispositions of properties in the Southern California markets.

Gerald Porter has been re-elected vice chairman and a member of the executive committee of the board of CRESA Partners, a real estate advisory firm. Porter, who specializes in tenant representation and corporate real estate services, is a founding principal of CRESA.

Retail

Fandango Inc., a movie-ticketing company, has named Miyuki Kitamura vice president of marketing and product development. Based in Los Angeles, she is responsible for directing Fandango’s marketing, public relations and product development initiatives. Kitamura was previously a strategic market consultant for Evolution Robotics, an Idealab company.

Technology

Christopher A. Jensen has assumed the role of acting chief executive at eConnect, a developer of e-payment hardware and software in Los Angeles.

This follows the resignation of chief executive Thomas S. Hughes, who has no further role in the company’s management. Jensen has served as an adviser to eConnect and has been a contributor to the development of eCashPad, the company’s proprietary technology.

Michael R. Douglas has joined Homestore Inc. as executive vice president and general counsel. He assumed the position previously held by Walter Lowry, who had been Westlake Village-based Homestore’s general counsel since September 2001. Lowry will continue to serve the company as a consultant. Douglas served as senior vice president and general counsel at Fibreboard Corp. for ten years.

Memgen Corp., a manufacturer of semiconductor products in Burbank, has appointed Kang Sun vice president of business development. He will lead the company’s sales and strategic partnership efforts. Sun joined Memgen from FlexICs, a semiconductor technology start-up, where he was vice president of business development and marketing.