NEWSMAKERS
Accounting
KPMG LLP, a tax and advisory firm, has elected the following people to its Los Angeles partnership: Hidehito Kanai, Mitchell Nadler, Anthony M. Sepci and Richard L. Zimmerer. All were previously senior managers.
Christos Poulios has joined the Los Angeles office of Moss Adams LLP as a senior manager. Poulios was previously a manager with Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Los Angeles.
Advertising
Spot Runner, an Internet-based advertising agency with headquarters in Los Angeles, has appointed Robert Pittman to its board. Pittman is a founding member of the Pilot Group, an investment group.
Architecture
Will Longyear has joined Killefer Flammang Architects as an associate. Longyear was formerly senior associate at Los Angeles-based CO Architects.
Banking & Finance
Beverly Hills Bancorp Inc. has appointed Craig Kolasinski as executive vice president of business development of its bank subsidiary, First Bank of Beverly Hills. Also, Eric Rosa was named executive vice president and chief lending officer to FBBH. Kolasinski was executive vice president with the company; Rosa was formerly chief lending officer of Chinatrust Bank.
Construction
General contractor PCL Construction Services announced the following promotions at its Glendale facility: Dave Yount to operations manager, Mark Josten to senior construction manager, and Jeff Miller to construction manager. Yount was recently senior district construction manager; Josten was construction manager; and Miller was senior project manager.
Entertainment
The Geffen Playhouse has appointed Regina Miller as director of development. Miller was recently director of partnerships for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles.
Sonic Pool, a post-production studio in Hollywood, has hired Jason Yanuzzi as an online editor. Yanuzzi recently served as a video editor with CNBC-TV.
Todd-AO Studios, an audio post-production studio based in Hollywood, has hired Gary Summers as a re-recording mixer. Summers was previously an independent re-recording mixer.
Government
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed Gene Hale to the Governor’s Small Business Board. Hale is president of G & C; Equipment Corp., Gence Corp., G & C; Service and Supply Corp. and G & C; Corp. Las Vegas.
Health Care
City of Hope in Duarte has appointed Arti Hurria as director of the aging and cancer research program in the division of medical oncology and therapeutics research, and as assistant professor in the division of population sciences. Hurria was previously assistant member of breast cancer medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Law
Alicia Villarreal has been hired as a partner in the litigation practice of the Los Angeles office of Morgan Lewis, effective Jan. 2, 2007. Villarreal is currently senior litigation counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, a national law firm, has hired Robert Layton as a partner at its Los Angeles office. Layton was formerly a partner with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP.
Media
Allie Carsia has been named director of marketing for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel in the company’s Los Angeles office. Carsia was previously a regional sales manager with Reed Television Group.
ReelzChannel, a television network featuring programming about movies, has named David Anderson vice president of human resources. Anderson formerly served as vice president of global human resources for SDI Media.
Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. has promoted Ian Birch to executive vice president and chief content officer. Birch continues in his position as editor-in-chief for TV Guide Magazine.
Lynnette M. Canedy has joined La Opinion, a Spanish-language newspaper, as classified advertising director. Canedy recently served as automotive sales manager and director of key accounts of the retail division for the Orange County Register.
Non-Profit
The United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit organization promoting trade, investment and joint ventures between the two countries, has re-elected Letvia Arza-Goderich as president of the California regional chapter and appointed Scott Preston as secretary-treasurer. Arza-Goderich is an associate with Greenberg Traurig and Preston is a shareholder with the firm.
United Friends of the Children, a private non-profit organization servicing emancipated foster youth in Los Angeles, has appointed William D. Temko as chairman. Temko is currently a partner at Munger Tolles & Olson LLP.
Manuel Loya has been named president and chief executive for the Arthritis Foundation Southern California Chapter, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with arthritis. Loya had served as interim president since 2005.
Personnel
Amy Zimmerman & Associates, a provider of temporary and permanent administrative and account staff, has promoted Danielle Barnes to manager of the temporary division at its Manhattan Beach office. Barnes was an office coordinator.
Real Estate
Cushman & Wakefield has promoted Mark Capasso to managing director of valuation services at its Los Angeles office. Capasso was a director.
California Landmark, a development and investment company based in Westwood, has hired Tim Meier as director of development. Previously, Meier was director of development with MJW Investments.
Angela Choi has joined Westside Retail, a commercial real estate firm based in Brentwood, as an associate. Choi was previously an associate with the Piken Co.
KUDOS
Mayflower Transit honored American Relocation & Logistics Inc. in Santa Fe Springs and Whittier Transfer & Storage Co. for exceptional professional performance. The companies are Mayflower agents. American Relocation & Logistic also received a Hauling Achievement Award from the van line’s annual awards program.
The following people and businesses were winners of the 2006 West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Business Awards: BIN 8945 Wine Bar and Bistro received the Restaurant Award; Michael Spencer received the Travel/Tourism Award; photographer Joel H. Mark received the Art/Design Award; LeDerma received the Retail/Service Award; Steve Afriat of the Afriat Consulting Group received the Civic/Community Service Award; Wells Fargo received the Financial Services Award; Todd Gurvis of Trilogy Financial Services received the Ambassador of the Year Award; and Christopher V. Bonbright, chief executive of Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services, received the Thomas Crail Lifetime Achievement Award.
The following L.A. attorneys were named on Worth Magazine’s list of Top 100 attorneys serving affluent individuals: Leah Bishop of Loeb & Loeb in Los Angeles; Andrew Katzenstein of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in Los Angeles; Alexis Neely of Martin Neely & Associates in Redondo Beach and Bruce S. Ross of Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps in Los Angeles.
RPA received the Yahoo Big Idea Chair a large purple chair at the Yahoo Creative Conference in Los Angeles. RPA received the award in recognition of its Honda Element campaign, which included “Element and Friends” Island, a Web site where visitors could drive the vehicle around a digital island and interact with animals such as a crab and a platypus that had common traits with the Element. RPA is a Santa Monica advertising agency specializing in Web development and marketing strategies.
DONATIONS
Bram and Elaine Goldsmith donated $5 million to the future Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. A 500-seat theater, the Goldsmith Theater, will be named in their honor. Bram Goldsmith is chairman of City National Corp. and Elaine Goldsmith is on the board of Otis College Art and Design.
