Al Ovadia VP @ Sony Pictures Consumer Products.

Veteran marketing, promotions and licensing executive Al Ovadia has been named Executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Consumer Products, it was announced today by Len Grossi, President of Columbia TriStar Television (CTT).

The appointment makes Mr. Ovadia the top-ranking executive for the division of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) that supervises film and television licensing and merchandising, along with worldwide licensed television promotions.

Mr. Ovadia will report to Mr. Grossi, who oversees various areas for SPE, including Sony Pictures Consumer Products, which was recently added to his scope of responsibilities; CTT Network Television, led by President Tom Mazza; Sony Pictures Family Entertainment Group, led by President Sander Schwartz; the Game Show Network, led by President Michael Fleming; and SPE’s Telemundo investment, led by CEO James McNamara. Mr. Grossi also oversees SPE’s game show franchises, “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”; its two No. 1 daytime dramas, “The Young and the Restless” and “Days of Our Lives”; and the Company’s relationships with Brillstein-Gray Television and Artists Television Group.

Under Mr. Ovadia’s supervision, Sony Pictures Consumer Products will continue to oversee licensing and merchandising for all existing and upcoming SPE film and TV properties, including the recent hit film “Charlie’s Angels,” the planned sequels for “Stuart Little” and “Men in Black,” and upcoming projects including the highly anticipated “Spiderman.” In addition, Mr. Ovadia will manage licensing and promotional tie-ins for such TV fare as “Dawson’s Creek,” “Wheel of Fortune,” “Jeopardy!,” and licensing for “Max Steel,” “Jackie Chan Adventures,” and a number of high-profile film and TV projects in development.

Mr. Ovadia comes to SPE from Mediacentrix, Inc., a Web-based syndication company which he co-founded and served as Executive Vice President with responsibility for the Company’s revenue-producing units, including advertising sales, sponsorships and E-commerce partnerships. He also oversaw creative development and execution of all Web content, and managed relationships with film, music and television content providers.

“It’s a delight to be reuniting with Al, who I hired at Fox to manage the company’s merchandising, licensing and national promotions operations,” Mr. Grossi said. “Al’s long success in marketing and promotions, combined with his excellent domestic and international relationships with brand-name packaged goods companies and consumer products manufacturers, makes him the ideal choice to grow our consumer products business.”

“While I have thoroughly enjoyed the entrepreneurial aspects of launching a Web-based business from scratch, I have really missed the studio environment,” Mr. Ovadia said. “I am thrilled to be back in licensing and a part of the fabulous team at Sony Pictures Entertainment, many of whom I had the pleasure of working with at Fox. I am most excited to be working again with Len Grossi, as it was Len who introduced me to this business. SPE is uniquely positioned with a number of highly successful franchise properties in both the film and television arenas as well as an impressive slate of projects in the pipeline.”

Mr. Ovadia’s appointment is effective immediately. He takes over for Peter Dang, who is leaving to explore other career alternatives.

Before joining Mediacentrix in May 1999, Mr. Ovadia was EVP of Worldwide Promotions for Equity Marketing, Inc., a full-service marketing company whose clients included such top international companies as Burger King, Coca-Cola and Shell Oil. Mr. Ovadia also served as President of News America FSI, the nation’s largest newspaper insert company, working with a number of top U.S. packaged goods companies, including Kraft Foods, General Mills, P&G, Nabisco, Mott’s, Dole and many others.

From 1988 to 1995, Mr. Ovadia headed Licensing & Merchandising for Twentieth Century Fox, where he oversaw worldwide licensing, promotions and product placement for all of the studio’s film, video and television properties, including the long-running hit series “The Simpsons.” During his tenure, “The Simpsons” generated over 1,200 worldwide license agreements and 150 promotional tie-ins with global clients including Burger King, Holiday Inns, Pepsi, Japan Airlines, Pizza Hut and Sabritas. While at Fox, Mr. Ovadia worked on a number of other successful properties, including “Aliens,” “Predator,” “The Tick,” “The X-Files,” “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2,” “Independence Day,” and “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie.” He also spearheaded cross-News Corp. synergy efforts for selected films such as “The Pagemaster” and “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie,” and launched Fox Interactive, the company’s in-house video game unit.

Mr. Ovadia began his career with NBC Television, where he held a number of senior management positions leading to a four-year term as Vice President of Network Creative Services. He was responsible for national publicity and promotion, and affiliate creative services for news and entertainment programming, including publicity launches for such hits as “Miami Vice,” “Cheers,” “Hill Street Blues” and “The Cosby Show.”

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