“MSG ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES MANAGEMENT REORGANIZATION TO SUPPORT UNPRECEDENTED DIVISIONAL GROWTH”
New York, NY (MSG entertainment) July 17, 2008 – Jay Marciano, president of MSG Entertainment (MSGE), today announced that MSGE has reorganized its operations and expanded its executive roster to include several highly respected entertainment veterans, in order to continue to drive the organization’s significant growth strategy and further develop MSGE’s brand.
MSG Entertainment is in the midst of a significant expansion of its core business, including maximizing the performance of its existing properties and growing its presence outside of the New York metro area. Over the past 18 months, MSGE’s growth and expansion has included enhanced productions, acquisitions and new initiatives designed to grow MSGE’s brand in the live entertainment industry nationwide. The division has increased bookings and productions for a variety of concerts and special events, across all its venues both in and out of New York, and will continue to develop and partner on new entertainment properties in the future.
“MSG Entertainment has become one of the nation’s premiere live entertainment companies boasting an unrivaled set of assets including our historic venues and unique live entertainment properties – and we are in a period of unprecedented growth,” said Mr. Marciano. “As we continue to aggressively grow our core brands and expand our businesses beyond our traditional boundaries, it is imperative that we have the most experienced and knowledgeable leadership team in place. These changes provide us with much greater depth and expertise, which will pay dividends as we seek to further expand our reach and influence in live entertainment across the country.”
MSGE’s newly expanded executive team will lend targeted expertise to several areas of the company including bookings, business development and strategic planning.
In her new role as Chief Operating Officer, Melissa Ormond will manage all areas of business under the MSGE division, including the Bookings and Productions divisions. Ms. Ormond will work closely with Jay Marciano and the newly appointed Executive Vice President of MSGE, Andrea Greenberg, to identify opportunities for growth in bookings, productions and partnerships for MSGE, as well as partner with all areas of the company to maximize revenues and develop sales, marketing and promotional platforms to leverage all of MSGE’s initiatives. Prior to this promotion, Ms. Ormond served as EVP, Bookings of MSGE since joining company in 2005 overseeing all aspects of MSGE’s bookings department, including for some of the industry’s perennially top ranked venues, the MSG Arena, the Wamu Theatre at MSG, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre and the Chicago Theatre. Ms. Ormond’s career in the concert industry spans 20 years, and prior to coming to MSGE was at Universal/House of Blues where she won Talent buyer of the year five times.
“Few can compare with MSG Entertainment’s marquee venues and unparalleled success in the world of entertainment,” said Ms. Ormond. “I’m committed to helping Jay lead this team as we continue to build the business in new and innovative ways and look forward to creating new opportunities that will solidify MSGE’s role as the leader in live entertainment.”
Andrea Greenberg comes to MSG Entertainment as a next step of a 25 year career with various properties within Cablevision, where she was one of the highest-ranking women executives in sports television. In her new role as MSGE’s Executive Vice President, Ms. Greenberg will be responsible for new business development activities. In addition, she will play a critical role in formulating the division’s strategic plan, including identifying and creating business alliances, partnerships and capital investments. Ms. Greenberg’s career started at Cablevision in 1983 she grew to become one of the most respected executives in the industry. Most recently, Ms. Greenberg served as president, Rainbow Media Ventures, where she oversaw the strategic development, management and operation of Rainbow Sports Networks; Rainbow Media’s original On Demand networks LIFESKOOL and SPORTSKOOL; and PVI Virtual Media Services.
As Senior Vice President, Business Development, Don Simpson is responsible for the evaluation, planning and development of new venue acquisitions and off-site, stand-alone music events. In this role, Mr. Simpson will oversee and manage the business plans and marketing launches for new venues, as well as help formulate ongoing programming in conjunction with the Marketing and Booking departments. Mr. Simpson held various positions while at House of Blues Concerts Canada, formerly Universal Concerts Canada/MCA Concerts Canada, and most recently was president, where he opened The Molson Amphitheatre, which was the only Amphitheatre in Canada, as well as renovated and reopened the 75-year old Commodore Ballroom, one of Canada’s most iconic venues, located in Vancouver.
In his role as Senior Vice President, Business & Strategic Planning, Lee Weinberg will play a key role in analyzing the strategic development, operations and financial plans for all new divisional initiatives as well as existing businesses. Working closely with each area, he will be responsible for measuring strategic results against key financial metrics and identifying opportunities for revenue growth and operating efficiencies. Mr. Weinberg came to MSGE by way of The Wall Street Journal where he was the Vice President of Strategy and Operations for advertising sales. In this role, he was responsible for driving revenue growth, business development, and operational improvements across The Journal’s print and online properties, domestically and internationally.
In his role as Senior Vice President, Regional Bookings and Special Projects, Bob Shea will oversee bookings and operations of all concerts, family attractions, touring theatricals, and special events outside of New York, including the newly acquired Chicago Theatre. Mr. Shea will seek to use MSGE’s current assets in an effort to establish a presence outside of the New York metro area and creating non-touring musical content unique to all MSGE venues. A music industry veteran with more than 25 years experience, Mr. Shea most recently served as a Senior Vice President of Booking in the Live Nation Southern California office and prior to that as Senior Vice President of House of Blues Concerts, his primary booking responsibility being the company’s venues in Los Angeles, San Diego and Cleveland. Bob Shea is a three-time nominee and 2005 winner of Pollstar’s Talent Buyer of the Year.
Last year, MSGE debuted the critically acclaimed 75th celebration of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the world-famous Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, which was showcased for the first time on NBC during a one-hour special, produced by legendary television producer, Don Hewitt. In addition, the company recently added the Chicago Theatre to its venerable roster of venues, expanding its presence nationally. MSGE recently announced the Radio City Christmas Spectacular Arena tour, which will travel to 18 cities across the country this holiday season, as well as a multi-year partnership with Cirque du Soleil to present Cirque’s first-ever family show, Wintuk, designed specifically for MSG’s Wamu Theatre.
MSG Entertainment
Madison Square Garden, L.P. is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation, and includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, as well as the legendary Chicago Theatre, and which manages wholly-owned live entertainment properties including the Radio City Rockettes and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; MSG Media, which is comprised of MSG and MSG Plus; Fuse, the music television network; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area. Additional information about MSG Entertainment is available on the Web at www.thegarden.com and www.radiocity.com.
