Management TeamJ. Mitchell Johnson, President, Chief Executive Officer and FounderA native Texan, J. Mitchell Johnson has been responsible for creating more than 100 hours of documentary programming which have been broadcast and sold worldwide, including Moses Pendleton Presents Moses Pendleton (for A&E) and Contest to Carnegie Hall (PBS documentary about the Van Cliburn Piano Competition). As a producer and director, he has won numerous top awards at film festivals across the United States. Most recently he produced and directed Yanks for Stalin for The History Channel, and was the originator and series producer of Abamedia's critically acclaimed Red Files, produced for prime-time PBS and distributed worldwide by Buena Vista Television and Home Video. Red Files won the year 2000 "Best Limited Series" award from the Los Angeles based International Documentary Association (IDA). Mr. Johnson's current film and television projects include World Without Waves (his first independent feature film), and a new television series entitled, Nikita Khrushchev & The Creation of a Superpower. He holds a Master's degree from University of Southern California's Cinema School, and has served as Chairman of the Media Panel for the Texas Committee for the Arts. He also serves on the board of The Russian-American Center, San Francisco, California. Steven Leibman, Advisor & Consultant, Creative AffairsMr. Leibman provides ongoing story development assistance and activates distribution/funding strategies for program development projects. Mr. Leibman, based in Los Angeles, was previously Vice President of a production company at Touchstone Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures. Mr. Leibman has also served as Director of Marketing and Communications for The Los Angeles Theatre Center and Connecticut's Hartford Ballet, as well as President of The Thinking Cap Company, the licensed movie merchandise firm that first tapped into the niche genre marketplace with properties including The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Trek. Gábor Beszterczey, Ph.D., Consultant, Russian Archives OnlineDr. Beszterczey is an international journalist and producer of over 200 documentaries and series programs for Hungarian and international television, most recently as the western correspondent for Hungarian TV Channel 1. Dr. Beszterczey was the producer/director for over half of the Fodor's films for JMJ, and served as international producer for Made in Russia and Yanks for Stalin. He has produced programs internationally for over 15 years, and is a valuable asset for contacts in the world TV market. Johnathan Sanders, Ph.D., Senior Editor, Russian Archives OnlineDr. Sanders is one of the West's leading experts on Russian film-based visual culture. Both still photogrpahy about which he has written two books, (Russia 1917: The Unpublished Revolution NY:Abbeville Press, 1989; and with Hedi Hollinger, The Russians Emerge NY:Abbeville Press, April 2002) and motion pictures and video materials. Sanders has worked extensively on documentary films, television news programs, and television specials. He spent a decade as a Moscow based CBS news correspondent. He is also a working still photographer, his pictures recently illustrated Richard Threlkeld's book Dispatches From the Former Evil Empire. Sanders served as Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. He is currently director of the project On the Russian Future as well as a consultant on international broadcasting and media matters. He is also currently working on a book with Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Foster Nelson, Acting Chief Financial OfficerFoster Nelson, a graduate of Texas A&M University and a Certified Public Accountant, spent the first five years of his career in public accounting with Arthur Young & Company. From 1970 until 1995 he held various financial and executive positions with various insurance subsidiaries of what is now Citigroup. From 1995 to December 1996, Mr. Nelson was EVP and CFO of Transport Holdings, Inc., a life and health insurance holding company that spun off from Travelers Group (now Citigroup) in 1995. Mr. Nelson has been an investor in and consultant to Abamedia since 1996. Bruce Maggin, Advisor, New MediaBruce Maggin has been in the forefront of creating a succession of new businesses that have increased consumer entertainment and information alternatives. During his career, he has held senior management positions in virtually every segment of the media and communications industries. Prior to forming The H.A.M. Media Group, Mr. Maggin headed the ABC Multimedia Group, one of the five divisions of ABC, Inc. In that role he was responsible for centralizing and expanding ABC's activities to address the impact of the digital world. Among the businesses created by the Multimedia Group were ventures that develop and produce content for interactive software, on-line and internet services, location based entertainment, and video-on-demand. Mr. Maggin was also responsible for the company's home video business as well as new media sales. He also spearheaded ABC's technology investments. He had previously been head of the Development/Operations unit of Capital Cities/ABC Video Enterprises where he oversaw all of the company's start-up and venture business activities. These included electronic data delivery technologies, interactive broadcast services, pay-per-view, and place based media. Mr. Maggin was also responsible for several international consultancies. Mr. Maggin joined ABC originally in 1970 as part of the company's corporate planning department. He left ABC to work as a merger and acquisition consultant for a major Wall Street bank and subsequently became Vice President of Ziff Corporation, the parent company of Ziff-Davis Publishing and Broadcasting. He returned to ABC in 1982. Mr. Maggin has been a member of the Board of Directors of several companies including cable networks, Lifetime and ESPN, and the software companies Creative Wonders and O.T. Sports. He is currently a Director of Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation (NYSE: PVH) and Control Commerce, as well as Chief Executive of atTV Media. A member of the New York State Bar, he received a BA degree from Lafayette College and JD and MBA degrees from Cornell University. John T. Healy, Advisory Partner, Program DevelopmentJohn T. Healy has established a reputation as one of the broadcasting industry's leading international executives. Under Mr. Healy's guidance, Capital Cities/ABC created a series of important and lucrative relationships around the globe that positioned the company as the premiere television distribution organization in the world. The success of Mr. Healy's international activities is the culmination of a long and meaningful career with ABC. During his tenure as President, ABC International Operations and Executive Vice President, ABC Cable & International, Mr. Healy was responsible for ABC's investment activities in programming, production, distribution, and broadcasting around the world. Among the investments for which Mr. Healy was responsible were Tele-Munchen and RTL2 in Germany, Tesauro in Spain, Hamster Productions in France, TVA in Brazil, as well as SBS in Scandinavia. Mr. Healy was also responsible for ABC's interests in Asia including the creation of children's programming services in both China and India. Mr. Healy joined ABC in 1970 after assignments with both General Foods and Lehigh Valley Industries. Initially a member of ABC's corporate planning department, Mr. Healy became Vice President of ABC's Leisure Group which oversaw most of the company's non-broadcasting activities. In 1979, Mr. Healy facilitated the creation of ABC Video Enterprises, the unit that became the company's vehicle for new media investments. As Executive Vice President of Video Enterprises, Mr. Healy was also instrumental in the creation and success of ABC's cable ventures. He was a member of the Boards of Directors of cable networks, Arts & Entertainment, Lifetime, and ESPN from their inception. He is currently on the Advisory Board of e-nvest, a Latin American fund, a Director of Microcast, as well as Chairman of the Management Committee and a Director of StoryFirst Communications. Mr. Healy is also a Director of the International Council, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. |
home . russian archives online . television . motion pictures . about the companysearch . legal notices . copyright 2002 Abamedia |