The Making of a Twenty-First Century Media Executive

THE MAKING OF A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY MEDIA EXECUTIVE

Biography: Robert Andrew Lasky

Robert Lasky has always marched to the beat of his own drummer. Creating imaginary worlds in grade school and surrounding himself with cartoonists by interning at the Museum of Cartoon Art during junior high set the stage for Lasky to find passion in television and film when he entered Syracuse University in 1988. During this time, his perplexed father often muttered, “I can’t believe I am sending him to college” as Lasky stared with a catatonic gaze at Bugs Bunny reruns on television. While in college he developed a unique course of study between the English and film schools, produced several films and studied film and literary theory at Middlesex University in London.

In 1992 he began working for Nickelodeon. He spent the next two and a half years working to slime the United Kingdom and other parts of the world by pouring his efforts into the launch of Nickelodeon’s first sister channel. In addition, he worked on program pitches and sales plans for the Kids Choice Awards and Global Guts, assisted on the production of Plan it for the Planet, later to become a part of The Big Help, and helped to syndicate Nick News W5 in conjunction with Viacom Entertainment.

When the interactive television craze exploded in 1994, Lasky moved upstairs to become a producer at Viacom Interactive Services. Designing and building prototypes for projects that were ahead of their time, Lasky was soon asked to produce a show in Santa Barbara, California to illustrate Viacom’s forward thinking interactive strategies for a select group of Wall Street investors. Shortly after, Lasky began producing on the largely unknown World Wide Web.

Over the next three years, Lasky developed and produced Web sites for Viacom (http://www.viacom.com), the Paramount Stations Group O&O’s (http://www.paramountstations.com), online events for VH1, and created prototypes for MTV and Simon & Schuster, later to become the consumer Web site “Simon Says” (http://www.simonsays.com). Additionally, he acted as a consultant to MTV in the negotiation of their relationship with America Online.

In early 1996, Lasky realized that something was missing in the work that he was doing…fun. He partnered with a long-time independent television producer to develop an original interactive television series for the Sci-Fi Channel. When he brought MCI into the mix, the deal was given a green-light which slowly turned yellow and then red as USA Networks’ parents Viacom and Time Warner fought in court and eventually sold to Universal. Not to be defeated, the two turned their efforts and produced a television prototype for Nickelodeon in 1997 that eventually went to pilot.

With an eclectic mix of experience in traditional and new media, Lasky resigned from Viacom Interactive and moved to Los Angeles in 1997 to develop and produce for television and the Internet and to get his star on Hollywood Boulevard. Shortly after, Lynch Entertainment purchased an exclusive option for an original series and he had an original drama in development with Columbia/Tri-Star. In 1998 he managed the public relations launch of Bandai-owned AnimeVillage.com, produced Fox Sports Net’s Fit TV Web site (www.fittv.com), began a consulting relationship with the Seiko Corporation of America to produce a commercial site for Spoon watches (www.virtualspoon.com), and partnered with Weller/Grossman Productions to develop plans for an Internet broadcast network. He also initiated several partnerships to start content-based Internet properties and began dating the girl of his dreams.

To be with that girl, he returned to New York in 1999 and began working for US Interactive, one of the top ten companies providing electronic enterprise solutions to Global 2000 companies. As a Consulting Director, he oversees a third of the New York office’s Consulting practice and manages the development and implementation of multiple multi-million dollar e-Business solutions for Global 2000 companies.

With a long list of accomplishments that reads like a half-hour on MTV, Lasky maintains his unique perspective and carries his penchant for creativity under one arm. His next goal, having already seen Star Wars: Episode I six times, is possibly the most ambitious one yet: to break the content barrier on the Internet while finding the time to go on a spiritual journey in search of a truly everlasting gobstopper.

# # # Robert A. Lasky 465 Broadway, Apartment 6B 914.479.0729 or 646.245.6500 Hastings-on-Hudson, New York 10706 e-mail: [email protected]

PROFILE:

Entrepreneurial media executive with over eight years experience in the development, production, management and design of Internet and traditional media products for domestic and international markets.

MANAGEMENT:

US INTERACTIVE Consulting Director, June 1999 – Present

I oversee a third of the Consulting practice in New York, and am responsible for the development of Internet strategies and business plans for multi-million dollar accounts. Beginning with client qualifying and the authoring of business development proposals, I am a leader in the sale of new business and maintain ownership through delivery of Internet based business solutions. For each engagement, I develop strategic, operational and product goals, oversee all team resources through implementation, and am responsible for leveraging up-sell opportunities. As a part of the New York P&L, I am accountable for engagement revenue and profitability.

· Managed the development and launch of a high profile, online record label and music service for the largest international music company in the world. Critical factors included a simultaneous launch with a sister service on cable television and adhering to the timeframes established by a major marketing effort announcing the service. · Led the online launch of a consumer product in the Internet enabled, portable music player market for a large consumer electronic company. Critical factors included tight budgetary constraints and rollout of the service to coincide with the real-world product launch. · Recruited to offer strategic subject matter expertise for a start-up broadband entertainment company, including analysis of the competitive landscape and the development of multiple value chain offerings. · Directed multiple consultative engagements to establish client business strategies and models for services including broadband and media, consumer products, financial services, business incubation and general e- commerce. · Ongoing development of best practices documentation and evolution of project and process methodology.

ASTROLABE ENTERTAINMENT Producer / Owner, March 1996 – January 2000

I started Astrolabe Entertainment in 1996 to bridge traditional and interactive media and to specialize in the creation of original content and services that enhance, extend and support core brands. The operation grew to include services ranging from Web site and television development and production to a variety of retained strategic consulting services.

· Development of business models, including commerce and advertising based revenue streams, strategic partnerships, community services and the exclusive signing of celebrity talent for a content based Internet service targeted at a segment of generations X and Y. · Weller/Grossman Productions, the largest independent producer of informational and reality programming in the United States, partnered to develop a business plan for an Internet based broadcast network. · Seiko Corporation of America contracted services including the development and production of a new Web site as a component of the marketing plan for Spoon watches (www.virtualspoon.com). · Crater Valley University (www.cratervalley.com) retained consulting services pertaining to the business direction and television optioning of their original content based Web site. · Fox Sports Net contracted the development and production of a Web site to coincide with the network relaunch of Fit TV (www.fittv.com). · Retained to provide multimedia applications on DVD motion picture releases for Fox and Polygram. · Lynch Entertainment purchased an option for an original reality television series. 1 · Asylm Marketing sub-contracted the public relations launch efforts of Bandai’s AnimeVillage.com. · Co-produced a reality television prototype with Altman International for Nickelodeon, which went to pilot spring 1998. · Developed an original half-hour interactive television show for USA Networks, and negotiated a $2 million technology partnership with MCI.

VIACOM INTERACTIVE SERVICES Producer, December 1994 - September 1997

Managed all aspects of development and production for Viacom’s corporate Web site (www.viacom.com) and individual station Web sites for the Paramount Stations Group (www.paramountstations.com). Through partnerships with Tribune Media Services and Planet Direct, the Paramount Web sites offered real-time program information, regional news, sports, weather and localized content.

Produced online events and prototypes for VH1, MTV and Simon & Schuster, and was a consultant to MTV in their overall deal with America Online.

NICKELODEON / NICK AT NITE Freelance Coordinator, International Program Sales, July - December 1994 Executive Assistant, Program Enterprises, December 1992 - July 1994

Recruited to assemble international program block materials and to develop a library of international program formats. Organized and authored sales proposals including Global Guts, sold at MIPCOM in 1994, and the 1994 Kids’ Choice Awards.

Assisted in the marketing launch of Nickelodeon UK, and managed the dubbing of program samples for the launch of Nickelodeon Germany. Also acted as a liaison between production and business affairs on co-production contracts.

FREELANCE PRODUCTION:

10-10 PRODUCTIONS Producer, January 1994 - March 1996 Produced corporate videos for IBM and Mercedes Benz.

CORNERSTONE ENTERTAINMENT Producer, September 1994 - December 1994 Produced corporate videos for the Greenwich Workshop and the Michael Bolton Foundation.

NEW MEDIA, INC. Production Assistant, September - October 1992 Assisted in the pre-production and production of "Trailside: Make Your Own Adventure."

GOOD MACHINE PRODUCTIONS Production Assistant/Intern "The Wedding Banquet "August 1992 Provided assistance to the Production Manager, maintained hot sets, and coordinated talent schedules.

COMPUTER SKILLS:

Multiple video, graphic, multimedia, office, project planning, budgeting and management software packages on both Macintosh and IBM platforms.

EDUCATION:

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Bachelor of Arts, 1992 English Textual Studies, Concentration in Film Theory and Production. 2