MEDIATRENDS 2012 Pre-NATPE LUNCHEON, a roundtable discussion led by John A. Lack with a special group of media executives, bankers, creatives and activists. The event was held at Canyon Hotel & Spa, one of the most beautiful Miami Beach locations. Proceeds from the luncheon were donated to earth-learning.org.





A new book called "I Want My MTV" chronicles the boom - and bust - of the one-time videocentric cable channel. The "Father of MTV," John Lack (who voiced the opening words of the channel on August 1, 1981: "Ladies and gentleman... rock and roll"), joins us along with co-author Rob Tannenbaum to discuss the channel's formative days and heady times that led up to the end of MTV's "Golden Era."




WITNESS
Last broadcast on Sun, 7 Aug 2011, 00:50 on BBC World Service (see all broadcasts).

Available to listen.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00j3p6b

It is 30 years since the launch of the first 24 hour music TV channel.

It was to revolutionize the way that music was consumed and promoted - and the way that people watched television.

Witness hears from one of the founders of MTV.


Southeast Landmark Venture Forum to Feature
John A. Lack Discussing "Digital Media and Advertising Trends"
Wednesday April 20, 2011, 12pm -3pm
LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort - Naples, Florida

New York, NY, April 20th, 2011 - John A. Lack, Chief Partner of FireMedia Partners and best known for creating MTV, Nickelodeon and The Movie Channel will be the featured speaker at the first Southeast Venture Forum on "Digital Media and Advertising Trends" for Landmark Angels, (www.landmarkangels.com).

Landmark Angels is a group of approximately 165 highly experience accredited investors seeking to provide equity capital to early- and growth-stage companies. The event will take place on Wednesday April 20, 2011 at the LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort, 9891 Gulf Shore Drive in Naples Florida.

Up to six promising early-stage companies in the digital media, Internet and consumer product sectors will present to a select audience of family offices, private equity funds, asset and wealth managers and high net worth angel investors. These early-stage companies include Decorator Tag Sale, Midawi Holdings, Inc., VenueGen.com, InVasc Therapeutics, Inc., RelaxZen, Inc. and Boomer Solutions, Inc. The SE Landmark Venture Forum will explore digital media and the latest advertising trends for its monetization.

FireMedia Partners. A team of award-winning strategists, designers, writers, producers and developers. Champions of media products across TV, Web and Mobile. In the business of pioneering new businesses, funding and recruiting the best and brightest to build them. The company's main offices are located in New York and Miami.

For more information about FireMedia Partners please visit www.firemediapartners.com

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/firemediapartners

###
Contact

Shari Leventhal
shari@firemediapartners.com


New York, NY January 17, 2011 - John A. Lack, Chief Partner of FireMedia Partners and best known for creating MTV, Nickelodeon and Movie Channel will join the Landmark Venture Forum to discuss "Digital Media Trends: The Monetization Puzzle" for Landmark Angels, a group of approximately 165 highly experience accredited investors seeking to provide equity capital to early and growth stage companies.

Consumers now expect to be able to access content anytime, anywhere, and from any device at their disposal - from PCs and tablets to mobile phones and web-enabled television. After years of offering content for "free" under paid advertising models, and experiencing piracy, the NE Landmark Venture Forum will explore the best models, practices and trends of monetizing digital media and look at this subject from the point-of-view of a CEO, media executive, investor, recruiter, and advertising network/agency.

John A. Lack will be joined by Panel Chair: Jeff Miller, Miller Communications Group; Claude Sheer, CEO of Vault.com, Former President of Ziff-Davis, Miles Spencer, Vaux Le Ventures, entrepreneur and investor, Edward R. Koller, Founder and Managing Partner of The Howard-Sloan-Koller Group and Ken Margolis, Founder of Premium Network and Premium Channels.

The first Northeast Landmark Venture Forum of 2011, hosted by Landmark Angels and Landmark Capital (http://landmark.angelgroups.net/).

FireMedia Partners. An A team of award-winning strategists, designers, writers, producers and developers. Champions of media products across all platforms. From business strategy to product design. From consumer research to marketing campaigns. From TV to your mobile phone. In the business of pioneering new businesses, funding and recruiting the best and brightest to build them. The company has offices in New York and Miami.

For more information about FireMedia Partners please visit www.firemediapartners.com

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/firemediapartners

###
Contact

Shari Leventhal
shari@firemediapartners.com
T 954 673 4164



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, NY (PRWEB), February 8, 2010 -- John A. Lack, best known for creating MTV, the broadcast vehicle now an integral part of global culture has joined FireMedia Partners as Chief Partner. The firm was founded in 2008 to help companies build, market and grow their brands in the new multi-platform digital environment.

"Lack joins FireMedia Partners during a time when the digital landscape has exploded into countless channels," said Shari Leventhal, Founding Partner of FireMedia, "and Lack's reputation as a 'Product Champion', along with his extensive experience with broadcast, interactive and wireless media companies, makes him uniquely qualified to bring these paradigms together."

"I'm delighted to be joining Shari and our team at FireMedia," said Lack, "at a time when users enjoy more choice and control over their content on a myriad of platforms, and the search is on again for sustainable products and new media solutions."

Most recently Lack was a founding partner and CEO of Firebrand, the first multi-platform network dedicated to commercial culture, whose major investors included Microsoft, GE Capital and NBC/Universal.

Lack was previously President and CEO of I3 Mobile (NASDAQ IIIM), the developer and marketer of PRONTO, a premium phone service that seamlessly integrated flat-menu voice recognition, audio content (CNN, ESPN) with live "mobile assistants" PRONTO was selected by "Business Week" as "one of the Best Wireless Services" in 2002.

Lack was also Managing Director of STREAM, Telecom Italia's digital content and pay television company from 1998-2000, In his two years in Rome as a Board Member and Chief Operating Officer, he built STREAM from 50,000 to over 400,000 subscribers, and then helped orchestrate the sale of a majority stake to News Corp. who merged with Telepiu to form Sky Italia.

From 1992-1995, Lack was Executive Vice President of Marketing and Programming at ESPN, where he was responsible for all programming, affiliate and advertising sales, research, marketing and the development and launch of ESPN2, the contemporary sports network targeted to young adults.

Prior to joining ESPN, Lack served as President and CEO of ACTV, a developer and marketer of proprietary interactive television technology and Nelson Vending Technology, (TSE NVT) the parent company of the "Amazing Video Machine," the developer and operator of 350 video dispensing machines in Toronto, Canada.

As Chief Operating Officer of Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Co. from 1979-1984, Lack also developed the Movie Channel, cable television's first 24 hour pay network and Nickelodeon, the award winning children's channel.

Lack also worked at CBS for nine years, where he held various senior sales and marketing positions, including Vice-President and General Manager of CBS Radio Spot sales and then Vice- President and General Manager of WCBS News 880. Under his aegis, the radio station achieved the highest ratings in its history and won a Peabody Award for journalism excellence.

FireMedia Partners also include Stacy Van Wickler (Creative Strategy), Patrick McDonough - PMcD (Design), Cindy Schneider Kief (Communications), Wes Trager (Technology), Chuck Klein (Events) and Renee Forbes (Production). The company has offices in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, London, Rome, Hong Kong and Dubai.



Just a few months since the doors closed at Firebrand's NYC headquarters, former executives have joined forces to form Firemedia Partners. The company aims to provide brands with integrated solutions for marketing across today's emerging media.




Oh, Firebrand, like a Phoenix from the ashes you rise! For those of you who don't recall or never knew, Firebrand was a multimedia platform dedicated to serving up the best in creative advertising. On TV, Web, Mobile all the time. NBC Uni pulled the plug on it back in March, and since, I've felt a little hole in my life. It was, without a doubt, one of the most polished, beautiful interfaces this side of the iPhone that I have ever had the privilege of working for.

New York (June 6, 2008) - Just a few months since the doors were abruptly closed at Firebrand headquarters in Lower Manhattan, former Firebrand executives have joined forces to form FireMedia Partners, designed to provide brands with integrated solutions for marketing across today's emerging media.

As online video explodes and fragments, new entrants are emerging to lead new niches. One interesting example is Firebrand, who've decided to focus on advertising as their lead form of content. I emailed Shari Leventhal, the company's Chief Marketing Officer to learn more, ahead of the site's launch on October 22nd.