|
As the readership of society views expands we will be using this space to shine a spotlight on some of your fellow HRTS members. If you would like to be spotlighted in future edition please email memberservices@hrts.org.
 Dick Block is President of Block Communications Group, Inc., a Santa Monica based consulting firm. Block’s major industry positions were as President of Kaiser Broadcasting, where he conceived and executed a plan to build independent TV stations in seven of the top ten markets, and Executive Vice President of the TV station division of Metromedia prior to its sale to Fox.
He was also instrumental in the creation and launching of The Travel Channel for Westinghouse and Game Show Network for Sony. Currently, he is in charge of international TV for the Rose Parade and produces biannual Student Career Workshops for the Educational Foundation of NATPE. The seventeenth Workshop will be in Indianapolis on October 3rd.
Block has taught at Stanford, UCLA (The Professional Development Program) and has been teaching "TV Station Management" since Fall 2007 at the University of Southern California (USC). He has testified before congressional committees and has served as an expert witness.
Board membership included the National Association of Broadcasters, the Association of Independent TV Stations, the TV Bureau of Advertising, the Broadcast Education Association, the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, the Stanford Alumni Association, and Easter Seals of Southern California.
 Ernani V. Di Massa, Jr. was born in Philadelphia where he attended the highly acclaimed Friend's Select School, a Quaker institution that develops young minds and attitudes for 'the whole of life'. He spent twelve years in the Friend's educational system and says, "it created a unique blueprint for my life. As the most formative part of my education, it taught me about the value of people, hard work, charity and growth".
After graduation from Friend's Select he obtained his Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from La Salle University with a major in Pre-Med and a minor in Political Science and lettered in tennis four times. He was accepted into Law School and Medical School but instead chose to pursue a Masters, and Doctorate in Psychology. While completing his Masters course work he was bitten by the 'show business bug' and began working for Westinghouse Syndication on "The Mike Douglas Show". "My experience at Westinghouse and with Mike Douglas was an incredible training ground that taught me every facet of the television business. I was able to understand each job by having the actual practical experience of doing it. I did everything from write cue cards, to run camera, book guests, and ultimately took over writing and producing the show... ". During his tenure Mike Douglas was America's #1 daytime program for ten years and was nominated for eleven Emmys, receiving several in different categories. "My experience with Mike taught me about life and the business. I will be forever grateful to him and to the many friends and celebrities I got to know there, from Tiger Woods to Ralph Nader and the great John Lennon".
After Producing The Mike Douglas Show, Erni went to the NBC Television Network where he launched Regis Philbin’s national career as the Emmy winning Producer of “The Regis Philbin Show”. While at the NBC Network he also helped develop and create the Network Daytime Hour, "Fantasy" with Daytime's first female minority host Leslie Uggams, who also went on to win an Emmy as Best Host for the 1981-82 Television Season.
From 1982 through 1989 Erni produced for and partnered with some of television's top Executives including Fred Silverman and Roger and Michael King. He wrote and produced for talent including, Oprah Winfrey, Bill O’Reilly, Charles Grodin and Billy Crystal just to name a few.
While producing other programs he acted as a Consultant and Executive Producer for the King brothers for a period of three years in the mid 80’s as they launched their company. In March of 1989 he joined KingWorld full time as Vice President Programming and Development. He was promoted to Senior Vice President Programming and Development in March of 1991. During his tenure at KingWorld he was responsible for obtaining the rights to Candid Camera, Hollywood Squares and managing all current on air programming including, Wheel Of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Oprah, Rolonda, The Charles Grodin Show, The Arts & Entertainment Revue, and helped create Inside Edition and American Journal.
In 1997 he became an independent Producer and formed Di Massa Productions, Inc. to produce first run television programs, and work in areas of new media. During this period he created “The Home Team” for Twentieth Century Fox Television in partnership with Comcast.
In 1999 he joined The Manhattan Entertainment Group as a consultant for acquisitions in the entertainment realm. During this period he traveled to Europe on behalf of Scientific Games to help devise television concepts from state run lottery enterprises throughout the world as a board member of ITV Games.
In 2001 he joined with experienced industry veteran Scott Towle former President of ORION Television and KingWorld Distribution to form Coastline Productions. He was also the co-founder of VISTA Entertainment and helped in developing projects for Chambers Productions, the production arm of Chambers Communications one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest broadcasters and production facilities, including a multi million dollar studio complex in Oregon.
Through his company M. Media, Inc he has worked as a ‘Scholar’ for the GLG Councils: a network of academics, scientists, industry practitioners, and other professionals worldwide. He has performed consultations, reports, and educational presentations for OSS Capital, Falcon Investment Advisors, Aperian Management, Eminence Capital, Pali Capital, LLG Capital, The Northern Trust, Chambers Productions, and Smith Barney.
He also sits on the Advisory Board of SnowballExpress.org a 501c3 charity and the largest civilian effort on behalf of military widows and orphans in the history of the United States. His videos on behalf of SnowballExpress.org have raised millions of dollars in donations, goods and services for SnowballExpress.org over the past two years.
Bob Dowling has been a Business to Business media professional for more than 40 years, publishing and editing in many diverse industries including international, retail, health care, technology, sports marketing and entertainment.
As the publisher of THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER for close to 18 years he transformed a family owned daily newspaper into to a world wide, world-class entertainment information enterprise.
During his tenure at the reporter he introduced the craft series, the women in entertainment franchise, the next gen franchise, was the first in the industry to go online with an internet based product and an all electronic e-mail edition. In addition he developed the largest single database of films in production and created several other franchise features that have become industry benchmarks.
While at the reporter he was honored with the Foundation of Motion Pictures Pioneer of the Year Award, the first ever awarded to a publisher, the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers and Directors Journalism Award, the American Business Media’s Crain Award for his editorial career and the Anti-Defamation League’s Distinguished Entertainment Industry Award.
He has spoken on topics ranging from international entertainment, independent filmmaking, marketing, and technology and has developed a lecture series on how to be successful in the entertainment industry. He lectures around the world and has been invited to speak in Korea, Cuba, France, England and Hong Kong.
He is currently involved in developing media, and entertainment information based products that include a 3D conference that has assembled the largest and most experienced line up of 3D professionals ever assembled under one roof. He is also active in developing web sites, online and print products and consulting on web strategies for entertainment and publishing based clients.
 Russell H. Myerson is executive vice president and general manager of The CW PLUS, an innovative delivery system servicing markets ranked 100-210 via a group of digital subchannels, analog, and cable television outlets for The CW Television Network.
Myerson is responsible for all aspects of The CW PLUS, including distribution, programming, marketing, sales and finance.
Prior to The CW PLUS, Myerson was the top executive of The WB 100+ Station Group, a division of The WB Television Network. Under his leadership, the company simultaneously launched 80 new stations in September 1998.
Prior to joining The WB, Myerson was senior vice president of operations for Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Game Show Network where he was responsible for the launch of the network and its ongoing programming, production, engineering, on-air promotion and marketing.
Myerson has more than 25 years’ management experience in all aspects of cable, network and broadcast station operations. He began his career at KPLC-TV in Lake Charles, LA. He later joined WJKS-TV in Jacksonville, FL, before going on to spend eight years as director of programming for Media General Broadcast Group, a group of network-affiliated television stations based in Tampa, FL. Myerson also served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of NATPE International in 1994.
Myerson graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and a minor in business.
Television Week Magazine featured a profile of Myerson in one of its past issues. Read the full article here.
|
