The official press release
BRIAN HENSON AND LISA HENSON NAMED CO-CHAIRS AND
CO-CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE JIM HENSON COMPANY
– Charles H. Rivkin Joins Henson Family on New Company’s Board of Directors,
Will Continue to Spearhead Drive to Establish New Strategic Relationships –
– Peter Schube Named President and Chief Operating Officer –
– Revised Business Model Will Emphasize Film and Television Production, Strategic Relationships –
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov. 11, 2003 –The Jim Henson Company today announced that Brian Henson, who led the Henson family’s recent acquisition of the company from EM.TV & Merchandising AG, and his sister Lisa Henson, two of the late Jim Henson’s five children, have been named Co-Chairs and Co-Chief Executive Officers of the company. Peter Schube, formerly Executive Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs, has been named President and Chief Operating Officer. In their new roles, Brian and Lisa Henson and Mr. Schube have assumed responsibilities previously held by Charles H. Rivkin, who has joined Brian, Lisa, Cheryl, Heather and John Henson on the new company’s Board of Directors after serving for several years as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Brian Henson said, “On behalf of the Henson family and the entire organization, I want to thank Charlie Rivkin for his fifteen years of extraordinary service to The Jim Henson Company. As a senior executive here since 1988, Charlie played a key role in keeping the company stable and moving forward after my father’s death in 1990, and again over the past three very challenging years. In the months ahead, as a member of our board, Charlie will continue to focus on establishing new strategic relationships for The Jim Henson Company. Reflecting the success of his efforts to date, we are now in advanced discussions with a number of prospective strategic partners and we expect to announce the culmination of those efforts in the very near future.”
Lisa Henson said: “The new Jim Henson Company will focus on the creative and production sides of the business, with strategic partners handling distribution. Brian and I will share primary responsibility for the company’s strategic direction and financial performance. Brian will focus on our global Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ operations, on puppeteer relations, and on producing and directing selected major film and television projects. I will oversee all creative projects from early development through post production. As our new President/COO, Peter Schube will manage day-to-day operations, partner relationships, and new business development. And all of us on the Jim Henson team will work together to build on our proud heritage, leverage our unique assets, and achieve our company’s mission: making the world a better place by inspiring people to celebrate life.”
For biographical profiles of Brian Henson, Lisa Henson, Charles Rivkin and Peter Schube, please visit
www.henson.com.
Assets of The Jim Henson Company include: The Muppets, The Muppet Babies, The Fraggles, The Hoobs, Farscape, and Bear in the Big Blue House. The Company’s principal operations include: Jim Henson Television, Jim Henson Pictures, Jim Henson Home Entertainment, the Henson Recording Studio, and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™.
Among recent accomplishments of The Jim Henson Company:
Jim Henson Pictures’ Good Boy!, the live-action family film grossing $36.5 million to date, has been one of the most profitable releases for MGM this year.
It’s A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, on NBC, achieved the highest rating last season for a television movie in primetime with more than 11 million viewers.
Accomplished cross-platform revitalization of the Muppet franchise through marketing and promotional alliances with MasterCard, Macy’s, NASCAR and Starbucks, among others.
The Muppets remain pop culture icons with 5,000 licensed products in the marketplace and national appearances on such outlets as Good Morning America, Today, Hannity & Colmes, Live with Regis and Kelly, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Wayne Brady.
Kermit the Frog received his star on the world-famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, culminating a year-long celebration of the 25th Anniversary of The Muppet Show that included such high-profile appearances as The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and a top-ranking music video with the popular band Weezer.
The Jim Henson Company, an established leader in family entertainment for more than 45 years, is a multimedia production company; one of the top character licensors in the industry; a leading publisher of children’s books and home to Jim Henson Television, Jim Henson Pictures, Jim Henson Interactive, Jim Henson Home Entertainment and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™. The Company is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices and production facilities in New York and London. The Jim Henson Company website is located at:
www.henson.com