Marvel Promotes Alan Fine

Marvel Entertainment has promoted Alan Fine to the Executive Vice President, Office of the Chief Executive, according to a press release sent out yesterday, and we were just too busy to report about until this morning.   Anyone care about promotion announcements?  I guess it is my blood to post this stuff when I find it, as I was hammered in the head for many years by another boss who thought it was good PR to post this stuff on the web.  In the case of Marvel, I think we do an awful lot of that already, even though we get little in return from the company (hint, a review copy no and again would certainly help).

Anyway, Fine is the one responsible for building the licensing arm of Marvel Entertainment up, and integrating the other branches as well.

Press release follows

Marvel Entertainment, Inc. has promoted Alan Fine, 58, to Executive Vice President, Office of the Chief Executive. Mr. Fine joins David Maisel and John Turitzin in this position. Messrs. Maisel, Turitzin and Fine, along with Marvel’s Chief Executive Officer, Issac Perlmutter, comprise the Office of the Chief Executive, which oversees all of Marvel’s divisions and operations.

Over his long tenure with Marvel, Mr. Fine has been instrumental in the company’s growth from a toy and publishing company to one of today’s most recognized and successful entertainment and licensing companies. The appointment reflects Mr. Fine’s increased role in working across Marvel’s publishing, licensing, studio and digital divisions to integrate activities and oversee brand-building programs throughout the company, as well as his increased role in the planning and development of the company’s animation and movie projects. Mr. Fine leads Marvel’s Creative Committee, which includes executives from Marvel’s publishing and studio divisions and provides counsel on the development of Marvel’s slate of feature films, television, online and other entertainment initiatives. The goal of the Committee is to translate the creative vision over decades of memorable storytelling to the big and small screens, while at the same time ensuring that the projects can realize their full merchandising potential.

“Alan’s extraordinary depth of experience in all facets of the entertainment industry, along with his knowledge of our company, our character brands and creative strengths makes him a strong addition to our Office of the Chief Executive,” said Mort Handel, Chairman of the Board, Marvel Entertainment. “It is a great pleasure to announce this appointment which recognizes Alan’s immeasurable contributions to the overall success of our business. He remains a tremendous asset to our senior management structure and will be integral in shaping and achieving Marvel’s long term goals.”

Mr. Fine, who joined Marvel in 1996, was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Marvel Characters, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment which owns and licenses Marvel’s intellectual property library. As Chief Marketing Officer for Marvel Characters, Mr. Fine was responsible for directing and coordinating Marvel’s efforts to support and strengthen its brands. Mr. Fine also served as Chief Executive Officer of Marvel’s toy and publishing divisions since 1998 and 2004, respectively. Mr. Fine will continue to serve as an officer of the company’s Marvel Characters B.V. subsidiary.

Prior to joining Marvel, Mr. Fine was Senior Vice President, General Merchandise Manager and then promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of Kay-Bee Toys, a national toy retailer. Under Mr. Fine’s leadership, the chain grew from approximately 650 stores to approximately 1,200 stores nationwide, with annual revenue of $1.5 billion. Before joining Kay-Bee, Mr. Fine was Vice President, Seasonal Merchandise Division Manager of Caldor, a division of the May Department Store Company. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Marketing for Coleco Toys, the original company behind the Cabbage Patch Kids and ColecoVision product lines. Mr. Fine earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rhode Island.

About Marvel Entertainment:
Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 5,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing, entertainment (via Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation) and publishing (via Marvel Comics). Marvel’s strategy is to leverage its franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world, including feature films, consumer products, toys, video games, animated television, direct-to-DVD and online. For more information visit www.marvel.com.

via Marvel