NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hank Ratner, president and chief executive officer of The Madison Square Garden Company (Nasdaq:MSG), today announced that Melissa Miller Ormond has been named president of MSG Entertainment. Ms. Ormond, a twenty-four year entertainment industry veteran, has been serving as interim head of MSG Entertainment since earlier this year and has been the division's chief operating officer since 2008.
"MSG Entertainment has become one of the nation's premiere live entertainment companies, and Melissa has been a driving force behind much of MSGE's extraordinary success," said Mr. Ratner. "As we continue to aggressively pursue strategies that expand our core business and grow our brands, we're confident that the strength of Melissa's industry expertise, strong leadership skills and long-standing relationships will allow MSGE to take full advantage of the enormous opportunities inherent in today's rapidly changing entertainment environment."
In her role as President of MSG Entertainment, Ms. Ormond will oversee all aspects of the entertainment division, including its day-to-day operations, strategic planning and new business development, new venue acquisitions, financial planning and new divisional initiatives. She will be responsible for overseeing the successful operations of the Bookings and Productions areas, which include all concert and event bookings at the company's venues, including Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Beacon Theatre, The Chicago Theatre and The Wang Theater, as well as all wholly-owned live entertainment properties and productions, including the Radio City Rockettes and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and collaborative productions, such as those with Cirque du Soleil. She will also oversee all marketing and brand development efforts, such as those relating to the Rockettes and other important divisional initiatives.
"I'm honored to be entrusted with leading MSG Entertainment during such an important period for our company, and firmly believe that our greatest successes are yet to come," said Ms. Ormond. "As we continue to pursue an aggressive growth agenda, we're seeking opportunities to expand our business beyond our traditional boundaries. At the same time, we remain focused on ensuring that our brands are delivering audiences the most captivating and compelling entertainment experience anywhere and that our integrated approach to business allows performers to reach today's savvy consumers through the most powerful, multi-faceted platforms."
Ms. Ormond joined MSG Entertainment in 2005 as executive vice president of bookings, where she oversaw bookings for concerts, family attractions and special events. She had an immediate impact on the number and quality of the division's bookings, with record-level booking for MSGE venues in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, she was named the division's chief operating officer, where she managed all areas of business operations, including both the Bookings and Productions areas. Prior to that, beginning in 1995, she spent ten years with House of Blues Entertainment/Universal Concerts/MCA Concerts, Los Angeles, in a variety of positions, most recently as senior vice president, where she booked concerts for the company's U.S. amphitheaters, including the then-named Universal Amphitheatre. She also promoted several national tours during that time, including blink-182's first arena/amphitheatre tour and the highly successful and critically-acclaimed Lilith Fair.
Ms. Ormond spent four years as Vice President, Talent for Delsener/Slater Enterprises in New York City, where she helped turn the fledgling night club booking division into a viable and profitable business. She began her career at the 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.'s premier alternative music nightclub, in 1987, while simultaneously working for the concert promotion firm, I.M.P., Inc, which promoted concerts in venues ranging in size from 1500 seats to 20,000 seats.
The recipient of numerous awards over her career, Ms. Ormond was named one of Billboard's 2010 Women in Music. She was nominated for the Pollstar Talent Buyer of the Year award six times and won the award five times, and was nominated for the Pollstar Nightclub Talent Buyer of the Year award three times and won the award once. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas and lives in New York City with her husband and son.
About The Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company is a fully-integrated sports, media and entertainment business. The company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the company's overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports consists of owning and operating sports franchises, including the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Connecticut Whale (AHL). MSG Sports also features the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, track and field and tennis, as well as MSG Action Sports, an action sports and lifestyle division. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from MSG's venues. MSG Media consists of the MSG Networks (MSG, MSG Plus, MSG HD and MSG Plus HD) regional sports networks and the Fuse Networks (Fuse and Fuse HD), a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in MSG's diverse collection of venues. These venues include Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Chicago Theatre and the Wang Theatre. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com
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