MALIBU, Calif., May 12, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Theatrical film distribution executive David Magedman has been hired to manage film releasing activities for Empire Film Group, Inc. (Pink Sheets:EFGU) (http://www.empirefilmgroup.com) the company announced today. Magedman first rose to distribution fame with the breakout, $140-million USA box office success of "The Blair Witch Project" when he managed theatrical operations for Artisan Releasing. Most recently, he was Vice President and senior theatrical release executive for Warner Independent Pictures, where he managed theatrical release activities for more than twenty films, cumulatively generating more than $200-million in domestic box office revenues.
"David Magedman is well respected and has a tremendous record in the theatrical releasing world," said Dean Hamilton-Bornstein, CEO of Empire. "His relationships and experience in handling all ranges of theatrical titles, from specialty releases to films with over a thousand prints, are the perfect skillsets to support Empire's growth strategy. We are very excited and pleased to have David Magedman on our team."
While at Warner Independent Pictures, Magedman broke the domestic box office record for a nature documentary with "March of the Penguins" generating over $77-million. Other key Warner titles under David's release include the Oscar-nominated films "Good Night and Good Luck" and "In the Valley of Elah."
Magedman will manage Empire's theatrical release activities from a newly opened distribution office in Woodland Hills, California. Empire theatrical titles set for this summer include:
"War Eagle," a family drama of two young men at a crossroads in life; "Chelsea on the Rocks," an acclaimed documentary from director Abel Ferrara, with Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper; "Thru The Moebius Strip," a visually stunning, CGI-animated feature from Jean "Moebius" Girard; "The Rocket Post," a World War II based romance of a forbidden love; and "Boilermaker," a contemporary action-adventure about a bank robbery gone awry.
Empire Distibution CEO, Eric Parkinson, will be licensing new films at the Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film market over the next two weeks, which will supplement the current theatrical release slate.
Empire Film Group, Inc. is one of only 12 full-service film studios and distributors in the U.S. marketplace, controlling its own theatrical, video and television distribution activities in-house, and maintaining independent status. The company owns and operates Hannover House, a book publisher and DVD distributor formed in 1993, with an active library of over 170 titles for the U.S. market, over half of which are currently in release. Top selling current DVD titles for Empire include "Hounddog" starring Dakota Fanning, "Come Away Home" starring Lea Thompson, "Grand Champion" starring Bruce Willis and Emma Roberts, and "Teen Yoga" starring Miss Teen USA (2005), Allie LaForce.
Learn more about Empire Film Group at www.empirefilmgroup.com