Alfred Geller, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Geller Media Management, Inc. (GMM) Dies at 79

NEW YORK, March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Alfred Geller passed away peacefully in Aventura Hospital (FL) on Thursday, March 3.  His wife, Sandra, was at his side.  He is survived by Sandra and sons Todd, Christopher, and John, his sister, Marian Goodman, his niece, Amy and nephew, Michael.  The funeral was in Aventura with internment in Hollywood, Florida.

Best known as a pioneer in television news, Alfred Geller managed the careers of dozens of leading on air personalities.  He searched for talented young people, especially including minorities, who were willing to work hard to accomplish their goals.  He trained his clients, represented them, guided them and advised them on reaching their potential as news professionals.  Many of his clients are household names today.  Alfred himself was not interested in publicity; he preferred that his clients be in front of the camera and in the newspaper.

A native of New York City, Alfred Geller graduated from Brown University in 1953.  He had majored in philosophy and served as Editor and Business Manager of the Brown Daily Herald and Business Manager of the Brown literary magazine and student information handbook.  In 1955, he earned a law degree from New York Law School where he was a member of the Law Review.  He also attended New York University Graduate School of Business Administration.

Alfred first practiced law in 1955 with a Wall Street firm that specialized in corporate and securities law.  In 1959, he opened his own law office and quickly became one of New York's most prominent lawyers in the fields of television, film and theater law.  In 1964, he also began representing television news and information "talent".  Five years later he dissolved his law partnership -  Geller, Gold, Cuddy & Youngquist – and opened Geller Media Management, Inc., a personal management company.

In 1983 he married Sandra (Freeman), then one of his clients.  Sandra began her career in broadcast journalism in 1973 at WLS-TV in Chicago, an ABC-owned station.  She hosted a morning news interview program and, in 1978, also served as a field anchor.  In 1980, she moved to CNN and, until 1985, hosted the nightly news interview program, "Freeman Reports".  Her awards include an Emmy, Ace, On Cable Awards for Best Interviewer and for Best Program of which she was Senior Producer.  Her series of interviews with leaders in the Middle East earned her the New York International Film & TV Gold Medal.  Sandra was named "Woman of the Year" by Operation Push and received Humanitarian Awards from the Muscular Dystrophy Association, United Cerebral Palsy, American Cancer Society and Variety Clubs, International.

Sandra joined GMM in 1990 and was made President of the company in 1992.  She will continue in that role.  Sandra is as committed to excellence in broadcast news as Alfred was and is dedicated to continuing her husband's legacy.

SOURCE Geller Media Management, Inc.