Relativity Media Taps Steve Bertram as COO, CFO

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryan Kavanaugh, CEO of Relativity Media, LLC, announced today that Steve Bertram, formerly the President of Business Operations for Paramount Home Entertainment, has joined the company as COO and CFO.

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Bertram will oversee the day-to-day company operations for Relativity, including the building and managing of the company's domestic and international distribution relationships. Bertram, in his position as COO, will directly report to Relativity President Michael Joe, and to Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh for his duties as CFO.  Prior to his position at Paramount, Bertram was CFO of Dreamworks and was involved in negotiating its sale to Viacom after the separation from DreamWorks Animation.

"We're thrilled to have a seasoned veteran like Steve join our team," said Kavanaugh. "He brings with him deep and extensive expertise at a time when our company has delivered on the promise of becoming a fully-functioning, full service studio. As our business ventures continue to grow, Steve's expertise will prove invaluable."

"Ryan has incredible vision and has built a strong and innovative company," said Bertram. "I'm very excited to join Relativity as it continues to rethink what's possible in the entertainment industry."

"Steve's depth and breadth of experience combined with his personal and professional integrity and collaborative approach to business will be critically important as our company evolves," said Joe.  "We are thrilled to have Steve join our team."

For the past five years at Paramount Pictures, Bertram served as President of Business Operations for the multi-billion dollar global Home Entertainment division with responsibility for Finance, Administration, Business Affairs, Supply Chain and Business Development. He managed key worldwide distribution relationships including DreamWorks Animation, CBS, and Alliance Films. Bertram led negotiations of multi-million dollar agreements with various customers, licensees, consumer electronics and technology companies.  Prior to joining Paramount, Bertram held a variety of senior positions in operations, marketing, distribution, strategic planning, and finance at DreamWorks LLC.  He served as Chief Financial Officer of the privately held DreamWorks subsequent to the public offering of the animation company in 2004, and was responsible for managing all finance, strategic planning and banking activities.

Relativity currently has Golden Globe®-winner and seven-time Oscar®-nominee The Fighter in theatres, via Paramount Pictures, starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams. Relativity's 2011 slate also includes current release Season of the Witch starring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman. The hilarious Take Me Home Tonight debuts on March 4th starring Topher Grace and Anna Faris. Following on March 18th, is the much-anticipated Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish and Oscar®-winner Robert De Niro. Relativity recently announced its acquisition of the Untitled David R. Ellis 3D Shark Thriller which will release in theatres on September 2nd. Finally on November 11th, 2011 is Immortals starring Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz, with John Hurt and Mickey Rourke.

ABOUT RELATIVITY MEDIA, LLC

Relativity Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company that focuses on creating, financing and distributing entertainment content and intellectual property across multiple platforms, as well as making strategic partnerships with, and opportunistic investments in, media and entertainment-related companies and assets. Relativity owns and operates Rogue, a company that specializes in the production and distribution of films targeted to the 13-25 year old audience. Building upon its foundation of financing and producing films, Relativity has grown to include music, sports and television divisions and the next-generation social network iamrogue.com.  Relativity also owns and operates RelativityREAL, Relativity's television arm, which has become one of the leading suppliers of reality television with more than 20 shows in episodic or pilot. 

To date, Relativity has committed to, produced and/or financed more than 200 studio-quality motion pictures through 2014.  Released films have accumulated more than $15.0 billion in worldwide box office revenue.  Relativity's recent films include Salt, Despicable Me, Grown Ups, Charlie St. Cloud, Dear John, It's Complicated, Zombieland, Couples Retreat, Get Him to the Greek, Robin Hood, and, most recently, The Fighter, Little Fockers, Season of the Witch and The Social Network. Upcoming films for Relativity include James Cameron's Sanctum in 3D, Limitless, Take Me Home Tonight, Immortals, Battle: Los Angeles and Cowboys & Aliens.  33 of the company's films have opened at No. 1 at the box office.  Relativity films have earned 60 Oscar® nominations, including nods for Nine, A Serious Man, Frost/Nixon, Atonement, American Gangster and 3:10 to Yuma.  53 of Relativity's films have each generated more than $100 million in worldwide box-office receipts.

SOURCE Relativity Media, LLC