Liberty Media Corporation announced that Chris Albrecht, former Chairman and CEO of HBO, will join Starz, LLC as its President and CEO. He will oversee all of the Starz entities, including Starz Entertainment, Overture Films, Anchor Bay Entertainment and Film Roman and will assume his new role beginning January 1, 2010.
“I am thrilled and honored to be asked to join a great company like Starz and to help take advantage of the challenges and opportunities emerging in media and entertainment,” said Albrecht. “I have always seen Starz as a bold, entrepreneurial and growth-oriented brand – one that I believe will be a great home for me. I look forward to putting my experiences and interests to work with the talented management team at Liberty and Starz to create valued products for consumers and our affiliate partners.”
Albrecht spent more than 20 years at HBO and was Chairman and CEO from 2002 to 2007. During his tenure, he co-founded Comic Relief and championed the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen for 13 years, which honored comedy stars such as Steve Martin, Jim Carrey and Jerry Seinfeld and helped launch the careers of up and coming comedians. Previous to HBO, Albrecht spent five years at International Creative Management where he signed and represented top comedians including Jim Carrey, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Keenen Ivory Wayans and Whoopi Goldberg. He also co-owned the Improvisation comedy club in New York City from 1975 to 1980.
