Alex Berger

Alex Berger is a creator, producer, consultant and media entrepreneur. During his career, he participated in numerous TV programs in Europe and more specifically France (Rock Report, Rapido, Burger Quizz…) ; invented the multi access web portal Vizzavi (later sold to Vodafone and baptised Vodafone Live), founded & accelerated the growth of several media companies (NBdC, Chez Wam…) and occupied various executive positions, notably with Pierre Lescure at Canal+, and as Chairman & CEO of CanalNumédia & VivendiNet (group Vivendi-Universal). He is currently a producer of TV scripted entertainment through The Oligarchs Productions based in Paris; a consultant through MM&I and owns the digital distribution company ENTJOY.

Biography

Childhood and family

Alex Berger was born on March 22, 1962 in Philadelphia, USA of a French mother, Francine Dreyfus-Berger, a painter and an American father, Dr. Joseph Berger, PhD. At 10, he moved to France with his parents and sister Sylvie Berger. After a French education, he briefly studied at the University of Pennsylvania and then lived alternatively between France & the United States. He currently lives in Paris, with his wife Florence Servan-Schreiber and their three children (Pénélope, Arthur & Léon Berger).

Career

Tele Monte-Carlo

His career begins in 1982 at Tele Monte Carlo TMC in the Principality of Monaco where Michel Lacroix, SVP of TMC recruits him as an intern script assistant over the summer. After multiple positions and notably the coordination of Princess Grace’s funeral ceremonies, at 21, Alex is promoted by Jean-Claude Heberlé, then CEO of RMC-TMC, as producer of the evening news. While at TMC he meets Alain Chabat ( a radio host on RMC at the time).

Real to Reel Filmworks, Inc & Revell

He quit Monte-Carlo in 1984 and creates his first production company : Real to Reel Filmworks, Inc. in Los Angeles with the Baron Edmond de Rothschild & his son Benjamin de Rothschild. This company produces short programs for the emerging industry of US cable TV networks. It develops for Revell (the US toy and model company and US subsidiary of Compagnie industrielle du jouet) one of the first animated series based on a toy line (Robotech), produced by Harmony Gold USA, Frank Agrama.

Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild

After the sale of Real to Reel, Inc. Alex Berger returns to Europe in the financial sector at Banque privée Edmond de Rothschild in Geneva, as a financial analyst specialized in the media & communication fields.

NBdC (Newman, Berger, de Caunes)

18 months later, in 1986, he returns to Paris, France and founds NBdC with partners Tim Newman and Antoine de Caunes. NBdC rapidly becomes one of the leading independent production companies in France specialized in programs for the young adult audience. NBdC notably produces :

NBdC also produces a series of documentaries (Génération 90, on Antenne 2), numerous music videos such as « Precious Thing » by Dee Dee Bridge Water & Ray Charles ; « Goodbye Marylou » by Michel Polnareff and a 100 more including France’s idol Johnny Hallyday. NBdC also produces commercials, graphic design and TV id and institutional films.

RAPIDO TV

In 1989, capitalizing on NBdC’s international notoriety, Alex Berger, Tim Newman, Antoine de Caunes and prolific producer Peter Stuart partner with Richard Branson to create a 50/50 joint venture : Rapido TV. Rapido TV instantly becomes a significant TV program supplier in the UK "Euro Trash" on channel4 with Antoine de Caunes & Jean Paul Gaultier, « Passengers », « Around the world in 80 raves », « Baadasss TV » presented by Ice-T, « The Girly Show », « Unzipped », « Carnal Knowledge »…), fictions (« Is Harry on the Boat ? ») & documentaries (« Fortean TV », « Channel Hopping », « Dying to be beautiful », « Unpeeled », «Gérard Depardieu : the ugly frog that became a prince » ; « Brigitte Bardot  : the reluctant godesss », and « Serge Gainsbourg : France’s secret vice », « Naked City », « Graham Norton’s Rock Babylon »…and plenty more).[1]

Canal +

In 1993, Alex Berger starts his collaboration with Michel Thoulouze of Groupe Canal +, first as a producer for « le meilleur du pire » series on Canal Jimmy, then as strategic development consultant, notably for the international thematic channel « Voilà », focused on the luxe and French savoir-vivre. He also takes part in the creation of MultiThématiques S.A, assembling Canal Plus’s thematic channels (Planète, Jimmy, CinéCinéma, Cine Cinefil & Seasons).

On November 4, 1994 he is nominated Directeur Délégué & special advisor to Pierre Lescure, Chairman & CEO of Groupe Canal+.Pierre Lescure.[2] In this capacity as well as member of the Strategic Committee, he initiates or participates in all strategic developments of Canal+ Group and is directly involved in all major developments of the company between 1994 and 2000 :

Vizzavi

In 1997, Alex Berger invents the multi-access web portal Vizzavi,[3] that allows the migration of content between Premium pay TV subscribers, internet subscribers, and mobile subscribers. The service called Vizzavi and co-held by Vodafone under the name Vodafone Live.[4]

CanalNumedia & VivendiNet

In 1998, Alex Berger founds and becomes the first Chairman & CEO of CanalNumedia[5] · .[6] CanalNumedia heds all of Group Canal+’s internet activities (notably in sports, movies and gaming). In 1999 he is promoted co-CEO of Vivendi Universal Net (VivendiNet) along with Franck Boulben. VivendiNet regrouped together all Canal+’s digital content as well as all of the digital activities of Vivendi (Allociné, Havas, Blizzard, Sierra, iFrance, Cegetel, Vizzavi, two venture capital funds and many more companies around the world.)[7])

Vivendi, Universal & Canal+ merger

In 1998, Alex Berger was appointed to the Vivendi strategic committee . At the beginning of January 2000, following the announcement of the merger between AOL and Time Warner, Alex understands the necessity to elaborate an offensive strategy in order to avoid being desintermediated by the owners of premium content made in the US and held by the major studios.

Upon approval by Jean Marie Messier and Pierre Lescure, Alex Berger initiates, with the help of Terry Semel, former CEO of Warner Brothers, a deal with Edgar Bronfman Jr, CEO of Seagram, parent company of Universal. This strategy will lead to the merger between Vivendi, Universal and Canal+ in June 2000.[8]

After closing the deal and in spite of the position he then occupies within the new merged entity, Alex Berger decides that the internal politics and the strategy are not in line his vision he had and quits in September 2000.,[9] Alex Berger décide de quitter le groupe Canal+ en septembre 2000.[10]

Content Participations (CP)

At the end of 2000, Alex Berger establishes two companies : Content Participations S.A and MM&I Content Participations invests in content companies in order to stimulate their growth in the domains of TV, films, web, music publishing, online gaming. Content Participations S.A is both an investor and a consultant to these firms.

Through CP, Alex Berger has been associated with companies such as :

In June 2006, Content Participations is taken over by his partner Benjamin de Rothschild and is now part of EBR Finances.

MM&I

MM&I (Me, Myself and I) is a company that provides strategic consulting in development & innovation notably in media and media related business development. Among its clients : Yahoo !, Philips, Sanoma, France 24, 365 media, LVMH, producers of content and other international companies.

Entjoy

Alex Berger is the founder, Chairman and CEO of ENTJOY SAS, a digital distributor of content in Europe and Asia. www.entjoy.com Entjoy connects brands to original content from producers and to a selection of web, mobile, connected devices and TV media partners in France, Europa and Asia.

The Oligarchs Productions

Alex Berger & Eric Rochant are partners in The Oligarchs Productions since 2008. Based in Paris, the company was founded on the basis of bridging the gap between European original ideas and talent in scripted drama and comedy and the mature US system of production. The Oligarchs Productions (TOP) started with the development of the original series The Oligarchs for Canal+ and a US broadcaster. TOP is currently developing several international formats and series.[12]

References

  1. ↑ rapido.co.uk
  2. ↑ Pierre Lescure. Nouvel organigramme à Canal+ - Libération.
  3. ↑ Canal exec sees MAP with News - Entertainment News, Business News, Media - Variety
  4. ↑ « 2000: Création, en joint-venture avec Vodafone, n°1 mondial de la téléphonie mobile, du portail Internet Vizzavi. », extrait de la Chronologie du groupe Vivendi, sur le site du Nouvel Obs
  5. ↑ Canal New Media, fer de lance interactif de Canal+
  6. ↑ Canal Plus, Vivendi talk up News pact - Entertainment News, Business News, Media - Variety
  7. ↑ Jean-David Blanc (AlloCiné), Alex Berger (CanalNumédia/VNet) : "Nous croyons à un concept, un service, accessible partout"
  8. ↑ Chronologie - Economie - Nouvelobs.com
  9. ↑ Article Vivendi's Messier Is Sticking to the Script in Hollywood, de Ron Grover, sur le site de Business Week, juillet 2000
  10. ↑ Alex Berger quitte Canal+ - Stratégies
  11. ↑ Article Comic-inspired cinema, de Borys Kit, sur le site de The Hollywood Reporter, décembre 2004
  12. ↑ Canal Plus takes a page from HBO - Entertainment News, Canal Plus at 25, Media - Variety

Further reading