Newsmakers

In his nearly 30-year career in the entertainment field, Perry Husman has been a production assistant, transportation coordinator, an assistant director and producer. Add up all that experience and it may be little wonder that Warner Bros. Studios tapped Husman as its new vice president of studio operations. The chief function of the position will be to service clients shooting feature films, television shows, commercials or still assignments at the Warner Bros. lot. “I’ve seen every aspect of production close up,” Husman said. “Looking back it was invaluable experience for this job.” The Warner Bros. facilities in Burbank include the 110-acre main studio lot and the 32-acre Ranch. Husman will be responsible for 34 soundstages and numerous exterior sets, audience coordination, stage and back lot maintenance and special projects. With all that property under his supervision, Husman said he doesn’t find it a daunting task. Instead Husman views it as a challenge and a way to remain involved with production while not having to be present for every minute as he did as a line producer. The line producer, Husman explained, was one of the toughest jobs on a set as it involves “a lot of headaches as you are the guy that everybody comes to.” The career path leading to his new role at Warner Bros. started for Husman after graduating from college and finding himself as a production assistant on a television shoot in Utah. The ups and downs, twists and turns in his career had Husman working on feature films, including two entries in the “Friday the 13th” series, “Stigmata,” and “Species II,” and in television. His work as producer on “Cold Case” and “The Nine” made him familiar with the personalities and facilities at Warner Bros. Working off and on for a six year period on the Warner Bros. lot put him in touch with people that helped him get to where he is today, Husman said. His television and film career allowed Husman to travel the world and know the excitement of receiving a phone call saying that a pilot he shot had been picked up. The downside was the work schedule took away from time he could spend with his 7-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son. The studio operations position gives the opportunity to remain in entertainment and still have a family life, Husman said. “This is the right job at the right time and it was a blessing that it happened when it did,” Husman said. –Mark R. Madler BANKING Community West Bank has appointed four executives to manage its newly opened branch in Westlake Village. Don Macaulay was named senior vice president and regional business banking manager. Larry Lindsay and Mark Silvertrust were appointed regional vice presidents of commercial lending, and Dave Mellman was named vice president for business development and SBA lending. Dana Morris was named operations manager. CONSTRUCTION Colin Terras has been named vice president and district manager for the Glendale office of PCL Construction Services. He will oversee operations in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Riverside counties. Terras, who has been with PCL since 1982, had been district manager in Los Angeles since 2003. ENTERTAINMENT David Coriat has been appointed to the independent Special Committee of Image Entertainment, Inc., a licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming. Coriat is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Standard Broadcasting Corp. Ltd. The Special Committee was formed in the spring to review potential strategic opportunities in an effort to maximize stockholder value. The CW network announced the hiring of two new executives. Gaye Hirsch joins the network as Vice President, Current Programming. Hirsch will oversee day-to-day production and act as liaison between the network and producers on various CW primetime series. Hirsch joins the network from Cruise/Wagner Productions. Joanna Klein joins The CW as vice president, drama development. Klein will be involved with all aspects of developing new drama series. Previously, Klein served as vice president of development and current programming at Regency Television. HEALTH CARE Rabbi Kalman Winnick has been named as director of spiritual life at the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging in Reseda. Winnick’s responsibilities include directing the rabbinical staff in religious services, memorial services, life-cycle events, and educational and holiday programs. Winnick previously worked at Vitas Innovative Hospice in Encino. Mission Community Hospital recently elected its officers and board of directors. They are: Justin “Jay” Aldrich, as chairman; Robert Rodine as vice chairman; James F. Walters as treasurer; Louise Oliver as secretary; and directors Maritza Artan, Bassam Bejjani, John Brasch, Piyush Jogani, William Josephson, Dianne Philibosian, Stanley Silver, James H. Stewart and Pancho Valenzuela. MANUFACTURING Bamboo, the pet division of North Hills-based Munchkin, Inc. has made two appointments. Amy Osete has been named as vice president of marketing. She will direct the brand’s strategic marketing and promotional efforts. Osete previously served as a brand manager with Munchkin. Jill Netzel has been named as brand manager for Bamboo. She will be responsible for marketing initiatives such as driving new product strategy, overseeing packaging and collateral development, managing advertising and online programs, and overall brand consistency. Netzel previously served as senior marketing manager at Pentel of America, Ltd., a manufacturer of writing supplies. Dan Goetz was named as president and chief executive officer of UltraViolet Device, Inc., a Valenica supplier to the HVACR market. Goetz has been with the company since its founding in 1992. He replaces Tom Veloz who died unexpectedly in September. PUBLIC SERVICE Cal State Northridge President Jolene Koester has been appointed to the Committee for Jobs and the Economy by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The committee has been charged with exploring ways to enhance the city’s job and economic climate. REAL ESTATE Allan Dalton has been promoted to president of Move Inc.’s real estate division. He is responsible for all Move Inc. businesses, including Realtor.com, new home and rental businesses, SeniorHousingNet.com, Top Producer Systems and The Enterprise. Stephen Feltner, president of Move’s new home division, and Maria Pietroforte, president of the rentals division, will report to Dalton. Dalton was formerly president and CEO of Realtor.com. Larry Kosmont, CEO and president of Kosmont Cos. in Encino, has been named commissioner for the industrial development authority of the city of Los Angeles. The commission administers the city’s industrial development and empowerment zone bond programs under the Community Development Department. The bonds help small to midrange industrial manufacturers. TECHNOLOGY Skip Kinford has been appointed as president of 5Square.com, a software provider for the automotive industry. In the role, Kinford sets company strategy and manages day-to-day operations, and leads all sales, support, product, marketing and financial activities. Before joining 5Square, Kinford was senior vice president of sales and marketing at On-Line Administrators, a supplier of data management to the automotive industry. Bruce Edwards joined the board of directors of Semtech Corp., a Camarillo-based supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors. Edwards is executive chairman of Powerwave Technologies, Inc., a supplier to the wireless communications industry. Edwards will serve on the board’s audit committee and litigation committee. Scott Guthrie has been named as senior vice president, North American Sales and Distribution for video game publisher THQ, Inc. In his new role, Guthrie directs the company’s North American sales, retail marketing, sales planning and operations teams, which directly serve retailers. Guthrie has been a sales and operations consultant for THQ since January. Prior to that he was senior vice president of sales and distribution at Buena Vista Home Entertainment. TELECOMMUNICATIONS Jeremy Toback has been appointed as vice president of entertainment sales for Crisp Wireless. Toback will manage all partner and customer relations for mobile content management for media and entertainment accounts in the greater Los Angeles area. He will be based in Studio City. Toback previously was founder and president of Ajna Music, a boutique record label in the health and wellness market.