SFV Newsmakers

Entertainment Basil Iwanyk has been named vice president of production at Burbank-based Warner Bros. Iwanyk will oversee motion picture development and production. He previously was production executive at the studio. The Warner Music Group has named Robert Emmer senior vice president for business affairs. Emmer was previously executive vice president for Rhino Entertainment Co. Emmer will be involved in a variety of business affairs, including acquisitions and strategic alliances, out of the Music Group’s Burbank offices. Diane Medina has been named director of diversity programs at Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. In this new position, Medina will oversee efforts to reach out to minority communities and increase the company’s diversity. She previously was director of diversity programs and community relations at KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles. Billye Sluyter has been promoted to manager of merchandising services at Universal Music & Distribution. Sluyter will oversee national merchandising activities, and serve as a liaison between the company’s labels and field staff. She previously was national merchandising coordinator. She will be based in Universal City. Disney Interactive has promoted Dominique Bourse to vice president of international business. In that role, the Burbank-based Bourse will be responsible for developing software business in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Sean Mitchell has been promoted to vice president of marketing at Disney Licensing, which is part of Disney Consumer Products. Mitchell will oversee a licensing marketing group that includes filmed-entertainment properties as well as brand marketing teams for Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh. Prior to his promotion, he was director of marketing for Filmed-Entertainment Properties. He will be based in Burbank. David A. Neuman has been named president of Walt Disney Network Television and president of Touchstone Television. He previously was president of Walt Disney Television. He will be responsible for developing prime-time programming for all six broadcast television networks. Charles Hirschhorn has been named president of Walt Disney Television and executive vice president production of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. He was previously vice president of development for Fox Broadcasting Co. He will oversee direct-to-video activities and animation. Both Neuman and Hirschhorn will be based in Burbank. Terry Dunning has been named as director of sales at KCBS-TV Channel 2. He previously worked as General Sales Manager. He will oversee the sales staff as well as broadcast operations and sales service. He will be based in Los Angeles. Finance Shulamith Philosoph has been promoted to vice president at Union Bank of California in Panorama City, where she will oversee the SelectBenefit division. Prior to her promotion, she was assistant vice president in the SelectBenefit division. She will be based in Panorama City. Health Care Blue Cross of California has named Alan Katz senior vice president of sales for individual and small group services. He previously was vice president of market development at ChannelPoint Inc. He will be based in Woodland Hills. William C. Cook has been named vice president of procurement at Woodland Hills-based WellPoint Health Networks Inc. In this newly created position, Cook will be responsible for establishing a purchasing operation for the company. He previously worked as manager of purchasing for EuroDisney theme park in France. High Tech Tekelec, the Calabasas-based telecommunications company, has named Gordon Werner as its new general manager. Werner will oversee the Network Switching Division. He previously was vice president of global sales at NetEdge Systems Inc. Insurance Samuel J. Harris has joined GSCO, an insurance provider for the business and legal profession, as director of business development. Harris will assist in securing new markets and developing products, programs and services. He previously was director at The Paradigm Group, a management consulting company. He will be based in Woodland Hills. Real Estate Robert H. Osbrink has been named senior vice president at Grubb & Ellis Co. In his new position, Osbrink will serve as regional manager of the company’s five Los Angeles County locations. He previously was regional manager of the company’s Orange County/Inland Empire brokerage operations. He will be based in Torrance. Retail Dennis Adomaitis has been promoted to executive vice president of international operations at Burbank-based Warner Bros. Studio Stores. Adomaitis will supervise the company’s owned-and-operated stores in foreign countries. He previously was senior vice president of international operations.