Michael Kassan

Chairman & CEO
Media Link, LLC

An internationally recognized business strategist operating at the intersection of the media, advertising, and entertainment industries, Michael E. Kassan is chairman and chief executive officer of Media Link, LLC, a leading Los Angeles and New York City-based advisory and business development firm that provides critical counsel and direction on issues of marketing, advertising, media, entertainment and digital technology. Media Link provides strategic marketing and brand development, implementation roadmaps, technology solutions for media, media sales and revenue generation, business development, organizational planning, and competitive analysis many of the Fortune 100's biggest global brands such as Microsoft, AT&T, Unilever, Home Depot, Colgate-Palmolive, The Walt Disney Company, Viacom, Fox Television Studios, Comcast, Bain & Co., GSO Capital (Blackstone), Cerberus Capital Management, General Atlantic, Fremantle, General Motors, and Sony.

Mr. Kassan previously was the President/Chief Operating Officer and Vice-Chairman of Initiative Media Worldwide. In 1997, he was named one of the top media executives in America by Advertising Age magazine. Mr. Kassan joined Initiative Media Worldwide in 1994 where helped grow media billings from $1.5 billion to over $10 billion. Prior to Initiative, he was President and COO of International Video Entertainment (Artisan Entertainment). Mr. Kassan, an attorney, was also counsel to the Los Angeles law firm of Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro.

Mr. Kassan is often called upon as speaker and commentator to share his insights on the media and advertising industries, changes within them, growth, and where tangible opportunities exist for marketers. He is a regular keynote speaker at the world's major media conferences.

Mr. Kassan has served on the Board of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society, the Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, the Cultural Affairs Commission – City of Los Angeles and has also has been Chairman of the State Senate Select Committee on the Entertainment Industry.

Mr. Kassan plays an active role in children's education and mentoring, having been involved in both the H.E.L.P. Group, a non-profit organization serving children with special needs, and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program of Los Angeles.

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