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The Gotham Film & Media Institute has added four high-profile figures to its board of directors, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

The group behind the Gotham Awards has added actors Jonathan Majors and Stephanie March, entertainment marketing and PR executive Lisa Taback and entrepreneur and women’s advocate Dee Poku to its board.

The new additions join existing board members Nancy Abraham, Anthony Bregman, Jeb Brody, Gerry Byrne, Alina Cho, Dan Crown, Mark D’Arcy (director emeritus), Amy Emmerich, Philipp Engelhorn, Kai Falkenberg, James Janowitz, Franklin Leonard, Soledad O’Brien, Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar, John Schmidt, Teddy Schwarzman, Drew Wilson and Celia Winchester.

“We are thrilled that these four brilliant media and entertainment veterans are bringing their unique perspectives and expertise to The Gotham’s board,” Gotham executive director Jeffrey Sharp said in a statement. “As we find new and innovative ways to advance our mission and expand our impact,...

HollywoodNews.com: Erin Burnett is about to take over CNN’s 7pm spot, and everyone is happy about it. On Tuesday night, the top brass from CNN tossed Erin quite a lovely pre-debut gala at Robert restaurant on Columbus Circle that was so packed with important peeps that it was almost frightening. My favorite moment: talking to Daily News publisher Mort Zuckerman and journalist Judith Miller, when all of a sudden a man arrived bringing Zuckerman a glass of liquid refreshment from the bar. It was none other than Jp Morgan chief Jamie Dimon, who’d volunteered to snake through the packed room and return with beverages. How incredibly helpful!

And then Time Magazine’s John Huey and CNN’s Greg D’Alba were chatting, while Anderson Cooper, Erin Moriarty, ABC News’s Bill Blakemore, and Dan Abrams were all milling about. CNN was represented by chiefs Ken Jautz and Mark Whitaker,...

Letter from THR's editor and publisher

e5 Global Media, a new company formed jointly by private equity partner Pluribus Capital Management and financial services firm Guggenheim Partners, is acquiring The Hollywood Reporter and seven of its sister publications from the Nielsen Co.

Management of the acquired brands and their staff members will begin to transition immediately. The acquisition, which is subject to normal terms and conditions, is scheduled to close by Dec. 31.

In addition to The Hollywood Reporter, the brands included in the sale by Nielsen Business Media are: Billboard, Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek, Back Stage, Film Journal and the Clio Awards. e5 Global Media will also acquire the Film Expo business, which includes the ShoWest, ShowEast, Cinema Expo Intl. and CineAsia trade shows.

Pluribus was founded earlier this year by James Finkelstein, George Green and Matthew Doull to focus on acquiring and managing media properties with growth potential, particularly those...

New York -- Two of Korea's red-hot up-and-coming film stars, Kong Hyo-Jin and So Ji-Sub, received the inaugural Rising Star Asia Awards as part of the eighth New York Asian Film Festival Wednesday night.

The actress and the actor were in town for the honors at Manhattan's IFC Center.

Kong is featured at the festival this year with "Crush and Blush" and "Dachimawa Lee," while So was in town in support of his movie "Rough Cut" and received his award from Gerry Byrne, senior vp for the Entertainment Group at Nielsen Business Media, of which THR is part.

Long lines of avid fans patiently waited for screenings of the two films later Wednesday evening.

Earlier in the day, Kong and So told THR through translators that they are each currently looking at their next potential projects.

So said "it could be in Korea, it could be Japan, China." He added:...

New York -- Edie Falco and "Sesame Street" were among the honorees of the fourth annual Made in NY awards presented by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Gracie Mansion on Monday night.

Also among the honorees: Broadway composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda; Gerry Byrne, senior vp for the Entertainment Group at Nielsen Business Media, of which The Hollywood Reporter is part; commercial production firm Hungry Man; and the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, a not-for-profit advocacy organization. Sesame Street celebrates its 40th anniversary this fall.

Bloomberg quipped that while others roll out the red carpet, his team had brought out the red Muppet.

The mayor said the film and TV industry is "critical" to the city, and he made reference to a still-pending new New York City tax credit package. "We look forward to working with the industry to extend the credit in a fiscally responsible way," he said.

The...

Nielsen Business Media on Tuesday announced the formation of the Media & Entertainment Group by bringing together AdweekMedia and the Entertainment division.

The move aligns Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek, Editor & Publisher and the Clio Awards with such brands as The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.

The newly created Media & Entertainment Group will be run by senior vp Gerry Byrne, who has overseen the Entertainment brands for the past year.

In addition, senior vp Sabrina Crow, who has been leading the Marketing, Media and Visual Arts Group, will take on a broader role, becoming responsible for Nielsen Business Media's corporate planning and development function, including strategic planning, M&A activities, as well as Nielsen's digital products and online corporate sales efforts.

Crow will continue to lead the Travel, Training, Photo, Jewelry, Food, and Real Estate brands, which have been renamed Brand Media Group.

"Recognizing the information, insights, data, conference and event resources within all...

More Sundance news

Saturday night at the Sundance film festival, Summit Entertainment reached another peak when co-chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger received the second annual Nielsen Impact Award.

Industry players in Park City for the annual fest gathered at Main Street's Cafe Terigo to honor the two men whose fortunes soared this year with ther release of the $300 million-grossing blockbuster "Twilight."

"We started this last year, and it was something incredibly sincere," said Hollywood Reporter publisher Eric Mika, who presented the award with last year's recipient, festival director Geoffrey Gilmore. "The award is the Nielsen Impact Award, which celebrates the impact that an individual has on the independent film community. We believe these are two gentlemen who not only work incredibly well together but built a billion-dollar industry and launched a franchise that never will see its twilight."

"Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger are pros in every sense of the word,...

MovieWeek La, a new industry and consumer gathering from Nielsen Business Media that will explore the art, craft and business of creating the moving image, is coming to the film capital of the world in spring 2010.

Tom Morrissy, a former publisher of Entertainment Weekly and Ok! magazine and an ad sales veteran, has been tapped as managing director of the annual trade show and citywide complex of events, with his newly formed firm Morrissy + Vine engaged to plan and develop MovieWeek La.

The event is being created by Nielsen Business Media's Entertainment Group, whose brands include The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard and Back Stage.

"Entertainment is America's most significant export -- it's a business and art that should be heralded in the city where it resonates, for its contribution to the creative and economic fabric of our nation," said Gerry Byrne, senior vp of Nielsen Business Media's Entertainment Group.

"Just as...