Michael V. Lewis

Michael V. Lewis

Lewis at the Producers Guild of America
Born San Juan, Puerto Rico
Occupation Founder and CEO of RealD
Years active 1993–present

Michael V. Lewis is an American CEO, entrepreneur and investor in media, entertainment and technology. After holding the position of Senior Vice President of InterMedia, a media investment banking and advisory company, he cofounded and was CEO of L-Squared Entertainment, an award winning digital entertainment studio.[1] In 2003, he cofounded and currently serves as CEO of RealD, a global licensor of visual and 3D technologies that maintains the largest 3D cinema platform in the world.[2] Michael is also a Marquee Donor to the Motion Picture Television Fund[3] and is a member of the City Year Los Angeles Board of Directors.[4]

Early life and education

Michael, an only child, grew up in Central Florida. His father was a real estate developer and his mother was a linguist and a flight attendant with Pan American Airways. Michael became interested in the entertainment industry at age of 14 after viewing Star Wars multiple times. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1985. His first job in the film business was as a production assistant on the movie About Last Night starring Demi Moore and Rob Lowe.[5]

Career

InterMedia

Prior to founding his own companies, Lewis was a Senior Vice President of InterMedia/Film Equities, a media investment banking and advisory company.[6]

L-Squared Entertainment

In 1994, Lewis cofounded L-Squared Entertainment, a digital entertainment studio which specialized in using new technologies in the entertainment industry. The company was acclaimed for its PC-generated digital effects in the film Virtuosity.[7] Lewis served as a producer on the 3D movie Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Box,[8] which won a MAXI award for best 3D picture in 1999,[9] and he also co-produced the 3D movie T-Rex: Back To The Cretaceous.[10] The company also produced The CAA/Intel New Media Lab Virtual Studio Tour starring Danny DeVito for CAA and Intel.[11]

RealD

In 2003, Michael cofounded RealD, a visual entertainment technology company headquartered in Beverly Hills with offices in Boulder, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Moscow, Tokyo, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The first film to use RealD 3D technology was Disney's 2005 film Chicken Little.[12] RealD has since become the world’s largest 3D cinema platform with more than 27,500 screens in 72 countries,[2] with over 1.5 billion people having seen a movie in RealD 3D. Michael also served as executive producer for the films Madam Butterfly 3D and Carmen 3D, both of which were presented in RealD 3D.[13][14]

In 2010, Michael made RealD available for public trading. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RLD.[15] RealD was named as one of the world's most innovative companies by Fast Company magazine.[16]

In November 2015, RealD announced it would be sold to private-equity firm Rizvi Traverse Management, LLC for approximately $551 million.[17] The merger was completed in February 2016 and Mr. Lewis continues to serve in the role of Chief Executive Officer after reinvesting his equity stake in the company.[18]

Awards

Michael V. Lewis has been the recipient of numerous awards. In 2011, he received the Producers Guild of America Vanguard Award, which recognizes achievements in new media and technology. He also received the Special Award For Achievement for Technical Contributions to the Motion Picture Industry at the ShowEast trade show in 2013.[19] In May 2016, Lewis received the Thomas Alva Edison Innovation Award, given by the Edison Innovation Foundation.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Michael Lewis". Bloomberg.
  2. 1 2 "RealD Prevails Over MasterImage In Patent Infringement Action". PRNewswire. December 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ "REALD'S MICHAEL V. LEWIS TO BE HONORED WITH SPECIAL AWARD OF ACHIEVEMENT AT SHOWEAST 2013". BoxOffice. September 4, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Our Board". City Year.
  5. ↑ About Last Night, end credits
  6. ↑ "RealD Inc. - Michael V. Lewis". Wall Street Journal.
  7. ↑ "MTV Films, L-Squared Entertainment to Make Techno-Dance Film". Big Movie Zone. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
  8. ↑ "'Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Box' -- 3D Magic, With Smoke and Tigers". New York Times. 1 October 1999.
  9. ↑ "Siegfried & Roy and The Old Man and the Sea Garner Multiple Maximum Image Awards for Excellence In Large-Format Filmmaking". prnewswire.com. Imax Corporation. 4 April 2000.
  10. ↑ T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous. End credits.
  11. ↑ "List of Public Companies Worldwide, Letter". Businessweek.
  12. ↑ "'Chicken Little' gives peek at digital 3D". CNET. CBS Interactive. 4 November 2005.
  13. ↑ Madam Butterfly 3D. End credits.
  14. ↑ Carmen 3D. End credits.
  15. ↑ "RealD Inc. - Michael V. Lewis". MarketWatch.
  16. ↑ "The World's Most Innovative Companies". Fast Company. 1 March 2008.
  17. ↑ Minaya, Ezequiel. "Rizvi Traverse to Buy RealD in $551 Million Deal". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
  18. ↑ "Rizvi Traverse Management Completes Merger with RealD Inc." (Press release). RealD. Retrieved 2016-07-27 – via Business Wire.
  19. ↑ "ShowEast to Honor Relativity President, RealD Founder". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 September 2013.
  20. ↑ "Celebrating ingenuity and initiative: "YPO Innovation Week" concludes with inaugural Thomas Alva Edison Innovation Awards" (Press release). Young Presidents' Organization. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016 – via GlobeNewswire.
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