Lou Festa Joins City Lights as CFO

Business Wire,  May 7, 2008  

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Exec will report to CEO Danny Fisher

NEW YORK -- Lou Festa has joined City Lights Media Group as the company's chief financial officer. He will oversee the company's business and finance operations as well as strategic initiatives with its growing slate of television and film projects. Festa joins City Lights from FremantleMedia Media North America where he also served as CFO since 1998.

Festa also served executive positions at All American Communications where he was instrumental in the acquisition of the Mark Goodson Library and the sale of All American Communications to Pearson. Prior to All American, Festa was with LBS Communications, a subsidiary of Grey Advertising, where he held a key role in guiding the company through a leveraged buyout.

"I am very excited to be with City Lights where the quality of development is second to none," says Festa. "This is evident in the 59 original formats sold including the very successful 'Your Mama Don't Dance.'"

Festa will report directly to City Lights Media Group's CEO, Danny Fisher. "Lou brings a wealth of experience that will help secure City Lights' position as an emerging independent studio," said Fisher.

City Lights Media Group is now in its 25th year of operation. In the last three years, the Company has experienced dramatic growth and diversification, making it one of the fastest growing media companies in the country. The company is engaged in the development, acquisition, creation, production, distribution and global licensing of proprietary content including motion pictures, television programs and digital content, such as wireless, broadband, and video on demand.

City Lights is comprised of four major divisions - City Lights Pictures, City Lights Television, City Lights Home Entertainment, and City Lights Digital. City Lights Pictures recently acquired Brazil's official selection for the 80th Academy Awards, "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation", released theatrically throughout North America by its distribution arm City Lights Pictures Releasing. In 2007 City Lights Pictures acquired and distributed Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner "Manda Bala", and Michael Corrente's "Brooklyn Rules" starring Alec Baldwin. City Lights Pictures executive produced John Waters' "A Dirty Shame" for New Line Cinema and produced supernatural thriller "Tamara" for Lionsgate. Other recent films produced include "Descent," starring Rosario Dawson and "The Ten," directed by David Wain and starring Paul Rudd, Winona Ryder and Jessica Alba. City Lights Television is currently in production on over 200 episodes of television for networks including Lifetime, TV Guide, Travel, HGTV, WE, Fine Living, DIY, Speed Channel, Discovery Health and SOAPnet. Series currently airing include Lifetime's "Your Mama Don't Dance," TV Guide's "Celebrity Says," HGTV's "Don't Sweat It," WE's "Cinematherapy," and Travel Channel's "25 Mind Blowing Escapes." City Lights Digital recently completed its 800th web clip. Current digital clients include: Barnesandnoble.com, Kohler.com, WEtv.com, and Sci Fi, among others. For more information, please visit www.citylightsmedia.com.

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