CAA taps Yanover for strategy

Lawyer owns publisher of 'Bulletproof Monk' comic

By CLAUDE BRODESSER

Creative Artists Agency has hired business strategist, entrepreneur and attorney Michael Yanover to help identify strategic opportunities for CAA and to work closely with clients to help them achieve their entrepreneurial goals.

A former Wall Streeter trained as an attorney, Yanover went on to head motion picture and television for Malibu Comics, publisher of the "Men in Black" series, and to create his own imprint, Flypaper Press -- publisher of the "Bulletproof Monk" comicbook series whose film adaptation was just released by MGM.

He has also helped put together Mel Gibson's Icon shingle, a foreign sales and production outfit, and advised companies like Working Title, Interscope and Polygram Filmed Entertainment at or near their inception.

"Michael is a successful entrepreneur with tremendous vision and an experienced business executive who excels at delivering on great ideas," said CAA prexy Richard Lovett. "Drawing on his experience identifying and seizing meaningful opportunities in film, television, publishing, and videogames, Michael will be a powerful advocate for CAA clients with their own entrepreneurial aspirations, wherever they may set their sights."

From 1999-2001, Yanover was senior VP-general manager of entertainment at Macromedia/Atom-Shockwave. He launched Macromedia's online entertainment division, Shockwave.com, and helped guide the acquisition of Webcaster Atom Films. Yanover then managed all entertainment content for Shockwave and Atom and negotiated and oversaw production on key deals with the company's cornerstone partners, including Showtime, New Line and Disney, and liaised for creative relationships with Tim Burton, David Lynch, Matt Stone, Trey Parker and James L. Brooks.

"The fit is excellent, because I have a lot of experience helping clients with aspirations of growing their businesses, or expanding into other lines of businesses," said Yanover.

He began his entertainment career as an attorney at Nigel Sinclair's Sinclair Tenenbaum & Co. working on large-budget independent film financing.