Lucasfilm taps marketer
Katz to head all global marketing initiatives
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Katz, who'll relocate from St. Louis to San Francisco, will carry the title of vice president and report to senior VP Jim Ward.
He will head all global marketing initiatives, including the still-anticipated "Indiana Jones IV," and the 30th anniversaries of ILM and "Star Wars" in 2007. But Katz confirmed that his appointment is part of the company's ongoing shift toward TV production (Daily Variety, Aug. 2).
Katz said that while he expects there will still be Lucasfilm features, including "Indy IV" and Lucas' future projects, "We have to stop being just a movie studio and have to move to being a television and movie studio."
Lucas has said there are two "Star Wars" skeins in development, one live action and one 3-D animation.
"Star Wars" is "at the heart of this company, and I can't envision a time when it isn't the central rod that keeps us going," said Katz.
He said his challenge, though, will be to establish that Lucasfilm is more than "a two-trick pony" with "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones."
"I don't think Lucasfilm has worried about a corporate identity. I think we have to think about that and an identity that stands separate from 'Star Wars.' "
Since 1998, Katz has run a consulting practice, the Halo Effect, which helped reshape the Court TV and BBC America nets.
He was previously a senior VP of marketing at VH1, where he led a rebranding effort for the net. He was also part of the launch team for Cartoon Network.
