Alan Mruvka
Encyclopedia
Alan Mruvka is an American
entertainment and media entrepreneur
, film producer
and screenwriter
. He created and co-founded Movietime Channel, which later became E! Entertainment television.
He is the Founder
, President
and CEO
of 'The Alan Mruvka Company', and is a California
real estate developer.
refugees in Bronx, New York in 1958. He grew up in Flushing, Queens
and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
, where he attended Dwight Morrow High School
. He studied architecture
at the University of Miami
and New York’s Pratt Institute
.
, formerly known as Movietime, with Larry Namer
, and was Chairman and co-founder of The Ministry of Film and Filmtown Entertainment. Mruvka recently founded and launched THE LOOK STORE.com.
in 1984. He said the inspiration to create Movietime Channel came while attending a Hollywood AFI seminar about selling screenplays to studios, but instead listened to the studio executives complain about the high cost of advertising a movie. It was then that Mruvka set out to raise seven million dollars to start the network. After three years of not raising any money, a chance meeting on a flight to New York led him to the investment banking company of Mabon Nugent. The investment banking company put a consortium together and raised Mruvka 2.3 million dollars. Mruvka took the money, set up shop in Hollywood and on July 31, 1987, Mruvka and Namer launched Movietime. The network began operation, showing interviews with stars, behind the scenes and movie trailers and charging the studios to show them, a business similar to what MTV
did with music and intended for the same demographic. Once on the air, Mruvka raised an additional 200 million dollars within the next twelve months.
The investment consortium included Time Inc., Warner Communications, Cox, Comcast
and HBO, and in 1990 Movietime was renamed E! Entertainment Television, Inc. While with E!, Mruvka oversaw production of over 20,000 hours of programming while guiding the channel to the fastest growth of a start-up
of a cable network
in television history. He also founded Movies USA magazine, as a national movie magazine distributed in movie theaters. Also in the 90's, Mruvka co-founded Ministry of Film (MOF) with Marilyn Vance
, however that union ended in a lawsuit dispute.
In 1992, shortly after leaving E!
, he created FX TV (Fitness and Exercise Television Inc.) as a cable channel to be launched in 1994. Fox Television planned a launch of their own FX Channel, and Mruvka sued them with the assertion that Fox
had prior knowledge of his use of the initials. Mruvka then sold FX to Fox for an undisclosed amount thus allowing Fox to use the name.
While under the Ministry of Film shingle, Mruvka produced Erotic Confessions
for Cinemax (1994–1997), Embrace of the Vampire
(1995) starring Alyssa Milano
, and co-wrote and produced Showtime's The Legend of Gator Face
(1996). In 1998 he produced Intimate Sessions for Cinemax (1998), and the winner of the Chicago International Children's Film Festival
and Sundance Film Festival
critically acclaimed Digging to China
starring Evan Rachel Wood
, USA Network
's Pacific Blue
(1996–2000), the David Mamet
directed State and Main
, HBO's Red Letters, and the weekly boxing series Thunderbox
(2000).
and Melanie Griffith
, but the project was halted due to rising production costs. In August, shortly before filming was scheduled to have begun, Stern's agents were informed by Mruvka that financing for the movie had fallen through, and in October Stern
filed suit against MOF for their "not paying him to appear in a film Jane that was never produced", alleging breach of contract, in that company execs promised in April of that year to pair him with Grifith
for the film and that they had entered into written and oral agreements in July, even though they knew there was inadequate financing. In response, Mruvka contended that "Howard was never pay or play" and that Stern knew all along that financing was an issue. On Friday January 15, 1999, three days before jury selection for the trial was to commence, it was announced that Stern accepted $50,000 to settle his lawsuit.
, whose suit alleged that Mruvka "failed to carry out promises to capitalize Ministry; that the company purchased real estate without giving Vance the option of part-ownership; and that Mruvka and his father, Murray (who does not hold a position at Ministry), seized control of the company's board of directors in violation of Vance's rights as 50% owner and opened bank accounts that did not list her as a signatory."
. The site was designed as an entertainment and e-commerce website with content divided into seven main sections: Moviestreet, Musicstreet, Televisionstreet, Fashionstreet, Auctionstreet, Celebritystreet, Camstreet and Shoppingstreet. It was planned that these main sections would contain both original content, as well as area-specific content from partners including TV Guide
and The Weather Channel
, as an online version of what E! has been for television. The site is no longer online.
since 1945. He purchased the building and throughout 2001 renovated it into an office complex. This led to similar projects, Currently, as the Blue Square Development Group (a subsidiary of TAMC), he has now for several years been involved with both re-development of old properties and development of new housing in Riverside County
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entertainment and media entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. He created and co-founded Movietime Channel, which later became E! Entertainment television.
He is the Founder
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
and CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of 'The Alan Mruvka Company', and is a California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
real estate developer.
Background
Mruvka was born to PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
refugees in Bronx, New York in 1958. He grew up in Flushing, Queens
Flushing, Queens
Flushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Englewood Cliffs is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 5,281. The borough houses the world headquarters of CNBC and the American headquarters of Unilever, and is home to both Ferrari and Maserati North America.Englewood Cliffs...
, where he attended Dwight Morrow High School
Dwight Morrow High School
Dwight Morrow High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Englewood, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Englewood Public School District. The school also serves students from Englewood Cliffs, who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship...
. He studied architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
and New York’s Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
.
Career
Mruvka co-founded E! Entertainment TelevisionE!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
, formerly known as Movietime, with Larry Namer
Larry Namer
Larry Namer is an entertainment and media entrepreneur who, along with Alan Mruvka, founded E! Entertainment Television, a company now valued at over $3.5 billion, and Movies USA Magazine.-Biography:...
, and was Chairman and co-founder of The Ministry of Film and Filmtown Entertainment. Mruvka recently founded and launched THE LOOK STORE.com.
Entertainment, Film, and Television
Mruvka created and founded Movietime Channel Inc now known as "E! Entertainment Television" with partner Larry NamerLarry Namer
Larry Namer is an entertainment and media entrepreneur who, along with Alan Mruvka, founded E! Entertainment Television, a company now valued at over $3.5 billion, and Movies USA Magazine.-Biography:...
in 1984. He said the inspiration to create Movietime Channel came while attending a Hollywood AFI seminar about selling screenplays to studios, but instead listened to the studio executives complain about the high cost of advertising a movie. It was then that Mruvka set out to raise seven million dollars to start the network. After three years of not raising any money, a chance meeting on a flight to New York led him to the investment banking company of Mabon Nugent. The investment banking company put a consortium together and raised Mruvka 2.3 million dollars. Mruvka took the money, set up shop in Hollywood and on July 31, 1987, Mruvka and Namer launched Movietime. The network began operation, showing interviews with stars, behind the scenes and movie trailers and charging the studios to show them, a business similar to what MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
did with music and intended for the same demographic. Once on the air, Mruvka raised an additional 200 million dollars within the next twelve months.
The investment consortium included Time Inc., Warner Communications, Cox, Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
and HBO, and in 1990 Movietime was renamed E! Entertainment Television, Inc. While with E!, Mruvka oversaw production of over 20,000 hours of programming while guiding the channel to the fastest growth of a start-up
Startup company
A startup company or startup is a company with a limited operating history. These companies, generally newly created, are in a phase of development and research for markets...
of a cable network
Cable network
A cable channel is a television channel available via cable television. Such channels are usually also available via satellite television, including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and BSkyB...
in television history. He also founded Movies USA magazine, as a national movie magazine distributed in movie theaters. Also in the 90's, Mruvka co-founded Ministry of Film (MOF) with Marilyn Vance
Marilyn Vance
Marilyn Vance is an award-winning American costume designer and filmmaker.-Background:Born Marilyn Kaye, she was once married to Kenny Vance of Jay and the Americans. Marilyn became a costume designer in Hollywood...
, however that union ended in a lawsuit dispute.
In 1992, shortly after leaving E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
, he created FX TV (Fitness and Exercise Television Inc.) as a cable channel to be launched in 1994. Fox Television planned a launch of their own FX Channel, and Mruvka sued them with the assertion that Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
had prior knowledge of his use of the initials. Mruvka then sold FX to Fox for an undisclosed amount thus allowing Fox to use the name.
While under the Ministry of Film shingle, Mruvka produced Erotic Confessions
Erotic Confessions
Erotic Confessions is a Cinemax channel show airing from 1992 to 1996 and as a video series from 1994 to 1997. Its premise was a modern-day letter reader by Jacqueline Stone . The cast starred Kimberley Sessions, Julie K. Smith, Carrie Westcott....
for Cinemax (1994–1997), Embrace of the Vampire
Embrace of the Vampire
Embrace of the Vampire is a vampire film famous mostly for Alyssa Milano's frequent nude scenes. It was rated R by the MPAA for strong sexuality, and for violence and language...
(1995) starring Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...
, and co-wrote and produced Showtime's The Legend of Gator Face
The Legend of Gator Face
The Legend of Gator Face is a 1996 Canadian comedy horror feature film written by David Covell, Alan Mruvka, and Sahara Riley, and directed by Vic Sarin. The film first aired as a Showtime Original Pictures for Kids on May 1996. In 1997 it was nominated for a Daytime Emmy...
(1996). In 1998 he produced Intimate Sessions for Cinemax (1998), and the winner of the Chicago International Children's Film Festival
Chicago International Children's Film Festival
Founded in 1975, Facets Multi-Media, located at 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, 60614 Facets Multi-Media is the largest conservator dedicated to the exhibition, distribution & education of foreign, independent & classic cinema...
and Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
critically acclaimed Digging to China
Digging to China
Digging to China is a 1998 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of actor Timothy Hutton and the screen debut of Evan Rachel Wood...
starring Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood is an American actress and singer. She began her acting career in the late 1990s, appearing in several television series, including American Gothic and Once and Again...
, USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
's Pacific Blue
Pacific Blue (TV series)
Pacific Blue is an American crime drama series about a team of police officers with the Santa Monica Police Department who patrolled its beaches on bicycles. The show ran for five seasons on the USA Network, from March 2, 1996 to April 9, 2000, with a total of one hundred and one episodes...
(1996–2000), the David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
directed State and Main
State and Main
State and Main is a 2000 comedy film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rebecca Pidgeon, about the on-location production in Waterford, Vermont of a film called The Old Mill...
, HBO's Red Letters, and the weekly boxing series Thunderbox
Thunderbox
Thunderbox is the eighth rock studio album by English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1974. It reached #52 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.-Album profile:...
(2000).
Jane controversy
In early 1997 MOF invested in a film project Jane, which was to have starred starred Howard SternHoward Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
and Melanie Griffith
Melanie Griffith
Melanie Richards Griffith is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for her performance in the 1988 film Working Girl...
, but the project was halted due to rising production costs. In August, shortly before filming was scheduled to have begun, Stern's agents were informed by Mruvka that financing for the movie had fallen through, and in October Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
filed suit against MOF for their "not paying him to appear in a film Jane that was never produced", alleging breach of contract, in that company execs promised in April of that year to pair him with Grifith
Melanie Griffith
Melanie Richards Griffith is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for her performance in the 1988 film Working Girl...
for the film and that they had entered into written and oral agreements in July, even though they knew there was inadequate financing. In response, Mruvka contended that "Howard was never pay or play" and that Stern knew all along that financing was an issue. On Friday January 15, 1999, three days before jury selection for the trial was to commence, it was announced that Stern accepted $50,000 to settle his lawsuit.
Dissolution of MOF
Mruvka dissolved MOF in 1997 and in 1998 started Filmtown Entertainment. However, dissolution of MOF led to litigation by former partner Marilyn VanceMarilyn Vance
Marilyn Vance is an award-winning American costume designer and filmmaker.-Background:Born Marilyn Kaye, she was once married to Kenny Vance of Jay and the Americans. Marilyn became a costume designer in Hollywood...
, whose suit alleged that Mruvka "failed to carry out promises to capitalize Ministry; that the company purchased real estate without giving Vance the option of part-ownership; and that Mruvka and his father, Murray (who does not hold a position at Ministry), seized control of the company's board of directors in violation of Vance's rights as 50% owner and opened bank accounts that did not list her as a signatory."
Internet
In 2000, Mruvka founded the internet entertainment portal celebstreet.com. As his first internet venture, the April 5 launch was christened by actress Pamela Lee Anderson at the Spring Internet world trade show at the Los Angeles Convention CenterLos Angeles Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center is a convention center in the southwest portion of downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show and Anime Expo, and is best known to video games fans as host to E3...
. The site was designed as an entertainment and e-commerce website with content divided into seven main sections: Moviestreet, Musicstreet, Televisionstreet, Fashionstreet, Auctionstreet, Celebritystreet, Camstreet and Shoppingstreet. It was planned that these main sections would contain both original content, as well as area-specific content from partners including TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
and The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...
, as an online version of what E! has been for television. The site is no longer online.
Real estate
Mruvka founded The Alan Mruvka Company (TAMC), a Los Angeles based television and motion picture production company, and real estate development company. In 2001 he decided to leave filmmaking and reinvest his energies toward real estate development and architecture. He became interested in the nearly 100-year-old California Iron Works building which had sat vacant in downtown Riverside, CaliforniaRiverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
since 1945. He purchased the building and throughout 2001 renovated it into an office complex. This led to similar projects, Currently, as the Blue Square Development Group (a subsidiary of TAMC), he has now for several years been involved with both re-development of old properties and development of new housing in Riverside County
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
.
Film and Television Producer
- State and MainState and MainState and Main is a 2000 comedy film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rebecca Pidgeon, about the on-location production in Waterford, Vermont of a film called The Old Mill...
(2000) - Red Letters (2000)
- ThunderboxThunderboxThunderbox is the eighth rock studio album by English rock group Humble Pie, released in 1974. It reached #52 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States.-Album profile:...
(2000) TV series - Digging to ChinaDigging to ChinaDigging to China is a 1998 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of actor Timothy Hutton and the screen debut of Evan Rachel Wood...
(1998) (producer) - Pacific BluePacific Blue (TV series)Pacific Blue is an American crime drama series about a team of police officers with the Santa Monica Police Department who patrolled its beaches on bicycles. The show ran for five seasons on the USA Network, from March 2, 1996 to April 9, 2000, with a total of one hundred and one episodes...
(1996) TV series - The Legend of Gator FaceThe Legend of Gator FaceThe Legend of Gator Face is a 1996 Canadian comedy horror feature film written by David Covell, Alan Mruvka, and Sahara Riley, and directed by Vic Sarin. The film first aired as a Showtime Original Pictures for Kids on May 1996. In 1997 it was nominated for a Daytime Emmy...
(1996) - Embrace of the VampireEmbrace of the VampireEmbrace of the Vampire is a vampire film famous mostly for Alyssa Milano's frequent nude scenes. It was rated R by the MPAA for strong sexuality, and for violence and language...
(1995) - Erotic ConfessionsErotic ConfessionsErotic Confessions is a Cinemax channel show airing from 1992 to 1996 and as a video series from 1994 to 1997. Its premise was a modern-day letter reader by Jacqueline Stone . The cast starred Kimberley Sessions, Julie K. Smith, Carrie Westcott....
" (1994) TV series