Karol Martesko-Fenster
Encyclopedia
Karol Martesko-Fenster (born March 12, 1961) is an Austrian-born American entrepreneur and cross media executive. He has been active in the motion picture, publishing, music television and Internet industries for over two decades including leadership in the American independent film industry.
Most recently Martesko-Fenster was the General Manager of the Film Division at Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures
Entertainment Properties and President of Palm’s RES Media Group. During his five-year tenure he supervised the strategic re-organization of the film division and oversaw the company’s successful theatrical releases of Scratch and Sex and Lucia. While at Palm, he led all operations and brand positioning for the RES Media Group business unit, including its digital film festival RESFest
, the world’s original digital arts and entertainment festival, which in its final year (2006) was a global touring event spanning six continents, 19 countries and over 40 cities worldwide.
Prior to joining Palm, Martesko-Fenster was the President of Rising Tide Studios
, an integrated media and convergence company founded by Jason Calacanis
. As President & Publisher Martesko-Fenster supervised the growth and development of the Silicon Alley Reporter
and Digital Coast Reporter magazines and numerous high profile conferences on the Media, Finance and Technology Industries.
In the early 1990s Martesko-Fenster co-founded and launched Filmmaker (magazine), indieWIRE
, RES (magazine)
, and The Virtual FilmFestival. In the late 1980s Martesko-Fenster was a coordinating producer for Great Performances
Music on PBS and produced music television programs and live satellite broadcasts. Martesko-Fenster was the Market Director for the breakout 1989 Independent Feature Film Market, the inaugural event at the Angelika Film Center
. In 1990, as the Acting Executive Director of the Independent Feature Project, Martesko-Fenster restructured the film membership & service organization and initiated the inaugural Gotham Awards
.
, the global web, mobile and IPTV destination.
, Dark Fibre and Wetlands Preserved and collaborated with Richard Linklater
on Before Sunrise
.
Most recently Martesko-Fenster was the General Manager of the Film Division at Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures
Palm Pictures
Palm Pictures is a US-based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell. Palm Pictures produces, acquires and distributes innovative music and film projects with a particular focus on the DVD format...
Entertainment Properties and President of Palm’s RES Media Group. During his five-year tenure he supervised the strategic re-organization of the film division and oversaw the company’s successful theatrical releases of Scratch and Sex and Lucia. While at Palm, he led all operations and brand positioning for the RES Media Group business unit, including its digital film festival RESFest
RESFest
RESFEST was by the 2000s the most prominent digital film festival in North America. It was a leading global showcase of new digital filmmakers alongside England's Onedotzero festival. The festival toured the world and in 2005 travelled to 35 cities in the USA, Canada, UK, Japan, Australia,...
, the world’s original digital arts and entertainment festival, which in its final year (2006) was a global touring event spanning six continents, 19 countries and over 40 cities worldwide.
Prior to joining Palm, Martesko-Fenster was the President of Rising Tide Studios
Rising Tide Studios
Rising Tide Studios is an American company that has produced news and events related to online business-to-business ventures.Founded by Jason McCabe Calacanis in 1996, their first publication, the Silicon Alley Reporter, debuted as a 16-page photocopied newsletter covering Silicon Alley in New...
, an integrated media and convergence company founded by Jason Calacanis
Jason Calacanis
Jason McCabe Calacanis is an American Internet entrepreneur and blogger. His first company was part of the dot-com era in New York, and his second venture, Weblogs, Inc., capitalized on the growth of blogs before being sold to AOL....
. As President & Publisher Martesko-Fenster supervised the growth and development of the Silicon Alley Reporter
Silicon Alley Reporter
Silicon Alley Reporter was an American trade publication focused on New York's Silicon Alley.Founded by Jason Calacanis in 1996, then was renamed the Venture Reporter in 2001 and was eventually sold to Dow Jones in 2003....
and Digital Coast Reporter magazines and numerous high profile conferences on the Media, Finance and Technology Industries.
In the early 1990s Martesko-Fenster co-founded and launched Filmmaker (magazine), indieWIRE
IndieWire
indieWIRE is a daily news site for the independent film community. It covers indie, documentary and foreign language films, as well industry news, film festival reports, filmmaker interviews and movie reviews...
, RES (magazine)
RES (magazine)
RES was a bi-monthly magazine chronicling the best in cutting edge film, music, art, design and culture. RES was launched with a preview issue in January 1997 at the Sundance Film Festival. The full-length premiere issue debuted in August 1997 with music video directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie...
, and The Virtual FilmFestival. In the late 1980s Martesko-Fenster was a coordinating producer for Great Performances
Great Performances
Great Performances, a television series devoted to the performing arts, has been telecast on Public Broadcasting Service public television since 1972...
Music on PBS and produced music television programs and live satellite broadcasts. Martesko-Fenster was the Market Director for the breakout 1989 Independent Feature Film Market, the inaugural event at the Angelika Film Center
Angelika Film Center
Angelika Film Center is a movie theater chain in the United States that features independent and foreign films. It operates theaters in New York City and Texas. Its headquarters are in New York City.-History:...
. In 1990, as the Acting Executive Director of the Independent Feature Project, Martesko-Fenster restructured the film membership & service organization and initiated the inaugural Gotham Awards
Gotham Awards
The Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City...
.
Recent
Karol joined Babel Networks in September 2008 after providing strategic consulting services to numerous film and media ventures, including Arts Alliance, FILMHAUS Vienna, T5M, Tribeca Enterprises, CINELAN and The WorkBook Project. As the Senior Vice-President/General Manager of Babel Networks US, Martesko-Fenster leads the film division for BabelgumBabelgum
Babelgum is a free to view Internet television platform supported by advertising. The project was set up in 2005 by Italian media and telecommunications entrepreneur Silvio Scaglia and scientist Erik Lumer, with the aim of developing interactive software for distributing TV shows and other forms...
, the global web, mobile and IPTV destination.
Films
Martesko-Fenster produced documentary and feature films including Frank Dead Souls, Scenes From The New World, Myth or Reality: The von Trapp Family and Vienna 1900. He is credited as an Executive Producer on Floored (Documentary Film)Floored (Documentary Film)
Floored is a 2009 documentary film about the people and business of the Chicago trading floors. The film focuses specifically on several Chicago floor traders who have been impacted by the electronic trading revolution and whose jobs have been threatened by the use of computers in the trading world...
, Dark Fibre and Wetlands Preserved and collaborated with Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater
-Early life:Linklater was born in Houston, Texas. He studied at Sam Houston State University and left midway through his stint in college to work on an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the rig he read a lot of literature, but on land he developed a love of film through...
on Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise is a 1995 romantic drama film directed by Richard Linklater and written by Linklater and Kim Krizan. The film follows Jesse , a young American, and Céline , a young French woman, who meet on a train and disembark in Vienna, where they spend the night walking around the city and...
.