Home Entertainment
February 25, 2008
Industry Veteran Ruud Lamers Announces Plans To Leave Warner Home Video After 25 Years
(February 25, 2008 – London) - After a career of more than 25 years with the studio, Ruud Lamers, Managing Director of Warner Home Video Benelux will leave the company on April 30, 2008. Since joining Warner Home Video Benelux upon its founding in 1982, Lamers has been involved in all developments within the filmed home entertainment market in Benelux, and under his leadership the company became the in-territory market leader and trendsetter with many new developments including Retail Sell-Through, the launch of DVD and digital distribution.
“The last quarter of a century was a fascinating period to be working for Warner Home Video,” said Lamers. “As part of an ever-changing market segment, working in an environment of change has been a major motivator for me. On top of that, I have always led an enthusiastic team of proactive and talented people. Now that we have successfully reached market leadership in the Netherlands and Belgium and have a fantastic management team in place, it is the right time for me to step back.”
Throughout his career, Lamers has been a leader in just about every revolution in the home entertainment industry, including the advent of VHS, the launch of DVD, the emergence of high definition DVD and the growth of digital distribution,. In 1981, led by Lamers, Warner Home Video Benelux launched its first ever video rental system in the Netherlands, starting with only 25 titles.
“Ruud is one of the most respected and talented executives in the industry,” said Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. “His breadth of knowledge has made him an integral part of Warner Home Video and the industry. We wish him only the best in the next chapter of his life.”
In 2006, Lamers’ leadership was instrumental with the release of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” for download-to-own on the same day as the DVD release in the Netherlands and the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, making Warner Home Video the very first studio to deliver download-to-own movies (also known as electronic sell-through) day-and-date with their DVD sale.
“I join the entire team at Warner Home Video in thanking Ruud for his many important contributions over the past 25 years and wish him all the best,” said Ron Sanders, President, Warner Home Video. “His integrity and loyalty is quite irreplaceable, but I understand and respect his wish to shift his focus at this point in his life.”
As part of Warner Bros. Entertainment’s efforts to thwart piracy in Europe, Lamers joined industry efforts to boost public awareness. Serving as chairman of the Dutch anti-piracy committee Filmwereld, Lamers reinforced the need for dissuasive measures to be backed up by the industry. He also promoted the collaboration of all parties involved in exploiting filmed entertainment material, including broadcasters, ISPs, telecom companies and cable operators.
“Ruud is a very experienced and dynamic leader and he was responsible for the implementation of a number of innovative and ground-breaking initiatives, including most recently, the first Electronic Sell-Through licensing agreement for any major film studio, day-and-date VOD release strategies, and a unified anti-piracy initiative,” said Philippe Cardon, President, International, Warner Home Video. “His presence in the workplace and the industry will certainly be missed.”
In addition to his groundbreaking work on anti-piracy initiatives, Lamers has been a prominent industry representative on a number of other projects, including Responsible Entrepreneurship, NICAM and he was the chairman of the industry body NVPI Video for 10 years.
Lamers joined WEA Records (Warner Music, Elektra Asylum and Atlantic Records) in 1980 before becoming managing director for Warner Home Video Benelux in 1982.
About Warner Home Video
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video, and New Line Home Entertainment. # # #