Television
March 23, 2001
John D. Maatta, The WB’s First Employee, Is Promoted To Executive Vice President & General Counsel Of The WB
(March 23, 2001 – Burbank, CA) – John D. Maatta, who joined The WB Network as its first employee in 1995, was promoted to Executive Vice President and General Counsel of The WB it was announced today by Jamie Kellner, Chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc.
Mr. Maatta, participates in a broad range of the business activities at the Network, with involvement in matters which span each of the networks various departments. Additionally, Mr. Maatta is involved with regulatory and governmental issues and is active in providing advice to all executives of The WB.
“John Maatta’s contributions to the startup of this network are too numerous to cite,” Mr. Kellner said. “What is consistent is a creative business mind coupled with the skills of a fine lawyer.”
Mr. Maatta, who has been in the Warner Bros. family since 1986 when he joined Lorimar Telepictures Corp. as legal counsel, most recently serves as Senior Vice President and General Council at The WB. At Lorimar, he rose to Vice President, Business Affairs. At Warner Bros. Television, Mr. Maatta held the positions of Senior Attorney and Vice President and Senior Attorney, before he moved to The WB in 1995.
“Once in a while, the stars align and a business is created where very smart and hard-working people get together and work in an extremely creative and positive environment. Jamie has created such a place at The WB, and I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to have been a part of this very unique and fantastic company”, said Mr. Maatta.
Mr. Maatta, sits on the board of the Trader Vic’s Restaurant Corporation (and is the former Chairman of the Board of that enterprise). Mr. Maatta also serves on the board of Rochester Television Ventures, LLC, and has been published in several respected scholarly law journals on subjects of Hollywood and entertainment. # # #