STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced the appointment of Monty Sarhan as General Counsel and Senior Vice President. Sarhan replaces former General Counsel Michael Luisi, who was promoted to President of WWE Studios. Sarhan will report directly to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
As General Counsel, Sarhan will be a key member of WWE’s senior management team, responsible for overseeing the legal and business affairs of the company and serving as the principal legal advisor to the Chairman, CFO, and management team. He will also serve as Corporate Secretary to WWE’s Board of Directors.
Sarhan brings 14 years of experience as a seasoned media executive and lawyer, having held senior leadership positions, including lead lawyer in several business units and companies. Prior to joining WWE, Sarhan was Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for Viacom Media Networks, where he oversaw all business affairs for the premium movie network EPIX. As one of the early members of the EPIX team, Sarhan was part of the network’s national launch in October 2009. Reporting directly to the CEO, he worked on distribution, digital strategy, business development, programming acquisitions, and production deals. He also negotiated key agreements that allowed EPIX to become the first premium network to offer subscribers access on Android devices, Roku and Xbox 360.
Prior to his tenure with EPIX, Sarhan handled all business and legal affairs for Viacom’s MTV Games group. He negotiated agreements with Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft that established MTV Games as a leading publisher. He was part of the team that launched the hugely successful Rock Band video game franchise as well as The Beatles: Rock Band, which marked the first time the iconic band’s music was available digitally.
Previously, Sarhan was the sole founder and CEO of Cracked Entertainment. He acquired CRACKED, the 54-year old competitor to MAD Magazine, and re-launched it as a digital property—CRACKED.com—targeting a new demo with an entirely new editorial formula. It is now one of the country’s leading comedy sites.
Sarhan began his career as an associate in the New York office of the international law firm White & Case. He earned his Juris Doctor from Duke University, his Masters in International Relations from Boston University and his undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Tufts University.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.
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Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television and pay-per-view programming distribution agreements; the need for continually developing creative and entertaining programming; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent McMahon; the conditions of the markets in which we compete and acceptance of the Company's brands, media and merchandise within those markets; our exposure to bad debt risk; uncertainties relating to regulatory and litigation matters; risks resulting from the highly competitive nature of our markets; uncertainties associated with international markets; the importance of protecting our intellectual property and complying with the intellectual property rights of others; risks associated with producing and travelling to and from our large live events, both domestically and internationally; the risk of accidents or injuries during our physically demanding events; risks relating to our film business; risks relating to increasing content production for distribution on various platforms, including the potential creation of a WWE Network; risks relating to our computer systems and online operations; risks relating to the large number of shares of common stock controlled by members of the McMahon family and the possibility of the sale of their stock by the McMahons or the perception of the possibility of such sales; the relatively small public float of our stock; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends, general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant.