AMG Exec Mark Berry Launches Digital Media Venture, AMG TECH - Signs Shami Media Group

TORONTO - July 30, 2015 - PRLog -- Toronto, July 30

The man who played a key role in building AMG's digital business is looking to break media projects on his own. AMG Chairman, Mark S. Berry has launched a new digital media venture, AMG Tech, which is designed to connect content creators directly with their audiences, just as he famously did as executive producer on the feature film DRAKE HOMECOMING and connected his fiercely loyal fan base. The company is bowing with two clients already on board: Bob Shami's, Shami Media Group (SMG) a major content distributor and its Celebrity News division, SMGCeleb (smgceleb.tumblr.com -
twitter.com/SMGCeleb), which has long counted among SMG`s most prominent featured shows, along with SMGAlerts, its World News program.

If all goes as planned, AMG Tech will work with talent, agencies, and companies across the landscape, focused on those that have a traditional media platform as well as those who are digital natives. AMG Tech, merely rumored until now, will help clients define their strategies for content creation, distribution and monetization. The latter could entail a range of content options, from written content, short-form video and podcasts to bigger-budget TV & film and over-the-top platforms. The venture will be New York and Toronto based.

This is an opportunity for Berry and the AMG Tech team to apply some of the lessons they learned over the past four years building AMG, which is often billed as one of the fastest growing independent media businesses incorporating music, film and television. And as Berry wrote in a blog posting on the company's revised and soon to be released Website, AMG will do more than simply consult, "After agreeing to a roadmap we actually put our own skin in the game - our time, our resources and our money - to make the businesses come to life. We will profit share all the way down the line".

In the same entry, Berry spoke candidly about the state of media, noting that platforms including Facebook and YouTube are already cutting out the middleman, while "the largest media companies scramble to adjust to the pace of change the opportunity for talent and brands to go directly to consumers is bigger than ever." To be sure, Berry has been successful in doing precisely this following his 2014 launch of the AMG Visuals & B Squared film divisions and is still very much a work in progress.

News of Berry prepping his next venture first surfaced in May, though there was little more to report than a "stealth" digital media start-up at that time. There are three employees at AMG Tech's launch, with plans to ramp up within the month.

Below is the complete post announcing the new venture.

INTRODUCING AMG TECH

We're excited to announce our new digital media company, AMG TECH. Our mission: directly connecting content creators and audiences.

There's never been a better time to be in the content business. Platforms like Facebook and YouTube are removing the traditional middlemen, while mobile content consumption across all mediums is skyrocketing. While the largest media companies scramble to adjust to the pace of change the opportunity for talent and brands to go directly to consumers is bigger than ever.

What is a media company these days? AMG Tech is designed to build talent and brand-focused digital businesses from the ground up, putting content creators in control of their own destiny. AMG Tech works with talents, agencies, and companies across the spectrum, including those that have a traditional media platform as well as those that are digital natives. We help them to define the right strategies for content creation, distribution, and monetization.

AMG Tech isn't just a consulting company. We have expertise across all key disciplines: social, mobile, technology, editorial, and sales. We're tremendously excited to announce our first two clients: Shami Media Group and Celebrity News. Shami Media Group and its Celebrity News division is a production company focusing on micro-budget films and TV that have wide release potential. SMG is particularly known for their extensive independent movie catalog and music usages for film & television. SMG as well controls an extensive music catalog of over 300,000 music copyrights & masters, which is distributed across multiple platforms worldwide.

AMG TECH will work with SMG to invest additional resources in select talent web sites in order to increase the value of their digital businesses. We're having exciting conversations with additional content creators across the media landscape. Each of our clients have a unique opportunity to build their businesses, take direct control of their fan relationships, and control their own destinies. We can't wait to get started.

About Mark S. Berry & AMG:

AMG is a leading Toronto based entertainment & media company with an unparalleled client list of artists and content creators across film, television, music and digital media. Led by an experienced and innovative management team, AMG was formed in 1998 by international record producer, engineer & mixer Mark S. Berry, Music Producer and operates under his leadership as Chairman. Berry, whose extensive production, engineering & re-mixing talents has earned him 36 international gold & platinum records for such notable Grammy & Juno nominated musical icons as, Davie Bowie, Duran Duran, Yes, Boy George, Billy Idol, Kool & The Gang, Cameo, Carly Simon, Joan Jett & many, many more. The company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with offices in NYC, LA, Hong Kong, Seoul & Beijing.

About Bob Shami & Shami Media Group:

Shami Media is an independent publishing, licensing and media distribution source that is utilized by clients worldwide. Its music, movies, specialty video, imagery, footage & books are provided to international media outlets. Among its services are book publishing, specialty video via hard copy or digital distribution, as well as hard copy physical distribution worldwide and music through hard copy, digital download and retail distribution for commercial use and film & TV licensing. Shami Media also offer movie distribution to major chain stores across the United States and worldwide, as well as licensing for imagery and footage. As an established media distribution company, Shami media license photos to advertising firms, graphic design companies, promo companies, footage to production companies for commercials, footage to independent film companies and more.

Based out of New York City, Founder Bob Shami brings to the table years of immeasurable experience revolving around music, publishing and beyond. Shami Media continues to grow and raise the standards of the media industry and is a solid contributor to the positive growth of imagery and other creative outlets online.