1. Andre Blay was an American businessman, film producer, and studio executive.
13 Facts About Andre Blay
1. 2.
Andre Blay graduated in 1959 from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree and a master's in business education.
3.
Andre Blay co-founded Stereodyne, the nation's first eight-track and cassette duplication company, in 1966.
4.
In 1976, shortly after Sony introduced its Betamax videocassette recorder, Andre Blay flew to Hollywood, where he asked various studio executives if they could allow him to make videocassettes of the films they released.
5.
The deal proved successful, and led to Andre Blay making similar duplication and distribution deals for films owned by Viacom, the estate of silent screen comedian Charlie Chaplin, wildlife filmmaker Bill Burrud, ABC Pictures, and ITC Entertainment.
6.
Andre Blay used TV Guide to advertise the club, which carried titles from Columbia Pictures and Walt Disney Productions after they each launched video divisions of their own, and the results initially allowed it to boast registration of over 9,000 users.
7.
Andre Blay then served as the first CEO of 20th Century Fox Video.
8.
In 1982, Andre Blay sold his corporation to Embassy Pictures, and became CEO of their newly formed Embassy Home Entertainment.
9.
Andre Blay served as CEO until 1986, when the company was sold.
10.
Andre Blay worked in securing venture capital for films such as The Princess Bride, The Emerald Forest, and The Name of the Rose.
11.
Andre Blay was involved in the purchase of Cinema Group in 1987 with Elliott Kastner.
12.
Andre Blay subsequently served, until 1999, as chairman and CEO of Enterprise Software, a developer of broadcast management software for television stations and distributors, cable networks, and radio stations worldwide.
13.
Andre Blay died from complications of pneumonia on August 24,2018, at the age of 81.