Richard Lorber
Richard Lorber is the President and CEO of Lorber HT Digital, formed in mid 2007.
He is also the Chairman and CEO of Lorber Media, Inc. a business development partner for small to mid-size entertainment and media companies, with business interests in theatrical and DVD distribution, international programming sales and co-production film financing.
One of its key businesses is Koch Lorber Films, a partnership formed in 2003 with Koch Entertainment, the largest independent music distributor in the U.S. and Canada. A theatrical and DVD distributor, Koch Lorber Films is a dedicated to releasing the best in classic and recent international (from “La Dolce Vita” to “Save the Green Planet”) and award winning documentary features (Lars von Trier’s “The Five Obstructions”). With more than 100 titles already released, including 10 per year theatrically the company has already become one of the U.S.’s leading art house indies.
Outside the U.S., Richard Lorber through Lorber Media was until recently a partner with one of the leading U.K. based international programming distributors, 3DD Entertainment. He played a central role in establishing for 3DD co-production and international sales of an ongoing slate of documentaries from U.S. cable networks Turner Classic Movies and Starz Encore. In 2003 Lorber also joined 3DD as a partner in a new independent U.K. DVD label, “inD DVD,” distributed by Fremantle. Lorber has acquired for the label such titles as Oscar-winner “Mephisto,” Fellini’s “Casanova”, early films by Elia Kazan and the 14 title American Film Theatre Collection.
Prior to forming Lorber Media, Richard Lorber founded and spent 20 years as head of Fox Lorber Associates. He subsequently sold that company to Winstar, continuing there as co-chairman of its television and video division and running his prior operation while acquiring other businesses, including Wellspring, which operates today as part of Genius owned by the Weinstein Company with much of the original Fox Lorber library.
Before beginning his business career Richard Lorber spent several years teaching art history (New York University), and writing criticism (Art Forum). He earned bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees from Columbia University. Recently he received the "Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (a knighthood in the arts) from the French government and was elected Chairman of Film Forum, the New York’s nationally influential nonprofit cinema for independent premieres and repertory programming.
Elizabeth Sheldon
Elizabeth Sheldon is Vice President of Lorber HT Digital. As a member of the senior management team, she is responsible for pioneering digital initiatives, overseeing content acquisitions and co-productions, implementing niche distribution strategies and business development. Ms. Sheldon comes to Lorber HT Digital from Schlessinger Media, where she was the Director of Acquisitions & Co-Productions. In that capacity she licensed best-selling series from suppliers such as the BBC, Dorling Kindersley, and the National Film Board of Canada for digital as well as video distribution. Prior, Elizabeth Sheldon was the Senior Program Acquisitions Manager at Films for the Humanities & Sciences, where she acquired a diverse range of quality content, including the CBS News Library, and many award winning documentaries from leading international broadcasters.
Elizabeth is a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, during which she produced a film on the effect of reunification on East German women. She has a Master's degree from Princeton University in Comparative Literature and a B.A. from Mills College in Philosophy and German. She has received three National Endowment for the Humanities grants for her film projects and executive produced the award-winning Twentieth Century American Literature series for Films for the Humanities & Sciences. She is a frequent judge for international festivals, such as the International Emmys and the Prague Golden Awards, and is a frequent contributor to industry publications and journals, such as Independent Documentary, Real Screen and Current among others.