Andre Blay
Born(1937-07-27)July 27, 1937
Mount Clemens, Michigan, U.S.
DiedAugust 24, 2018(2018-08-24) (aged 81)
Bonita Springs, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)Businessman
Film producer
Studio executive
Years active1966–2018

Andre Blay (July 27, 1937 – August 24, 2018) was an American businessman, film producer, and studio executive.

Early life and education

Blay was born July 27, 1937, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, to homemaker Agnes and factory manager Robert. He graduated in 1959 from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree and a master's in business education.[1]

Role in growth of home video industry

Blay co-founded Stereodyne, the nation's first eight-track and cassette duplication company, in 1966.[2] It duplicated cartridges for groups such as The Supremes.[3]

In 1969, Blay founded an audio/video production and duplication company called Magnetic Video, which produced a series of industrial films and tapes for various corporations in the early 1970s.[3] In 1976, shortly after Sony introduced its Betamax videocassette recorder, Blay flew to Hollywood, where he asked various studio executives if they could allow him to make videocassettes of the films they released. Only one company responded with an offer: 20th Century-Fox, which licensed 50 of its pre-1972 feature films to Magnetic.[3] The deal proved successful, and led to 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. In 1980, he wooed United Artists out of a preexisting deal with VidAmerica[4][5][6][7] with a $43 million deal that covered its own films and American distribution of the pre-1950 Warner Bros. library.[3]

While at work growing his Magnetic Video empire, Blay also started the Video Club of America, a direct-mail sales operation through which he offered the video cassettes produced and duplicated at Magnetic Video. He used TV Guide to advertise the club, which also carried titles from Columbia Pictures and Walt Disney Productions after they each launched video divisions of their own,[3] and the results initially allowed it to boast registration of over 9,000 users.[8]

That subsequently provided the model for and enabled the creation of the first video rental stores, many of which were soon started thereafter.

He was later recognized by the Consumer Electronics Association as creating the idea that "sparked a retail revolution as hundreds of mom-and-pop video rental and sales stores popped up in every community in America." In 1987, home video rental income surpassed movie theater revenues for the first time. Today, movie studios routinely make more money on video rentals and sales than from the box office of theaters.[9]

CEO of 20th Century Fox Video

In the late 1970s, Blay paid a flat fee of $300,000 plus $500,000 yearly to 20th Century Fox to license movies from their catalogue, which he then duplicated and distributed, earning a royalty generated per video rented. This proved so successful that 20th Century Fox quickly bought Magnetic Video in 1979 to form the 20th Century Fox Video unit, for $7.2 million.[8][3] Blay then served as the first CEO of 20th Century Fox Video.[2]

Blay Video

Blay left Fox in 1981 and subsequently formed Andre Blay Corporation, a video software firm. Through this newly formed company, Blay acquired the home video rights to 90 feature films.

CEO of Embassy Home Entertainment

In 1982, Blay sold his corporation to Embassy Pictures, and became CEO of their newly formed Embassy Home Entertainment.[10] While there he helped bring to production several movies, including Hope and Glory, Sid and Nancy, Souvenir, and A Time of Destiny. He served as CEO until 1986, when the company was sold.[11]

Executive Movie Producer

During the next several years Blay served as executive producer for several movies:[12]

He also worked in securing venture capital for films such as The Princess Bride, The Emerald Forest, and The Name of the Rose.[11] He was also involved in the purchase of Cinema Group in 1987 with Elliott Kastner.[13]

CEO of Enterprise Software

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.

Death

Blay died from complications of pneumonia on August 24, 2018, at the age of 81.[1]

Awards

  • In 2000, Blay was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame.[14]
  • Blay was made an Honorary Alumnus at Central Michigan University's College of Business Administration in 2006.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Andre Blay, Who Put Movies on Videotape, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times. 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
  2. 1 2 3 "CBA alumni awards honor success, commitment -- Honorary Alumni Award". Central Michigan University. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Duffy, Mike (October 19, 1980). "Visionary greets dawn of video revolution". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  4. ↑ New York Times The Times of the Seventies: The Culture, Politics, and Personalities that Shaped the Decade. Hachette Books. 28 November 1992. p. 64.
  5. ↑ Bins, Chuck (23 December 1980). "VCR revolution to provide wide selection for TV viewers". New Castle News. New Castle, PA. p. 8.Open access icon
  6. ↑ "Panorama TV Magazine" (PDF). American Radio History.
  7. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 28 November 1992. pp. 69–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. 1 2 "Andre Blay -- CEA Awards". Consumer Electronics Association. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18.
  9. ↑ "Digital America: History -- VCR". Consumer Electronics Association. 2005. Archived from the original on 2006-08-13. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  10. ↑ Cuff, Daniel F. (1982-08-09). "BUSINESS PEOPLE; Blay Corp. Founder At Embassy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  11. 1 2 "Andre Blay". The Official John Carpenter Website. 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-08-28.
  12. ↑ "Andre Blay". IMDb.
  13. ↑ Harris, Kathryn (1987-06-10). "Blay and Kastner Acquire Cinema Group Home Video". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  14. ↑ "Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame" (PDF). Consumer Electronics Association. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-11.
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