Management

Christopher J. McGurk has been the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since January 2011. Mr. McGurk was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Overture Films from 2006 until 2010, and also the Chief Executive Officer of Anchor Bay Entertainment, which distributed Overture Films’ products to the home entertainment industry. From 1999 to 2005, Mr. McGurk was Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (“MGM”), acting as the company’s lead operating executive until MGM was sold for approximately $5 billion to a consortium of investors. Mr. McGurk joined MGM from Universal Pictures, where he served in various executive capacities, including President and Chief Operating Officer, from 1996 to 1999. From 1988 to 1996, Mr. McGurk served in several senior executive roles at The Walt Disney Studios, including Studios Chief Financial Officer and President of The Walt Disney Motion Picture Group. Mr. McGurk has previously served on the boards of IDW Media Holdings, Inc., BRE Properties, Inc., DivX Inc., DIC Entertainment, Pricegrabber.com, LLC and MGM Studios, Inc.  Mr. McGurk has had a long and transformative executive career in film, TV and streaming content industries. His extensive knowledge of various sectors of the theatrical production and exhibition industry, and deep-rooted relationships within the media & entertainment industries will provide the Board with the benefits of his experience & expertise in this field.

Erick Opeka has served as Cineverse’s Chief Strategy Officer and President since December 2020, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company's streaming and distribution operations, and driving Cineverse's corporate strategy and M&A initiatives. Under his leadership, Cineverse has reached over 80 million monthly viewers and more than 1.5 million paying subscribers through proprietary brands and strategic partnerships, resulting in triple-digit growth and positioning the Company as the largest independent streaming library and channel portfolio.  Prior to his current role, Mr. Opeka served as EVP of the company’s Global Digital Distribution business, managing a library of over 60,000 hours of content from various partners, including WWE, Discovery Networks, and National Geographic. Before joining Cineverse, he co-founded and led the independent distributor New Video's streaming business. Mr. Opeka transformed it into the world's largest independent film & TV aggregator, distributing over 35,000 hours of content from more than 650 partners, such as A&E Networks, The Jim Henson Company, and Scholastic Entertainment.  Mr. Opeka began his entertainment career at Madstone Entertainment, and prior to that, he served in the US Army infantry. He currently serves as the Vice Chairman of streaming trade organization OTT.X and on the Board of Directors of film and television production company Roundtable Entertainment. Mr. Opeka holds a BA degree from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Florida State University.

Tony Huidor is the Company’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer. Since joining Cineverse in 2015, Huidor has managed the launch and daily operations of the Company’s portfolio of all subscription and ad-supported digital-first channels.  He conceived and designed Cineverse’s proprietary Matchpoint Dispatch^™ distribution platform which has allowed the Company to effectively streamline and scale its entire digital content distribution business. He also oversees overall product development of Matchpoint Blueprint^™ which powers all streaming apps for Cineverse’s portfolio of streaming services. In addition, Mr. Huidor recently developed cineSearch which is the Company’s AI-based conversational chatbot for advanced content recommendations.  He drives the company’s overall technology roadmap as well as leads all key technology partnerships. Mr. Huidor initially served as Vice President of Operations for Universal Music Group (UMG), and later transitioned into VP of Technical Product Development for Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD), where he played an integral part in establishing the company’s digital and mobile distribution business which generated significant revenue for the company. Prior to his tenure at Universal Music Group, Mr. Huidor worked as Director of Product Development for the Walt Disney Internet Group, where he was responsible for the creation and development of subscription-based entertainment services worldwide. In addition, he established Disney Mobile where he managed the creation and production of all premium mobile content worldwide across the Disney and Pixar portfolio of brands, with a strong emphasis on the North American, European and Asian-Pacific regions.

Yolanda Macias joined Cineverse in 2013 and has been the Chief Content Officer of Cineverse Entertainment Group since December 2020.  She is responsible for acquiring global content rights for all distribution and streaming platforms and oversees marketing. Through her leadership Ms. Macias has sourced and secured over 65,000 movies and series including Crown Media: Hallmark, NFL and Konami Cross.  Ms. Macias has over 25 years of entertainment distribution experience, including executive positions at Vivendi/Universal from 2004 to 2012, DIRECTV from 1996 to 2003, and The Walt Disney Company from 1992 to 1995.  Ms. Macias built sustainable and profitable subscription platforms at DIRECTV and Vivendi/Universal’s digital distribution services.  In 2022 and 2023 Media Play News selected Macias as one of the 18 Captains of Industry driving and leading home entertainment.  Macias serves as vice chair for C5LA a non-profit organization supporting under resourced and high potential teens, and is a board director for Skechers USA, Inc. Macías received her MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and her B.S. degree in Finance from California State University, Northridge.

Mark Lindsey is the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Lindsey oversees all facets of accounting including reporting, financing, working capital management, treasury, tax compliance and planning, internal controls and policy development. Prior to joining Cineverse he most recently served as Chief Accounting Officer and acting Chief Financial Officer for Firefly Systems, Inc., a digital out-of-home (DOOH) and mobility advertising company. Mr. Lindsey was also CFO and CCO for Canapi Ventures, a financial technology-focused venture capital firm. Earlier in his career Mr. Lindsey served in related executive capacities with American Capital, LTD., XM Satellite Radio, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Gary S. Loffredo is the Company’s Chief Legal Officer, Secretary and Senior Advisor. Mr. Loffredo has served in numerous executive leadership roles with the company including President, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President of Business Affairs, and General Counsel. He also served as President of Digital Cinema from 2011 to 2023, as Interim Co-Chief Executive Officer from June 2010 through December 2010, and was a member of the Company’s Board of Directors from September 2000 - October 2015. Prior to joining Cineverse, from March 1999 to August 2000, Mr. Loffredo was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Cablevision Cinemas d/b/a Clearview Cinemas, a film exhibitor . From September 1992 to February 1999, he was an attorney at the law firm of Kelley Drye & Warren LL.  Mr. Loffredo has extensive experience in capital raising, corporate mergers and acquisitions, public company corporate governance, business development, litigation, data privacy and legal strategy, in addition to over two decades of experience in the cinema exhibition and streaming  industry, both on the movie theatre and studio sides.

Mark Torres is the Company’s Chief People Officer.  He joined Cineverse in 2018 as Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Mr. Torres has served as a senior human resources executive for over 20 years, at notable companies including Sony Pictures Entertainment, Ticketmaster and Reed Elsevier/Variety, as well as several technology and media start-up companies. Mr. Torres served as SVP of People & Culture at AdTec Rubicon Project (now Magnite), where he built their first internal HR function in preparation for their IPO, and integrated their acquisition of FAN (Fox Audience Networks) which doubled their engineering headcount. At Cineverse, Mark is credited with overseeing the transition of the business to a streaming media and technology company, implementing a sustainable remote work environment. He is also responsible for the conception and implementation of Cineverse Services where he oversees the company’s India based organization.  Mr. Torres is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications.

As Senior Vice President of Marketing, Lauren has more than 15 years of entertainment and technology expertise, and as Senior Vice President of Marketing, she tells the story of Cineverse – overseeing the strategy and execution of all marketing, communication and creative initiatives for the company across releases, products, brands and business lines. Lauren leads a customer-obsessed team to build engaging and effective title, brand, business and consumer narratives – supporting revenue generators with measurable, data driven results.

Most recently her team designed and executed the campaign for the highest grossing unrated movie in history, Terrifier 3, which opened at No. 1 at the box office thanks in part to what Forbes referred to as a “Masterclass in niche marketing.”

Prior to Cineverse, she has held senior roles in the technology space, including at SaaS startup Tangelo.ai, along with various marketing, product, creative strategy and filmed entertainment positions, including VP Creative Affairs at Broad Green Pictures. 

Lauren also has a number of producer credits to her name spanning independent and major studio releases.  This includes The Transfiguration, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the 2018 Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, Wish Upon, directed by Jon Leonetti (Annabelle), starring Joey King and Ryan Phillippe, as well as Bad Santa 2, Break Point and Learning to Drive.

Additionally, Lauren is an advisor to the top-rated entrepreneurial course, "NUVention: Arts & Media” at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering.  Self-described as “Funny, Ha Ha,” is a graduate of the Second City Chicago, and lives in Southern California with her husband—actor Jerry Minor—and their son.