$SMCE - THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF POLYGRAM IS AN ADVISOR HERE!
Former Polygram and Motown Records Executive Russ Regan Joins SMC Entertainment, Inc. (SMCE) Advisory Board
Marketwired SMC Entertainment, Inc.
April 16, 2015 9:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - April 16, 2015) - SMC Entertainment, Inc. (OTC PINK: SMCE) (the "Company"), a record label and content distribution company, is pleased to announce a new advisory board member -- Russ Regan.
With over thirty years in the music business, Mr. Regan has played a major role in the careers of the biggest names in the industry. Luminaries such as Elton John, Neil Diamond, Barry White, and Olivia Newton-John all credit Regan as a major force behind their success.
Mr. Regan began his career as an artist, but quickly moved on to become a promotion man for Motown Records. Here he worked with such iconic artists as the Marvelettes, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and Marvin Gaye. These artists and their songs would form the foundation for the music that would be labeled as the "Motown Sound," a definitive sound for the 1960's.
Mr. Regan went on promoting records in the sixties, including a number of hits for Scepter Records. In 1966, while serving as General Manager of Loma Records, he came across a song called "That's Life." Sensing its potential, he gave it to Frank Sinatra to record. That song went on to become an adult contemporary standard and one of the top selling records of Sinatra's career. In 1961 a friend approached him needing a new name for a group called the Pendletons, who had a song called "Surfin." Regan thoughtfully suggested the name The Beach Boys, a name that would become synonymous with American Pop/Rock of that era.
By the late 1960's, Mr. Regan started at UNI Records, a division of MCA Inc, where he was quickly promoted to General Manager. There his successes continued and in 1968 he signed Neil Diamond. Later in 1970, after hearing the demo tapes of an unknown singer-songwriter, he knew he had found something special. He signed the young artist and formulated a campaign to launch this artist in the United States. That singer-songwriter was Elton John. Other platinum artists followed Regan's tenure at UNI Records, including Olivia Newton-John, Hugh Masakela, and Love and the Love Unlimited, among others. In a short time, Regan had taken UNI Records to a position of being among the most creative and successful companies in the business.
In 1972, as President of 20th Century Records, Mr. Regan's golden ear and promotional skills kept the hits coming with the likes of Barry White, The Defranco Family, Carl Douglas, Maureen McGovern, and The Alan Parsons Project. In 1974, The Bill Gavin Report and The National Association of Record Merchandisers named Russ Regan "Record Executive of the Year" in recognition of his contributions to the music industry.
In 1980, Mr. Regan became Polygram Records' General Manager of West Coast Operations. Here he encouraged the lucrative marriage of pop music to the movies by advising the company to put its resources behind an involvement in the film world. The result was "Flashdance." With Regan as the film's music consultant, the successful film spawned a soundtrack album, which sold 14 million albums for Polygram.
Returning to Motown in 1986 as President of the Creative Division, Mr. Regan more notably worked on Smokey Robinson's successful comeback effort; the platinum selling album "One Heartbeat." Regan remained with Motown until the company was sold in 1988.
Mr. Regan continued to be an active member of the record industry and maintained his talent for identifying hits. Since Motown, he served as a soundtrack consultant, was approached by R-Tex Corp to form the US Based Quality Records (success include the singles Timmy T -- "Time After Time" -- 200,000 copies and "One More Try" -- platinum selling), and is currently serving on the advisory board of SMC Entertainment, Inc.
"I'm excited to be involved with SMC Entertainment," stated Mr. Regan, "I'm hoping to add it to the list of the many successfully ventures I've had in my career."
"Russ Regan will be a great influence on the company," stated Ralph Tashjian, CEO of SMC Entertainment. He continued, "Mr. Regan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. It's clear that he has a track record of success and we look forward to continuing that trend."
