EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Robert Nederlander, Sr.
Robert E. Nederlander, a successful entrepreneur, business leader
and philanthropist for over 50 years, is Chairman & CEO of
Nederlander Company LLC, owner and/or operator of Nederlander
theatres outside New York City; a director of the Nederlander
Organization, Inc., the owner and/or operator of nine Broadway
theatres in New York City; and the President of Nederlander
Television and Film Productions, Inc., the producer of
award-winning programs for cable and network television.
In addition to his vast activities in entertainment, he served as
the Managing General Partner of the New York Yankees Baseball Club
from 1990-1991 and is currently a limited partner in the New York
Yankees Partnership. He has been a friend and colleague to
America's most distinguished political and business leaders
including Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton,
the Yankees' George Steinbrenner and countless others. As a civic
leader, he has dedicated his life to raising millions of dollars
for social, health and educational organizations including the
University of Michigan, Gateway American Committee, the American
Health Foundation and the National Council on Educational Research.
His alma mater, The University of Michigan, has honored his service
to the school with the Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 1985,
the Presidential Society Service Citation in 1988 and an Honorary
Degree, Doctorate of Law, in 1990.
After the historic visit over 30 years ago of China's Ping Pong
team to the University of Michigan, Robert Nederlander headed a
delegation of University professors and scholars to the People's
Republic of China to meet senior governmental representatives and
leading administrators. The trip was a great success and many new
friendships were formed. The Nederlanders are very proud of the
small role they played in opening the channels of communication
between the United States and China and in helping to foster better
relations at that time. Three decades later, he is working with his
son Robert and Madame Chen on the introduction of a new venture
that will become a leader in the growth of the entertainment
industry in China.
Robert Nederlander, Jr.
President / CEO
ROBERT NEDERLANDER, JR. is a third generation member of the
Nederlander family, one of the great dynasties of American
theatre. Mr. Nederlander is the founder and President of
Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, which manages theatres,
presents the finest Broadway productions in cities across China and
brings Chinese performing arts to Broadway and elsewhere in the
United States.
In 2005 Mr. Nederlander established the first foreign joint
venture in the Chinese performance industry. Since then he has
cooperated with numerous Chinese entertainment organizations on
cultural projects including Shanghai's Jing'an District's "Theatre
Valley" cultural center and the development of a landmark 32
performing arts facility complex in Beijing's Haidian District.
Mr. Nederlander has also created a highly successful touring
network covering over 15 Chinese cities. Western productions
that have toured or are currently touring across China include
42nd Street (2007), Elton John and Tim
Rice's Aida (2008), LUMA (2009), and
Fame-The Musical (2009/2010). In 2008, Mr. Nederlander
produced a Chinese language version of FAME, in
partnership with the Beijing Central Academy of Drama.
Mr. Nederlander's U.S. presentation credits include the 2009
Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee Soul of Shaolin, the
first Chinese production to be performed on Broadway, and The
Dream of the Red Chamber at Lincoln Center's Rose Hall (2008).
In 2009 Mr. Nederlander established a strategic partnership with
Peking University, including the establishment of a cross-cultural
professional program aimed at introducing the business process of
the American Musical Theatre Industry to Chinese officials and
theatre professionals. Mr. Nederlander is a member of the League of
American Theatres and Producers, the Council on Foreign Relations,
and is a guest lecturer for Harvard University's China Public
Policy Program.
David Groelinger
CFO
In addition to Mr. Groelinger's thirteen -year business
affiliation with Robert Nederlander, Sr., he has held a number of
senior financial positions in several different industries.
In his various capacities with Nederlander and others,
Groelinger has been responsible for all financial aspects of both
public and private companies. In these capacities his
responsibilities have included planning and budgeting; financial
reporting, modeling and projecting and investor relations.
Within the entertainment industry, Groelinger has worked on the
acquisition of theatres and arenas located in the United
States. This involved reviewing prior periods' financial
performance, preparing projections and evaluating and advising on
future economic prospects. Groelinger has also designed
sophisticated financial models for planning and fund raising
purposes, including analyzing the effect of different theatre
programming strategies, theatre sizes and ancillary revenues, such
as merchandise, food/beverage, etc.
Groelinger's financial experience began almost 30 year ago, when
he was Assistant Treasurer of the multi billion dollar United Mine
Worker's of America Health and Retirement Funds. After that,
he worked for twelve years at Chiquita Brands International, a
multi-national importer and exporter of fresh fruit, rising to
become its Vice President & Treasurer. In 1995, he became
CFO of Regency Cruise Lines, the world's eighth largest cruise
line. Thereafter, he was Senior Vice President and CFO of
Varsity Brands, a manufacturer and distributor of sporting goods,
controlled by Robert Nederlander, Sr.
Don Frantz
Executive Producer / COO
Don Frantz is COO and Executive Producer of Nederlander
Worldwide Entertainment's theatrical division, Broadway China
Ventures which presented the American tours of 42nd Street
and AIDA in China, the Chinese companies of The Dream
of Red Chamber and Soul of Shaolin on Broadway, and
the Mandarin language adaptation of Fame in Beijng.
Don has produced, created and managed Broadway, Off-Broadway,
Theme Park spectacles, Touring productions and theme attractions.
An eight-year veteran of the Walt Disney Company, Don was
instrumental in creating several Walt Disney Theatrical
Productions, most notably serving Producer/Director for the Magic
Kingdom's SpectroMagic and as Associate Producer for
Broadway's Beauty and the Beast and The Lion
King. For theme parks, Don developed and produced two IAAPA
award-winning shows, KaTonga for Busch Gardens and
BELIEVE, a significant re-imagining of SeaWorld's killer
whale show. Don has also performed directing and/or management
roles at Universal Studios Hollywood and Busch Gardens, XXIII and
XXV Superbowl Half-Time Shows, Liberty Weekend, 1984 Louisiana
World Exposition; Los Angeles' Ensemble Studio Theater/LA,
Musical Theater/LA at the Doolittle Theater, and independent
productions at the Roxy and Canon Theaters.
Don is owner of Town Square Productions, Inc., a theatrical
management and creative development enterprise in New York City,
which served as General Manager for China's first Broadway
production, Soul of Shaolin in January of 2009. TSP also
served as General Manager for the Broadway musicals A
Class Act, and A Tale of Two Cities and Off
Broadway's "Summer of '42", "All Too Human" and the
touring production of Peter Buffett's Spirit-The Seventh
Fire.
A three-time winner of the Guinness Record for the World's
Largest Maze, Don developed the new, outdoor, family
attraction, "The Amazing Maize Maze." His American Maze
Company has built 140 such projects in the United States and the
United Kingdom, entertained over 6,000,000 players, and instigated
a maze fad around the world. Don gives seminars on teamwork
and decision-making to corporate clients based on his observations
at the maze.
Don received an MFA in Theater Management from UCLA and then
served on the faculty of the Department of Theater, Film and
Television. He is creator of the audio walking tour "Walkin'
Broadway" and for Hyperion Press he authored the book A
Celebration of the Broadway Musical, Beauty and the Beast.