PMK*BNC CEO Michael Nyman Exits to Start New Investment Venture
Acceleration will focus on advising, investing and guiding companies
Beatrice Verhoeven | April 18, 2018 @ 10:57 AM
Last Updated: April 18, 2018 @ 11:17 AM
Michael Nyman, co-chairman and CEO of PMK*BNC, is exiting the company to start a new venture titled Acceleration, it was announced Wednesday.
With the new investment vehicle, Nyman will be developing new go-to market approaches with strategic and complementary acquisitions. It will be focused on advertising, investing and guiding companies through convergence. Additionally, Acceleration will create a collective of specialty firms so clients can get help quickly and efficiently on branding and marketing.
“The new investment vehicle and advisory will focus on acquiring and building businesses to respond to today’s challenging and opportunistic digital landscape, and the rapidly changing demands of the marketplace,” said Nyman. “Acceleration will be a fresh approach at a time when it is sorely needed. I look forward to getting started.”
Nyman is a 30-year veteran who started his own firm, Bragman Nyman Cafarelli, along with founder Howard Bragman and co-founder Brad Cafarelli in 1991. He then sold it to Interpublic Group of Companies in 2000, taking the company public and expanding it. In 2009, he was asked to lead the merger of PMK and BNC, and within four years, PMK*BNC expanded to 300 employees and doubled its revenue.
“This was a difficult decision to leave,” added Nyman. “I love PMK*BNC and I am so proud of what we have achieved. It truly stands alone. I have great respect and love for Cindi and everyone at the agency, and it will feel like leaving a family.”
Additionally, Nyman served on multiple boards over the past decade. Currently, he is the chairman of the California Film Commission and serves on the Board of Governors at Cedars-Sinai and the Board of Councilors for USC’s Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism.
9 Hollywood Celebs Who Are Big Tech Investors (Photos)
When you're raking in those big showbiz paychecks, you have to find a place to invest your cash. And for these Hollywood celebs, moonlighting as tech entrepreneurs is a serious business.
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Ashton Kutcher's tech chops go beyond portraying Steve Jobs on the big screen. The "That '70s Show" star has become the poster boy for Hollywood tech players. He co-founded venture firm A-Grade Investments in 2011, and has invested in a myriad of companies, including Spotify, Uber and Airbnb.
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Jay-Z has the midas touch. Not only is he one of the most successful rappers of all time and married to Beyonce, he has also made a fortune in tech. He bought Aspiro AB, the parent company of music streaming service Tidal, in 2015. And despite trailing streaming giants Pandora, Spotify and Apple Music, he was able to make gobs of cash off his investment. Hova sold a 33 percent stake in Tidal to Sprint earlier this year for $200 million -- giving him a cool 10-times multiple of his investment in two years. When he rapped "I'm not a businessman; I'm a business, man" he wasn't lying.
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"New Girl" star Zoey Deschanel is also a secret coder, apparently. The actress founded HelloGiggles in 2011, a female-oriented website that focuses on pop culture and has a "no gossip" policy.
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Justin Bieber has found a "purpose" (ugh) beyond making pop music -- investing in tech. The Biebs has a stake in Spotify, and the wannabe-Instagram app "Shots."
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Snoop Dogg knows a thing or two about weed, and he's betting on the legal marijuana industry taking off. He's backed Eaze, a weed delivery startup that aims to have you supplied in under 10 minutes. He's also invested in Merry Jane, a site dedicated to weed culture. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, he has invested in RobinHood, the stock app that lets you buy and sell shares without fees.
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Leonardo DiCaprio is a man of many passions: acting, saving the environment, vacationing with supermodels and, yes, investing in technology. He invested in the now-defunct photo and video sharing app Mobli in 2011. Undeterred, he's backed several other startups, including QLoo, a "cultural recommendation engine" that gives tips on nightlife, books and TV.
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You know Masterclass, the website where celebs teach you how to cook, act and sing? Robert Downey Jr. invested in it.
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Beyond being one of the most well known models in the world, Tyra Banks has also thrown her hat into the tech ring. She has invested in The Muse, a job-finding website, and Videogram, a video greeting card company.
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Remember Myspace? Well after it was lapped by Facebook and became a music-first social media site, Justin Timberlake invested in it. His luck didn't get much better a few years later when he invested in Stipple, a social platform for tagging pics and locations.
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These stars have moved beyond the entertainment realm
When you're raking in those big showbiz paychecks, you have to find a place to invest your cash. And for these Hollywood celebs, moonlighting as tech entrepreneurs is a serious business.