Knives Out For Fired MRC Prez Samples

COMMENTS (15)

• Karma

  Comment by dagger — Thursday October 23, 2008 @ 2:21pm PDT  Reply to this post

• What is it with people making enemies with bigger people than they are?

  Weinstein picks a fight with NBC of Project Runway, and now this guy puts himself on the NBC shit list with his shenanigans. I know a lot of people don’t respect the senior NBC honchos, but they shouldn’t forget that those honchos represent one of the largest media companies in the world, and it’s part of one of the largest conglomerates in the world.

  No matter how you feel about the people in charge, the organisation itself will turn around and crush anyone who treats them like that, just to show that they’re still the big boys. And the other media giants will most likely join in on the bashing, just to maintain the corporate food chain.

  Comment by Furious D — Thursday October 23, 2008 @ 3:20pm PDT  Reply to this post

• The problem here is mrc’s involvement with endeavor — they’re the same company. Ari spends as much time at mrc as he does at endeavor. I guarantee you that in two years MRC will be sold and Ari, Patrick, Modi and Asif will pocket the cash.

  Comment by Michelle — Thursday October 23, 2008 @ 4:01pm PDT  Reply to this post

• that’s the tip of the iceberg…

  Comment by Anonymous — Thursday October 23, 2008 @ 5:29pm PDT  Reply to this post

• That’s amazing and if true he may truly never eat lunch in this town again.
  Surprised NBC didn’t sue him there.

  Comment by ReelBusy — Thursday October 23, 2008 @ 5:37pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Keith seems to be great in the room and terrible when it comes to the actual running of a business. Be interesting to see where he lands after this.

  Comment by Not Surprised — Thursday October 23, 2008 @ 5:37pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Samples is a Texas Tech grad who ran Rysher Entertainment before Paramount TV bought out the firm in the late 90′s.

  Comment by greg6363 — Thursday October 23, 2008 @ 7:07pm PDT  Reply to this post

• MRC and the buffoons running that “shingle” are a joke. I laugh at their self-proclamation:

  About MRC

  MRC is a diversified global media company with operations in filmed entertainment, television programming and original digital content. The company is the industry’s largest independent film, TV and digital studio. MRC specializes in the creation of premium entertainment content, partnering directly with leading creative talent and custom building distribution for each of its projects. The company’s investors include some of the most recognized and respected media and investment firms in the world, including Goldman Sachs, WPP Group PLC and AT&T.

  MRC Film

  MRC Film is a leading independent film studio. The studio treats artists as owners and custom builds distribution around the specific and unique needs of the artists and their work. MRC has full in-house physical production, legal, finance, and sales and marketing infrastructure, earning a reputation for manufacturing and delivering the highest quality film product available. MRC has distributed its films through every major domestic and international distributor, and has consistently delivered films to commercial and critical acclaim, receiving multiple Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.

  MRC Television

  MRC Television is the industry’s largest independent television studio, supplying premium television programming to many of the major broadcast and cable networks. The studio partners directly with the television industry’s leading creative talent and specializes in both scripted and non-scripted programming. MRC has full in-house physical production, legal, finance, and sales and marketing infrastructure, earning a reputation for manufacturing and delivering the highest quality television product available. In 2008, MRC Television formed a strategic alliance with the CW network to program the network’s Sunday night primetime block.

  MRC Digital

  MRC Digital is a leading digital studio, providing premium original digital content, distribution and advertising sales capabilities. The studio partners directly with some of the industry’s most recognized content creators and brands, including Seth MacFarlane, The Second City, Raven-Symoné and Amanda Congdon. MRC Digital works with many Fortune 500 companies and leading brands, including AT&T, Google, Six Flags, Procter & Gamble and Burger King.

  Comment by Prctr — Thursday October 23, 2008 @ 11:03pm PDT  Reply to this post

• I worked with Keith Samples. He was dishonest. He was dishonorable. He spoke badly about everyone to everyone and created divisivness amongst theother employees. He quickly determined who was and was not powerful, and sacrificed everyone in order to ascend.

  People like that who lack the charisma of those slightly smarter will ultimately fail. His is not a new story. In fact, it’s a cliche. Sorry Keith, but in the end, you’re not memorable enough to leave a mark.

  I will be happy never to work with, alongside, or near him again.

  I was an internal witness to the havoc he wreaked. And when the bad guys get called up for wreaking it, well it renews faith.

  Comment by witness — Friday October 24, 2008 @ 7:23am PDT  Reply to this post

• Finally one example of failing DOWNWARDS. Keith is not a bad guy but he’s an awful executive and an awful director. The only good thing he does is con people into letting him lose their money. MRC is a freaking disaster.

  Comment by JoseArribas — Friday October 24, 2008 @ 7:32am PDT  Reply to this post

• I worked directly for Keith Samples and I thought he was a good guy and got things done. Ironically, I’m a woman and didn’t sleep with him.

  Comment by Honestly — Friday October 24, 2008 @ 11:29am PDT  Reply to this post

• I have known Keith Samples for a decade. He is a good guy, yeah he’s got a very wide entrepreneurial streak and if the NBC leak is accurate he suffers from lapses in judgment like the rest of us from time to time. But he’s nothing like some of the bad commenters here make him out to be. He doesn’t pick fights, he’s not an ahole and he’s forgotten more about the television business than some of you anonymous posters will ever learn.

  He was never a good fit at MRC because he’s the antithesis of the button-down, suit-wearing Endeavor-sponsored mentality. But to vilify him like some of you are is just incorrect.

  Comment by My it's easy to talk smack on the internet — Friday October 24, 2008 @ 3:16pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Hey “My it’s easy to talk smack on the internet” or shall we just call you Keith’s best-friend/whoever you are…

  Not really sure the rest of us engage in fraud from “time to time” although maybe you do?

  Comment by yougottabekidding — Friday October 24, 2008 @ 4:42pm PDT  Reply to this post

• The lapse in judgment was in initiating a business transaction related to a matter which he had knowledge of from another capacity. That’s not fraud, it’s bad judgment. Nowhere did I say I was Keith’s best friend now did I?

  Anyway “yougottabekidding” I’ll let you get back to your postings. Enjoy.

  Comment by My it's easy to talk smack on the internet — Friday October 24, 2008 @ 6:21pm PDT  Reply to this post

• fyi endeavor divested itself of all financial interests
  in MRC a while ago– between potential conflict of interest issues, and the way they did business, any profit wasn’t worth it
  to them

  Comment by Anonymous — Friday November 21, 2008 @ 8:58am PST  Reply to this post