Ad-hoc | 19 December 2003 05:11

Following an operative turnaround, CEO Hanno Huth steps down to concentrate on

Ad-hoc-announcement transmitted by DGAP. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– Senator Entertainment AG: Following an “operative turnaround”, Chairman and CEO, Hanno Huth steps down to concentrate on producing Hanno Huth, Chairman of the Board of Senator Entertainment AG, has agreed with the Supervisory Board that he will leave his Board position in Senator Entertainment AG. He will continue to work closely with the company as an independent film producer and consultant. The decision has been taken at Huth’s request, who now wants to fully concentrate on working as a producer again. Huth’s producer credits include, The Miracle of Bern (Das Wunder von Bern), Comedian Harmonists, The Pharmacist (Die Apothekerin), Little Bastard (Kleines Arschloch), Capt’n Bluebear (Käpt’n Blaubär), Aimee und Jaguar, and many other German and international successes such as Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures. Over the past 18 months Huth has been heavily engaged in developing the company’s restructuring process and setting the course for a successful business strategy. In addition, he oversaw the successful launch of the international sales organization, Senator International in Los Angeles, which will be the company’s most important income generator. Dr. Christopher Borgmann will assume Huth’s duties. Borgmann has been Managing Director of Senator Film Produktion and was also in charge of the development of international business in his capacity as Senior VP Legal and Business Affairs. He will manage the company as CEO jointly with the CFO Dr. Ingo Stein. As a result of restructuring and strict cost management, joined by the success of Das Wunder von Bern, Senator will return a positive operating result from its distribution business in the fourth quarter. Senator International expansion has also been successful. Senator’s American division has earned a significant seven figure profit just from presales on its current productions, The Grudge, Boogeyman and Harold and Kumar. In the new board’s view, this and other successes through Senator’s restructuring course will provide a solid foundation for the coming business year. end of ad-hoc-announcement (c)DGAP 18.12.2003 Issuer’s information/explanatory remarks concerning this ad-hoc-announcement: Senator Released Germany’s Two Most Successful Films for 2003 The Management and Supervisory Boards of Senator Entertainment AG continue their restructuring course with the announced personnel changes. Following his resignation from the Board of Senator Entertainment AG, Hanno Huth will con-tinue as an independent producer and consultant to the company in the future – released from the burdens of group management and working with the capital market. Both Senator and Huth consider Huth’s return to his producing career, which has been extremely successful in the past, a very promising new collaboration opportunity. Huth has held a variety of management posts at Senator over more than 20 years. He has been a Member of the Board of Senator AG since 1991 and Chairman since 1998. Huth, who was just awarded the “Golden Screen” for three million viewers for his production Das Wunder von Bern (The Miracle of Bern), is the most successful producer of German language feature films for the last decade. The two most successful German films in 2003 (Good Bye Lenin, Das Wunder von Bern) were produced and distributed by Senator and Senator’s subsidiary X-Filme, for a cumulative number of nearly 10 million admissions. Thus in 2003 Senator Group won more than 60% of the domestic market share in German independent productions in an impressive demonstration of its performance capabilities. Hanno Huth: “I am turning over a well-ordered company to my successor. We have survived the destructive media crisis, which had affected the entire industry, intact and with an operative turnaround in business this year. Both of the most successful German films this year, Das Wunder von Bern and Good Bye Lenin are productions of Senator Entertainment and its subsidiary X-Filme. That proves that there is a huge potential for the film industry in pursuing German high- quality production. I have had to concentrate on management tasks since Senator Film was launched on the stock exchange. That has meant a considerable restraint in my production work and in the creative field as such. After completing the Company’s restructuring and the successful launch of Senator International, I want to dedicate my entire energy to film production again.” Borgmann: “Continuous progress for the new strategy” Borgmann (36) has worked as a corporate lawyer at various German and international law firms since completing his law degree and postgraduate legal studies at the universities of Muenster and Cologne. He is a specialist in media and corporate law. In 2000, he began his career at Senator as Senior VP Legal and Business Affairs. In May 2002 he was named Managing Director of Senator Film Produktion and was also in charge of the expansion of international business. The new Chairman of the Board will focus on continuity: “Even after the change of management we will continue the restructuring course we began. Our strategy rests on two pillars: one is German production and distribution; the other is international sales and productions. Both pil-lars have to be continuously strengthened and enlarged.” Berlin, 18th December 2003 Senator Entertainment AG Karl-W. Homburg Head of Investor Relations/ Corporate Communications Tel.: +49 (0) 30 88 091 612 k.homburg@senator.de ——————————————————————————– WKN: 722440; ISIN: DE0007224404; Index: Listed: Geregelter Markt in Frankfurt (General Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin- Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Stuttgart 190511 Dez 03