QVC Bigwig Mike George’s $19.7 Million Paycheck

From what we can tell, 2015 was a very, very good year for QVC President and CEO Mike George.

He received $19.7 million in executive compensation, up from a piddling $2 million in 2014 and $1.2 million in 2013, according to a filing the home-shopping empire’s owner, Liberty Interactive, made with federal regulators this week.

That’s a lot of greenbacks!

http://ir.libertyinteractive.com/secfiling.cfm?filingid=1104659-16-115464&CIK=1355096

George’s base salary last year was $1.1 million. Most of his sizable compensation came in the form of $17.5 million in option awards.

George made more money last year than his boss, Liberty President and CEO Greg Mafffei, whose executive comp was $14.8 million.

George also did a lot better than HSN CEO Mindy Grossman, whose executive comp was $4.9 million in 2015.

HSN Is Falling Through The Looking Glass With Alice

We went to the movies for our birthday on Thursday and saw a trailer for Tim Burton’s “Alice Through The Looking Glass.” The film has marvelous visual effects, and a rather creepy-looking Johnny Depp.

To be frank, the whole movie seemed a little creepy. Little did we know at the time that HSN has a super-duper event coming up in partnership with the flick.

We’re just posting the detailed press release, because we are itching to blog about the new documents that how much QVC honcho Mike George made last year. In a nutshell: a lot.

Here is the HSN press release:

HSN Will Launch Its Largest Ever Movie Event Spanning Across Three Days, Capturing the Essence of the Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass Film

Supermodel Miranda Kerr, Academy Award©-winning Costume Designer Colleen Atwood, Hat Designer Patricia Underwood and Fashion Expert Giuliana Rancic, Design Collections for HSN, that take inspiration from the Disney Film

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading entertainment and lifestyle retailer HSN announced today an innovative marketing collaboration with Disney for the release of its all-new fantasy adventure movie Alice Through the Looking Glass. The collaboration brings curated capsule collections by top designers including Miranda Kerr, Colleen Atwood, Patricia Underwood, Giuliana Rancic, Jeffrey Banks and more, across home, culinary, fashion, footwear, jewelry, accessories and beauty. The assortment will be available as part of a collection of exclusive HSN items.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Disney Studios for our largest movie event to date,” said Bill Brand, president of HSN. “Alice Through The Looking Glass marks our sixth Disney movie collaboration, where we have inspired our partners to design collections that creatively capture the themes of the film and bring the iconic story to life!”

HSN collaborated with designers and influencers to create products that bring life to the all-new spectacular adventure, a follow-up to 2010’s wildly successful Alice in Wonderland. Drawing inspiration from the rich colors in the film, HSN is launching collections across six different themes in the movie, including: Red Queen, a collection inspired by the villainous queen with items spanning different shades of red; Time, featuring time-themed pieces inspired by the newest character; Kingsleigh Trading Co., an Asian-inspired assortment representing the unique finds Alice encountered during her world travels; Witzend, a whimsical and colorful collection capturing the essence of garden parties and outdoor living; Discover Alice Through The Looking Glass, a collection by multiple designers inspired by various themes; and Victorian Romance, a romantic collection inspired by the White Queen, filled with beautiful cameos, pearls and lace.

“We are excited to be working once again with the talented team at HSN,” said Don Gross, VP, Global Marketing Partnerships, Promotions & Synergy. “The whimsy and originality of Alice Through the Looking Glass are brought to life through this fantastic retail collection, and the creative details and designs will surely appeal to movie fans.”

The event kicks off at 11 p.m. on May 23rd and continues through midnight on May 26th. This unique marketing program is a key component of HSN’s entertainment integration strategy, which drives engagement across all of HSN’s shopping platforms, including TV, digital and mobile.

From rich shades of red to gothic time-themed pieces inspired by a new character, Time, these capsule collections seamlessly transition from day to night, with items such as:

Handmade headpieces by hat designer Patricia Underwood;
Bone china tea sets and accessories by Miranda Kerr;
Time-inspired sandals and footwear by Vince Camuto;
Fantastical statement jewelry including necklaces, earrings, brooches, and hairpins by Heidi Daus, Amedeo and Roberto by RFM, Colleen Atwood;
Leather and sterling silver jewelry handmade in the USA by King Baby;
Hand painted character inspired hand bags by Sharif;
Detailed, novelty hand bags by Danielle Nicole;
Contemporary pieces including pants, jackets, flair dresses and coordinating sets by Giuliana Rancic and Nikki Poulos

HSN will bring Alice Through The Looking Glass into homes with beautiful bedding and home essentials from Madcap Cottage, Anna Griffin, Hutton Wilkinson and Jeffrey Banks, whose classic bedding set features inspirational details pulled from the movie as part of its design.

QVC, Cosmetics Execs Team Again For Cancer Benefit

QVC and Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) are joining forces for the fourth consecutive year for “QVC and CEW Present Beauty with Benefits,” which will air on our birthday, this Thursday, at 7 p.m.

The deal is that 80 percent of the purchase price of the donated merchandise will benefit Cancer and Careers, a charitable program of the CEW Foundation. This week’s lineup includes products from Nars, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Givenchy, Shiseido, bareMinerals, Algenist and Philosophy.

Wow, Nars is back! We haven’t seen it on QVC since the network wouldn’t let Lisa Robertson utter the name of one of the beauty brand’s iconic blushes: Orgasm.

But we digress. As an added bonus on Thursday, shoppers will receive a gift with purchase, which includes one full-size product and four deluxe samples from participating brands in a Sonia Kashuk-designed cosmetic bag.

The broadcast will benefit Cancer and Careers, which empowers, educates and provides essential tools to people with cancer so they can thrive in the workplace. Viewers will be shown the impact that each purchase can make to the lives of those affected by cancer and industry experts will share beauty tips and tricks that will leave everyone feeling beautiful.

“Teaming up with CEW once again gives viewers the opportunity to shop for a cause, while also inspiring them to positively impact lives across the country through Cancer and Careers,” said Rachel Ungaro, QVC’s vice president of fashion and beauty merchandising.

“This initiative aligns with our charitable mission to support the success and wellness of women through the power of relationships. By working with CEW and their strong network, we aim to bring together the beauty industry to build more awareness and support for Cancer and Careers.”

To help raise awareness for this year’s broadcast, longtime friends Cindy Crawford, model and entrepreneur, and Sonia Kashuk, founder of Sonia Kashuk Beauty, teamed up for the second year in a row as the Public Service Announcements spokeswomen.

Cindy Crawford’s sister, Chris Bohnsak, and Sonia Kashuk’s daughter, Sadye Kaner, lent their support to enforce the social campaign “Better Together.”

“This simple but powerful phrase reinforces the collective goal of ‘Beauty with Benefits, which is to bring people, products and expertise together to make life better for cancer survivors on the job,” according to QVC’s press release.

QVC viewers, with or without a direct connection to cancer, will be encouraged to post about someone who makes life better for them, whether it is a friend, family member, colleague, teacher or doctor using the hashtag #BeautywithBenefits.

This year, viewers are also invited to participate in a sweepstakes that will give one shopper the chance to win every product in the broadcast for themselves and a friend of their choice.

Evine Live Names Chief Marketing Officer

Evine Live has made some management shifts.

The No. 3 home shopping network has appointed Nicole Ostoya as executive vice president and chief marketing officer and promoted Lee Goehring to vice president of merchandising for the home and consumer electronics categories.

Ostoya previously served as Evine Live’s interim chief marketing officer, with oversight of marketing, creative, e-commerce and broadcasting. Her retail resume includes 28 years with Nordstrom, where she held buying and merchandising positions, as well as holding the position of full-line store Manager for several of their larger stores.

Ostoya was eventually recruited by LVMH to work on one of their flagship properties, Benefit Cosmetics, as director of business development. She successfully launched Benefit Cosmetics on QVC, helping bring the brand to life on television. Since then, she has run a public company, and launched several companies as an entrepreneur, including the beauty brands The New Black and Kissing Elixirs.

“Nicole’s nearly 30 years of retail experience, where she drove the development of countless brand and customer acquisition strategies, will greatly enhance our ability to grow our customer base and generate greater awareness of the Evine Live brand,” Evine Live Chairman Bob Rosenblatt said. “The addition of her to the EvineE Live team shows our investment in furthering our growth strategies.”

Goehring has more 20 years of experience in retail merchandising and product development. Previously at Evine Live, he held the role of director and divisional merchandise manager of the consumer electronics category.

Prior to Evine Live, he served for five years as vice president of National Accounts at TRG, a sales and product development company that created and distributed various product lines to national retailers.

Goehring also spent five years at Target Corp. in the role of senior buyer and lead merchant, leading electronics and video games for the online division, and eight years at Best Buy Corp. in the role of senior buyer, where he was also involved in the electronics category.

“The promotion of Lee to vice president of our home and consumer electronics product categories reinforces our commitment in building a cohesive merchandising strategy with a greater emphasis on products and brands that drive customer acquisition and retention,” Rosenblatt. “Lee’s proven ability to foster strong, long-term vendor relationships will allow us to be even more opportunistic in the marketplace.”

Holly Robinson Peete Brings Clothing To Evine Live

Just what we need, another celeb hawking apparel on a home shopping network.

Holly Robinson Peete — a veteran of “21 Jump Street,” “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper” and “For Your Love” — will debut her HRP clothing line on May 27 and 28 on Evine Live.

Peete first hinted that she was getting into the fashion business this past Saturday on her OWN reality television series, “For Peete’s Sake,” which depicted her first meetings with Evine Live.

“When Evine Live first approached me about creating my own line of clothing, it was a dream come true,” Peete said in a canned statement. “Fashion is something I’ve always been passionate about and I’m excited to share my style with women everywhere. HRP is everything I look for in my own clothing… comfort, color and relaxed styles that flatter my figure.”

And here’s the network’s hype in its press release Tuesday.

“Holly Robinson Peete is one of the most highly respected women in entertainment and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to our family,” Evine Live Chairman and interim CEO Bob Rosenblatt said.

“Like our customers, Holly leads a busy life. She’s an actress, author, philanthropist, wife and mother of four. When we partnered to develop this fashion collection, she made it clear that she wanted to create something that busy women like her… really all women… could enjoy. I believe we’ve accomplished what we set out to do together, all while keeping the collection affordable, exclusive and accessible to all women.”

David Miller, vice president of fashion and accessories at Evine Live, also chimed in.

“The first thing that struck me about Holly was her warmness and approach ability, which are traits that are so important in our business,” he said.

“When it comes to selling product on television, the personality is almost as important as the product. In Holly’s case, she has both. She’s real, she’s relatable and her fashion collection perfectly reflects her busy life and casual style. Our customers will immediately fall in love with Holly and HRP.”

Premiering during Evine Live’s summer fashion event, Peete will offer tops, bottoms, skirts and dresses.

The collection features details such as crochet, tie dye, knits and bright colors including blues, coral reds, aqua and peach.

HSN CEO Mindy Grossman Received $4.9 Million In Comp Last Year

We’ve been so busy that we missed the fact that earlier this month HSN filed its proxy statement with the SEC, which includes the compensation that execs at the No. 2 home shopping network received last year.

http://www.hsni.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1434729-16-27&CIK=1434729

In the case of CEO Mindy Grossman, her comp was $4.9 million, just a hair less than in 2014. Her salary was $1.2 million the same as last year, and she also received stock awards and options.

COO and CFO Judy Schmeling took in $1.8 million in executive compensation in 2015, down from $2.1 million the prior year.

And Bill Brand, HSN president and chief marketing officer for HSN Inc., received executive compensation of $1.6 million, down from $1.9 million in 2014.

By way of comparison, under his new contract Mike George, president and CEO of QVC Inc., this year will be getting a base salary of $1.25 million — but that’s just his base.

HSN Host Lynn Murphy Mourns Dad’s Death

We send condolences to HSN host Lynn Murphy, who lost her dad yesterday.

“It is with heavy heart that I let you know that this morning I lost my mentor and the man I admired most, my dear father,” Murphy posted on Facebook.

“My family and I are grieving and putting together the details of his memorial services and mass. I will let you know more details then. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers, support and patience during this sad time.”

Since our father passed away a year ago, we certainly sympathize with Murphy and send our prayers.

Skin Care Expert Sonya Dakar Brings Line To Evine Live

Beverly Hills skincare expert Sonya Dakar will debut her “Beauty Bootcamp,” a collection of anti-aging products, on Evine Live on May 6 and 7.

The Evine Live big guns came out for this press release.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Sonya Dakar to the Evine Live family and can’t wait to share her more than three decades of skincare experience with our viewers,” Chairman and interim Bob Rosenblatt said in a canned statement.

“Sonya has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including A-list actors and actresses, top models and award-winning musicians, and now for the first time, she’s accessible to every woman in America. That’s an experience that only Evine Live can deliver and the reason why this premiere is so special.”

Dakar has been in the beauty business since 1971.

“Starting her business out of her home, word quickly spread throughout Hollywood that if you wanted great skin, you had to see Sonya” Evine Live’s gushy press release said.

“Her popularity quickly grew, and what started as a Hollywood secret soon flourished into an award-winning brand. Today, Sonya works with clients at her luxurious five story skin clinic located in the heart of Beverly Hills. Her daughter, Mimi, who has learned the family business and now serves as Creative Director of the Sonya Dakar empire, will join her mother on Evine Live.”

And Dakar’s canned statement was there, as well.

“When clients walk into my clinic, it’s my goal to provide them a one-on-one treatment and a luxurious, unforgettable experience.,” she said.

“The Beauty Bootcamp collection allows me to do just that, but in a way that’s affordable for all women. “Not only is this collection exclusive to Evine Live, but it’s the only skincare in the world that features our proprietary BioStem technology outside of our clinic. This is a must-have for anyone wanting to feel younger and more radiant. I can’t wait to join my daughter Mimi on Evine Live and introduce the world to my newest collection.”

Dakar will offer seven kits. The collection features the exclusive BioStem technology.

The Dish On Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles On HSN

We blogged about this several days ago, but here’s the official press release from HSN.

Big Machine Label Group & HSN Rock With Superstar Partnership

Long-Term Collaboration Kicks off with Two Big Machine Rocks Live Music Broadcast Specials from Iconic Female Vocalists Martina McBride (April 17) and Jennifer Nettles (April 26)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., April 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading live content retailer HSN announced today an all-star partnership with one of the most successful independent labels in music — Big Machine Label Group. As part of the innovative long-term collaboration, GRAMMY Award® winning artists Martina McBride and Jennifer Nettles will each perform live from Nashville on HSN during two special Big Machine Rocks live events in advance of their upcoming album releases.

McBride will debut songs from Reckless for fans on HSN on April 17th at 11p.m. ET. Later in the month, Nettles will preview tracks from Playing with Fire (Big Machine Records) on April 26 at 11p.m. ET. Both concerts will be aired across all of HSN’s platforms — TV, online at HSN.com and mobile — and will give fans the opportunity to purchase exclusive CD bundles.

“We are excited to collaborate with a visionary like Scott Borchetta and his team at Big Machine Label Group to re-energize the music program at HSN to create a unique and fun shopping experience,” said Bill Brand, President of HSN. “We know our customers love good music and a good story and Martina and Jennifer are two of the best storytellers in Nashville today. Our customers will love the exclusive, intimate, live music events we have planned when these talented artists take the stage.”

“Big Machine Label Group and HSN have very similar cultures in that we are both nimble and creative. That synergy is what has made the development of this project so exciting and a true collaboration,” said BMLG President and CEO Scott Borchetta. “HSN understands consumers at the highest level and we are proud to launch the Big Machine Rocks program with them.”

QVC, ‘Today’ Team Up To Find ‘Mompreneurs’

QVC hasn’t posted a press release on its website for months, but it did so on Wednesday.

We’re too tired to blog about the “Mompreneurs” hunt, but here is the news from the horse’s mouth.

MAKE WAY FOR THE MOMS
QVC and NBC’s TODAY Honor the “Mothers of Invention”
with a Country-Wide Search for “Mompreneurs”

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (April 13, 2016) — Calling all moms with a money-making invention! For the second year, QVC is collaborating with NBC’s TODAY to discover the next big product to be sold by the world’s leading video and ecommerce retailer. Nine budding mom entrepreneurs, or “mompreneurs,” will take center stage next week to showcase their creative inventions during TODAY’s Next Big Thing 2, a week-long competition where promising mom inventors and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to pitch their breakthrough ideas each day to NBC’s TODAY’s panel of experts.

The country-wide search began in February as inventors were asked to submit their inventions. From those submissions, nine finalists were chosen across three different categories including: “gadgets for mom’s purse,” “mom on the go” and “mom gets organized.” All of the products are created by moms, for moms. During the week of April 18, the products in each category will be pitched live on NBC’s TODAY to a panel of judges that includes Doug Howe, QVC’s Executive Vice President of Merchandising, Jill Martin, NBC’s TODAY contributor and Creative Director of QVC’s contemporary fashion and accessories line, G.I.L.I. got it love it® and Savannah Guthrie, NBC’s TODAY anchor.

Beginning Tuesday, April 19, viewers can vote for their favorite product each day by visiting TODAY.com. On Friday, April 22, the inventors of the product receiving the most votes in each category will have one last chance to win over the judges and explain why their product deserves to join the ranks of QVC’s best-selling items. The overall winner selected by the judges will sell their product live on QVC Saturday, April 23 at 10AM (ET).

“Joining together with TODAY once again provides us with the opportunity to highlight budding entrepreneurs and inventors across the country,” said Howe. “The joy of discovery and the power of storytelling is a big part of what we do at QVC. Through TODAY’s Next Big Thing, we’re able to discover promising mom entrepreneurs and provide them with national distribution and a powerful platform to showcase the story and inspiration behind their products.”

Last September, QVC and TODAY launched TODAY’s Next Big Thing. Leslie Pierson, the inventor of GoodHangups, a reusable magnetic display systems for posters, art, photographs and more, was named the winner. The product achieved immediate success on QVC selling out during Pierson’s first appearance on air and it continues to be a popular item. The experience has given Pierson the opportunity to expand and further develop her business.

“Presenting my product on TODAY and then QVC was such an amazing opportunity to tell my story and demonstrate my product to millions of people and get instant feedback,” said Pierson. “So often in retail, your product is standing on its own either online or on a retail shelf with little or no opportunity to tell the story of how you came up with it or showcase how it works. With QVC, you’re talking directly to your customer and have the opportunity to explain your inspiration and demonstrate how it works in a way that’s usually not possible.”

Over the past 29 years, QVC has launched and fostered the growth of some of today’s most successful brands. TODAY’s Next Big Thing 2 aligns with QVC’s commitment to bring their customers an ever-changing mix of new and innovative products from inventors and entrepreneurs as well as national and boutique brands.

It also supports QVC Sprouts®, the ongoing, crowd-sourced product search that seeks the best up-and-coming products from inventors and entrepreneurs, where those with a retail-ready item have the opportunity to sell on QVC.com and the chance to grow their businesses through a scalable and nurturing process.

Tune in to Saturday Morning Q® on QVC Saturday, April 23 at 10AM (ET) for a firsthand look as the TODAY’S Next Big Thing winning invention is showcased. Visit QVC.com to purchase the winning product, plus the products of all nine finalists. To learn more about QVC Sprouts, visit http://www.qvc.com/qvcsprouts.