Background
Son of award-winning film producer, distributor and exhibitor Oliver A. Unger, Stephen Unger was born in New York City, New York, and lived there until age 13 when he and his family moved to Beverly Hills, California.
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Stephen Unger
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He graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1963. Unger graduated from Syracuse University in 1967 and attended New York University’s Graduate Institute of Film and Television.
Career
From 2004-2005 he wrote a regular weekly column on leadership for the Daily Variety, a trade publication considered to be the "Bible of Show Business."
He then lived and worked in various countries outside the United States over ten years. Unger speaks six languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese. In 1971, he co-founded, built, owned and operated Foster"s Hollywood - Spain’s first American-food/Hollywood-themed restaurants.
He and his partners sold the restaurant chain in 1976.
As of 2009, Foster"s Hollywood is the 11th largest franchise restaurant chain in Europe with over 140 restaurants in Spain. Subsequently, Unger held a number of senior corporate positions, including Vice President, International Sales and Acquisitions of Universal Pictures (National Broadcasting Company Universal).
Vice President, International Distribution of Columbia Broadcasting System Theatrical Films (Columbia Broadcasting System, Incorporated). And Senior Vice President, International Sales of Filmways Pictures, Incorporated.
(later absorbed into Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).
In 1988, Unger became an executive recruiter and joined Korn/Ferry International, where he served as a Partner and a Managing Director of its Worldwide Entertainment and Communications Practice. In 1998, Unger joined Heidrick & Struggles’ Global Media and Entertainment Practice as Managing Partner, and news of his own recruitment to the firm was reported on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. In 2003, he started KSMU Limited Liability Company, a boutique executive search firm.
Leonard Armato, longtime Association of Volleyball Professionals Commissioner, described Unger "as one of the top people in sports and entertainment as far as searching for top executives," and he has been recognized by Sporting News" 14-member panel of executives and editors in their annual "100 Most Powerful" list, including #63 in 2001.
He has also been named #65 on CableFAX Magazine’s “100 Most Influential in Cable” List. Unger led the recruitment search for Michael Wolf in his move from Booz-Allen to McKinsey & Company in 2001, which "shook up the industry." He has been quoted in the media regarding senior executive searches, succession plans, remuneration, retention, and contract negotiations, as well as market trends and suggestions for terminated employees.
He has been invited to speak as a guest lecturer at a number of major universities, including Stanford and University of California, Los Los Angeles
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United States