Exclusive Interview with Larry Namer
Larry Namer is an entertainment industry veteran with close to 50 years of professional experience in cable television, live events, and new media, Larry Namer is a founding partner of Metan Global Entertainment Group, a venture created to develop and distribute entertainment content and media specifically for Chinese speaking audiences in China and abroad. In 2018, the company launched the MGEG Film Fund I and serves as a managing partner. He is also the executive producer on the recently announced feature film “EMPRESS,” a new travel series for the China audience titled “Explore The World,” and an executive producer of the new crime series “Nova Vita.” He recently served as an Advisor and Chief Operating Officer of FanVestor. He is co-founder of the new lifestyle platform BTYKWN.com, along with Richie Rich and Mister D, and in November 2021, he joined FilmCapital.io as president.
Mr. Namer is the co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, a company now valued at over five billion USD, and the creator of several successful companies in the United States and overseas. Among those companies are Comspan Communications which pioneered Western forms of entertainment in the former Soviet Union and Steeplechase Media which served as the primary consultant to Microsoft’s MiTV for developing interactive TV applications.
He has recently launched BTYKWN (Pronounced Beauty Kween), a gender-free virtual makeup community.
Jules: Tell us about how you launched E! Network.
Larry: I was working for a Toronto-based company building the big cable system in Los Angeles called Valley Cable TV. It was the first 61 channel two-way system ever built in the United States, and I was recruited to be the head of it at the ripe old age of 31. At the time there were not 61 channels of network content to put on it, so I called the studios and said I would air their trailers free of charge. We created a separate channel for trailers. When we did the audience surveys the trailer channel always ranked high on the list of channels that people enjoyed. A few years later the Toronto company sold out and I was not about to return to cold weather anywhere so decided to stay in Southern California. My friend Alan Mruvka came up with the idea of doing “MTV of movies” and I said, “wait for a second, instead of standing up a VJ in front of music videos we can do the same with movie trailers”. Alan and I refined that idea and that started our thinking and eventually, we thought we would become Entertainment Tonight 24 hours a day, but with a much hipper and modern presentation geared to a younger audience. -The concept of E! was born. At first, we called it MOVIETIME but then changed it to reflect the broader content offering. We wrote a business plan and set out to raise money, but soon realized that just because we had a great idea it was very hard to get anyone to take us seriously. Only big media companies could launch TV networks and the thought of two individuals being able to be unthinkable at that time.
Jules: What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Larry: The biggest challenge was that no one believed that a TV network could be launched outside of the well-established media conglomerates. It took us three and a half years to convince an investment group to give us 2.5 million dollars which were still far short of the 60-100 million media companies were spending back then. Being naïve, Alan and I said we will figure out how to make it work and I called a friend teaching radio, television, and film at UT Austin and he sent us a bunch of young students to fill Summer intern slots. So, we launched with only 11 employees and a whole bunch of interns that were so excited to be a part of something new and next. Once we went live, we have proclaimed an overnight success.
Jules: You recently had an interview with Preston Pollard. When it comes to entrepreneurship you said, “People stick with stuff too long.” Explain.
Larry: I see a lot of people who let their ego get in the way of becoming successful. They think they have nothing but great ideas and cannot accept that either the idea wasn’t really that good or that the environment has changed such that what was a good idea is no longer such anymore. They think that just because they started on a path, they must stay with it. I’m a bit different and I constantly reassess all my ideas almost daily. I’m not afraid to cut loose on those ideas that are no longer viable and I’m not afraid to admit that many ideas I have just aren’t that good. That allows me to refocus and put all my time and energy into the good ones that can be realized.
Jules: Tell us about your new company, BTYKWN.
Larry: BTYKWN (pronounced BEAUTYKWEEN) is a fresh concept that really excites me for many reasons. It is a true next-generation brand in my opinion. BTYKWN is the first-ever gender-free digital community for makeup superfans. And it’s all about empowering the younger generation to be themselves and continue to be confident in doing so. Many kids feel like they don’t fit in– so BTYKWN.COM gives them that digital place to engage in their makeup enthusiasm with other like-minded individuals that all want to stand out. We have so much fun stuff planned BTYKWN, it is all very cutting edge.
Jules: Do you think BTYKWN has the power to change the planet?
Larry: As we focus on the younger generation it certainly has the power to change the way we think of gender norms and self-identity with BTYKWN. So yes, with some glitter and glam we will definitely try our best to change the planet and the makeup industry forever.
Jules: Can you explain how someone who has such longevity in media can reinvent himself for the future of the youth generation?
Larry: I have always been about “what’s next? not what was. I was in the cable before the cable was cool. I was in China when it provided less than 2% of the global film box office (now it’s the largest in the world). I was doing Internet streaming services in the late 90s. I studied and studied hard as to what I should be doing and how can I beat the big media companies. I’m a quick study and very egoless when it comes to evaluating new opportunities. I get asked how I got this way quite often but other than my mother dropping me on my head when I was one year old, which happens to be true, I can’t think of any other reason.
Jules: Can you explain how someone who has such longevity in media can reinvent himself for the future of the youth generation?
Larry: I have always been about “what’s next? not what was. I was in the cable before the cable was cool. I was in China when it provided less than 2% of the global film box office (now it’s the largest in the world). I was doing Internet streaming services in the late 90s. I studied and studied hard as to what I should be doing and how can I beat the big media companies. I’m a quick study and very egoless when it comes to evaluating new opportunities. I get asked how I got this way quite often but other than my mother dropping me on my head when I was one year old, which happens to be true, I can’t think of any other reason.
Jules: You could work on any project. What was it about this makeup project that intrigued you creatively?
Larry: If you think about it, I went to work in Russia years ago not speaking the language or having been born there and ended up with the number one TV show as well as creating the largest non-state-owned music company in the country. We brought everyone from Sheryl Crow to David Bowie, to The Three Tenors there. Then it was off to China where again, I hadn’t lived nor spoke the language, and created several series that was on network TV. Probably one of my proudest accomplishments is creating a sitcom that was nominated at the Asia TV Awards, while we didn’t win, we were the only sitcom from China nominated that year. All the things we do in China are in Mandarin which is a major part of why we have been successful while most media companies from around the world fail in that market. This all points up to the reason I loved BTYKWN and jumped right in. I think beauty and makeup have become the new chatter of pop culture. People love to talk about makeup and everything around it, like fashion and style and music. The LGBTQ+ community has become such a huge part of powering this movement, as it becomes quite common for both men and women of all ethnicities and sexual orientations to use beauty products and makeup. Changing norms in media, I guess is what I do best. So, it’s that common denominator that ties it all together with the main focus on the BTYKWN fans and not the company. For me, this was a chance to learn how to speak to these audiences that mainstream media has not satisfied and help build something very rewarding, super impactful, and long-lasting.
Jules: As one of the most influential people of our time, what is your hope for the next generation?
Larry: I really hope we can find a way to unite as the human race and to celebrate our differences: not fear them. Of course, we have to learn to cherish our planet and everything on it. If we don’t, we will all be just a blip in history.
Jules: What do you want your legacy to be?
Larry: I guess it’s that I managed to stay relevant in media for so long and show that what seems to be impossible is always possible. Lots of folks have been after me to write my book, but I have resisted as I still think my best work is ahead of me and not behind me. I don’t have the last chapter yet.
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