{"id":20,"date":"2015-06-17T21:47:55","date_gmt":"2015-06-17T21:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amv.witcogroup.com\/web\/?page_id=20"},"modified":"2021-05-23T20:25:05","modified_gmt":"2021-05-23T20:25:05","slug":"testimonials","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/localhost\/testimonials\/","title":{"rendered":"Testimonials"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Allan Grafman is a trusted colleague. After knowing each other professionally for several years, we have worked together on a project for the last six months. The relationship has been very collaborative. Allan is a good contributor and exacting on what he can deliver and does so in timely fashion. He possesses high professional integrity. I recommend him as an advisor and colleague.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Kay Koplovitz<\/strong>Founder, USA Cable Channel<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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Allan worked tirelessly and with great perseverance over an extended period of time to secure our critical funding. He will do the same for you. The most sincere thank you, Allan!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Peter Gerwe<\/strong>Investor at StoryFirst<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
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I have had the pleasure of working with Allan a number of times over the past 18 years. His in-depth knowledge of the ever-changing media landscape is unsurpassed and his insights bring high-performance results to a company\u2019s bottom line. Case in point: Allan was instrumental in taking Archie Comics to new levels of success. He raised equity capital, brought two movie deals to us (from Paramount and Miramax), and several dozen consumer product, television and digital opportunities. Monetizing content is what Allan is all about – and I anxiously await the next media deal that brings our paths together.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Steve Newman<\/strong>President, Newco Media<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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I first met Allan when my firm issued him a term sheet when he was the CEO of Archie Comics. Allan and I subsequently worked at Mercury in our private equity group for the next six years, and we served on several boards together. Allan has uncompromising honesty and integrity. He has a very good nose for a new deal and can intuitively understand the major issues. He is very experienced at working with senior media executives and knows how to unfold a new relationship at the speed that the other side is prepared for. He also has a great set of relationships acquired over the years that he can quickly bring to bear on a new situation. Allan has a great deal of board-level experience in managing complex media companies.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Teo Balbach<\/strong>Principal, Mercury Capital Partners<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
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I\u2019ve known Allan for many years. His energy, enthusiasm and expertise are unparalleled. As we have looked at several deals together, we are impressed with his industry knowledge, practical perspectives on businesses in his field, and his broad network. He is a valuable member of our team.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Gary Matthews<\/strong>Morgan Stanley Private Equity<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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Allan is and has been a trusted advisor and partner to Big Tent over the past 4 years. During this time, he has given willingly of his time, expertise, and extensive network of contacts in support of our growing business. In addition, he has been an invaluable board member, providing solid guidance and insight. Because there’s not much in business Allan hasn’t done, his experience base is quite extensive, and this is critical to any corporate board in today’s frenetic business environment. Finally, and I believe most importantly, Allan understands the importance of human relations within any successful business venture. For these reasons I believe Allan will make a valuable addition to any business across a variety of roles.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Rich Collins<\/strong>CEO at Big Tent Entertainment<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
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I have worked with Allan for the past several years as board members at a portfolio company in which we were co-investors. Allan is a strong leader, very focused and able to analyze the situation, evaluate strategic implications and devise a clear path for action. He is effective at communicating at all levels, very clearly articulating the objectives and tailoring them to management, employees and board members alike. Allan is a master connector. His network in the media and technology sphere has been invaluable in helping our company build the relationships it has needed along the way. Allan has been invaluable to this portfolio company and I would welcome an opportunity to co-invest and work with him again.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Brian Model<\/strong>Managing Partner at Stonehenge Growth Equity Partners<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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I have known Allan for about 10 years. I was first introduced to Allan in his role as Chair of Majesco Entertainment (NASDAQ:COOL). Over the years, he has been associated with very successful projects. He has also authored articles and has spoken on corporate governance as part of a national forum. Allan is an excellent board leader who makes himself available to tackle the tough issues. He is diligent and careful as he has demonstrates the ability to improve the profitability and increase the value of companies.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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James Reda<\/strong>Managing Director, Executive Compensation<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
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As a financial advisor to companies confronted by marketplace or liquidity challenges, I have the opportunity to work with many Board members and executives. I worked with Allan on a matter where he was Chairman of the Board for a company experiencing significant marketplace disruption. I found Allan’s efforts in the matter to be highly beneficial to all stakeholders in the company. Allan skillfully navigated (and helped the management team navigate) among many competing interests. In a situation where sensitivities can become bruised, Allan treated all individuals with an incredible amount of respect and patience while maintaining an ability to help the Company meet its deadlines and achieve its goals. I would highly recommend Allan as a board member and executive, as I have seen him achieve excellent results in a time and resource constrained environment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Andrew De Camara<\/strong>EVP, Sherwood Partners<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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Allan is one of the very few financial executives that I have met that also understands marketing, programming, and promotion. This combination of skills makes Allan a very valuable executive.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Clark Morehouse<\/strong>SVP, Tribune<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
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I’ve known Allan for over 12 years, and he is the Wayne Brown Institute’s go to guy on New Media investment matters. At my request he recently gave a presentation to a packed house of entrepreneurs and investors on the status of New Media. It was terrific. He was engaging, insightful, and left the audience wanting more. He knows his stuff, and is an excellent mentor, adviser, practitioner and investor.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Brad Bertoch<\/strong>President, Wayne Brown Institute<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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I have had the opportunity to work with Allan for several years as a member of the Majesco Board of Directors. In that time he has demonstrated a unique blend of industry perspective, strategic insight, and consensus building skills. During his tenure as Chairman, Majesco has made significant progress on many fronts that ultimately can be measured in sales growth, profit growth, and stock appreciation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Larry Aronson<\/strong>Director, Majesco Entertainment<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
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Allan is a consummate business professional. His zest for pursuing goals and creating positive energy is contagious and is the primary reason for his success. The CEO role is a challenge within any organization, but Allan works very hard to create a team atmosphere. His persistence in driving a business forward is admirable. I enjoyed working with Allan, and count him as a friend.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Karl Winters<\/strong>CFO at ClearCall Solutions<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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Allan Grafman and I have known each other for over 20 years since working at the same time at the Tribune Corporation. Allan is an articulate, diligent, intelligent individual, who helped to maximize growth within his area of the company.\u00a0 Over the years, he has impressively expanded his contact base, his breadth of knowledge and his participation in various businesses by investing in the media community and sitting on a variety of corporate boards.\u00a0 Allan is also a friendly, gregarious person – the proud father of 4 children, who is as comfortable with teenagers as he is giving a financial presentation.\u00a0 This all makes Allan a well-rounded consummate professional.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Jon Spaet<\/strong>Vice President, Networks Sales and Development at Sinclair Broadcast Group<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
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I have known Allan for many years and have worked with him as both a corporate executive and as an entrepreneur. Both experiences are equally as positive from both a business and personal perspective. I look forward to doing more business with Allan.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Clark Hallren<\/strong>MD, JP Morgan Bank<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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I have known Allan for almost a decade and found him to be extremely knowledgeable on all things media. He is well-connected, enthusiastic and fun to work with. If you have a business deal that is media-centric, I recommend speaking with Allan. If it is not for him, he will refer you to a better prospect.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Andrew Hyde<\/strong>Chief Financial Officer at Shareholder Representative Services<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
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I have known Allan for many years. He is a very high energy, driven, creative executive, who is extremely enterpreneurial and financially savvy. His ability to analyze a deal and understand the potential upside is quite strong. He has terrific operating experience, which is what many people in the VC world lack. Having run a business makes him that much more effective as an investor.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Tom Schneider<\/strong>Partner, Stratis Partners, LLC<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
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I have known Allan for many years. He has been a very helpful resource and is well connected, particularly for media, entertainment and communications activities. I am confident that his network can be of value to any client in need.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Paul Stefunek<\/strong>Executive Vice President at DHR International<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n
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Allan plays a key role keeping the board on track as a group and moving forward on board business. This takes a huge load off the CEO so he can focus on business matters and not managing the board. Allan is a consensus builder and gets everyone on the same page so decision flow easily.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Keith McCurdy<\/strong>Director, Majesco Entertainment<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

I was pleased to work with Allan on several projects at Delta Private Equity. Allan is an invaluable resource on new media, online entertainment and e-business in general. His insight and connections are extremely useful for anyone doing deals in the online media space. Will certainly work with Allan on our new fund.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Alexander Lupachev<\/strong>Director at Russia Partners - Siguler Guff<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n

Allan is a talented and disciplined leader. Regardless of distractions, he focuses on driving results and achieving goals. He is an accomplished leader because he builds strong teams and inspires excellence.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Tim Clyne<\/strong>Chief Financial Officer at SFX Entertainment, Inc.<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

I worked with Allan as a board member at ON Networks. Allan was consistently thoughtful and articulate in his guidance and inquiry as the company evolved and executed through the recent macro economic challenges. I would certainly work with Allan again either remotely (the most recent experience) or co-located in the same city.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Kip McClanahan<\/strong>General Partner at Silverton Partners<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n

Allan and I organized a luncheon at JP Morgan targeting senior (C-Level) executives in the media industry. He is a guru in the space, and has a strong network of executives. He is a pleasure to work with, and I highly recommend him for future projects.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Avi Mally<\/strong>CEO, Three Pillars Recruiting<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/p><\/div>
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