Reiss to Join Lear Venture as President

Paramount executive Randy Reiss will join Norman Lear’s latest venture as president and chief executive, it was announced Monday.

Reiss, president of domestic television and video programming at Los Angeles-based Paramount, will join Lear’s new company, called Act III Communications, on Jan. 1. Paramount had previously announced the resignation of Reiss, 40, but his new job wasn’t revealed until Monday. Act III Communications fills a void for Lear left by the recent sale of Embassy Communications to Coca-Cola Co. Reiss said he will be building a company designed to make acquisitions or to start businesses “within the entertainment or communications spheres.”

“It really is as broad as that,” Reiss said. Act III will be considering acquisitions or start-ups in television and film production as well as television or radio stations, cable operations and magazines, among other things, he said.

Lear, who owns the firm but doesn’t hold an official title, has set no time frame within which the first acquisition must be made, Reiss said. “We have a very long leash on having to do something,” he said.