Company Town : Lawyer Retires, Plans to Pursue New Ventures

After 22 years, entertainment industry attorney Peter Dekom is retiring from the profession and will depart the firm of Bloom, Dekom, Hergott & Cook at the end of the year to pursue unspecified entrepreneurial ventures.

Dekom, who joined the earlier incarnation of the firm, Pollock, Rigrod & Bloom, more than 20 years ago, was known as a savvy deal maker who was widely quoted in the entertainment press and who helped give his practice a high profile within the industry. His clients included John Travolta and filmmakers George Lucas, Rob Reiner and Andy Davis.

Dekom said his departure is “completely amicable” and that he retained the law firm to represent him in his entrepreneurial endeavors. He plans to pursue ventures in the music business here and overseas and to help develop entertainment venues in the Far East but said he was unable to discuss any specifics at this time.

* Todd Stern has become a partner at the Beverly Hills-based entertainment law firm Weissman, Wolff, Bergman, Coleman & Silverman.

* The entertainment law firms of Kleinberg & Lange and Lopez & Brisbin have merged their practices and have been joined by Christine Cuddy to form Kleinberg Lopez Lange Brisbin & Cuddy.

* Carol Davis-Perkins has been promoted to vice president of Disney University.

* Dan Cohen has been appointed vice president of program acquisitions and scheduling for TELE-TV Media.

* Stephen Bulka has joined the William Morris Agency as an agent.

* D. Douglas Hill has been named controller of finance of Zodiac Entertainment Inc.

* Jason Sikes has been promoted to director of affiliate promotion for Fox Broadcasting Co.

* Ed Leonard has been appointed vice president of financial planning and operations of North America for Warner Home Video.

* George C. Castell and Becky Mancuso-Winding have been named to the board of trustees of National Geographic Television.

* Sean McLain has been appointed executive vice president of FilmQuest Pictures Corp.

* Lisa A. Hook has been named vice president of Time Warner Inc.

* Karen Danaher-Dorr has been named senior vice president of motion pictures and miniseries for Citadel Entertainment.

* At Capitol Records, Brian MacDonald has been promoted to senior national director of alternative promotion, and Mary Divney has been appointed national director of alternative promotion.

* Rysher Entertainment has appointed Jeff J. Matloff to vice president of theatrical business and legal affairs. Jeanne R. Berney has been appointed director of national field operations.

* Derval Whelan has been named executive director of marketing large format for Sony Pictures Classics.

* James Chapman has been appointed director of distribution-eastern region, and Sue Cunningham has been appointed director of distribution-western region, for New Line Home Video.

* Disney MGM Studios in Orlando, Fla., has named Tom Barham director of creative services.

* Pat Wyatt has been named president of Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising.

* Mark J. Hart has been named vice president of the newly created PorchLight Interactive.

* Kathryn E. Nielsen has been appointed vice president/controller of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Cos.

* Iris Grossman, vice president of talent and casting for Turner Pictures, has become president of the nonprofit Women in Film.

* At Hollywood Records, Cathleen Murphy and David Wolter have been appointed directors of A&R; Peter Shaev and Frank Murray have been appointed national directors of promotion; and Susan Yeruski has been appointed vice president, international.

* Karen Stuart has been appointed executive director for the Assn. of Talent Agents.

* Paul Farberman has been named vice president of business and legal affairs for Fox Music Inc.