UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Studios Hollywood has named veteran marketing executive Mark Mears to the position of Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, with responsibilities for the overall brand direction of the entertainment landmark including the theme park and the CityWalk shopping and entertainment complex.

In making the announcement, Universal Studios Hollywood President and Chief Operating Officer, Larry Kurzweil said: "Mark is a highly innovative marketing professional with an astute sense of business metrics who has built an extraordinary track record by consistently delivering winning results. He is the ideal person to lead our company in our new brand position as `The Entertainment Capital of L.A.'"

Prior to joining Universal Studios Hollywood, Mr. Mears has held increasing levels of responsibility in brand marketing, advertising and promotion positions for leading retail brands including Pizza Hut and JCPenney as well as agency experience with Bozell Worldwide, Leo Burnett and Euro RSCG Retail. He joins Universal Studios Hollywood from Blimpie International, where he served as Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for all marketing aspects of the 1,600+ unit restaurant chain.

His career -- spanning over 20 years -- has been especially focused in integrated marketing, a field in which his expertise has been widely acknowledged through his leadership within the Promotion Marketing Association, the world's largest non-profit promotion marketing trade association with a membership base of over 600 companies. Mr. Mears will continue to serve on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee as Chairman Elect of the P.M.A.

Mr. Mears earned his Master of Science degree in Advertising from Northwestern University, one of the leading integrated marketing graduate programs in the U.S., and his Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Advertising from the University of Kansas. He will relocate to Los Angeles with his wife Stacy and two daughters Brianna and McKenna from their current residence in Atlanta, GA.

Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A., is a full day, movie-based theme park featuring such unique and groundbreaking attractions as "Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride," "Shrek 4-D," "Terminator 2: 3D," "Jurassic Park - The Ride" and the world-renowned behind-the-scenes Studio Tour and includes the adjacent CityWalk, a unique dining and shopping promenade featuring 65 entertainment-themed restaurants, clubs, shops and movie theaters.

Universal Studios Hollywood (www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com) is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of Universal Studios, a part of NBC Universal.

NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

Source: Universal Studios Hollywood

Web site: http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/