Company: Universal Music Group
Company Division/Group: Universal Music and Video Distribution
Company Description: Universal Music and Video Distribution is the sales and marketing arm of the Universal Music Group, the largest music comapny in the world.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Executive

Nomination Title: Jim Urie, President, Universal Music & Video Distribution

Tell the story about what this nominee achieved in 2003 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

You may have seen him on television, pitching youth-oriented programs for
MasterCard, or in a magazine advertisement for a national chain of helath clubs.
He may look like a celebrity, but he's just a regular guy, with an irregular amount
of talent.

Seven years ago, Jim took over the reins of a company that was considered by its
customers to be in sixth place in a five-horse race. He carefully built a rock-solid
team from the ground up, instilled a winning spirit, as well as the need to be
creative in a somewhat stagnant business. The result: Universal Music & Video
Distribution (UMVD) is the number one distributor of entertainment products in the
world, with a staggering 33% market share in the U.S., and over 50% in some
genres of music.

Jim has implemented some of the most innovative practices in the music industry -
 eliminating physical returns of product for credit by allowing customers to destroy
non-saleable goods, dramatically streamlining policies to drive costs out of the
sales and marketing process for both UMVD and its customers, creating on-the-
job training programs to ensure a steady influx of fresh, enthusiastic intelligent
professionals into the company - while also building a rapport with the UMVD's
music and video labels  that has earned him and his staff the respect of those
clients as well as UMVD's resale accounts.

In 2003, Jim spearheaded a bold initiative designed to revitalize the music
industry, a business which has been hit extremely hard by illegal downloading,
widespread counterfeiting, and a generally negative consumer perception of the
value of the compact disc. Dubbed "JumpSTART", the strategy is designed to 
increase awareness of music releases through aggressive marketing campaigns,
drive traffic to retail locations, and change the perception of the value of pre-
recorded music via lower retail pricing.

The launch of this initiative was not easy, since a significant increase in unit sales
must occur to justify the dramatic reduction in UMVD's prices, and the program
requires a shift from customer-based "co-op" advertising to direct consumer
marketing campaigns managed by UMVD. These two areas alone required
confidence in Jim's leadership from Universal corporate, UMVD's label clients, and,
of course, the account base. Announced in the fourth quarter of 2003, the results
as of this writing have been nothing short of amazing, reflecting a strong increase
in sales due to the focused marketing and lower retail pricing. In the history of the
music business, no company has ever made a more dynamic move - sacrificing
short-term revenue for long-term growth. It's a strategy that requires the
confidence, patience, and creative thinking that is found in only the strongest of
leaders, and Jim Urie is just that - a true leader.

List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: List each link on a separate line, begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.website.com]:

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about this nominee:

A 30-year veteran of the music industry, Jim began his career as a college intern
for CBS Records (now Sony), later becoming a sales rep, and subsequently, a
branch manager for the company. After 12 years at CBS, he joined Polygram as
Vice Prseident of sales before moving on to the fabled Arista Records label in
1991 as their Sr. V.P. of Sales and Marketing. In 1996, Jim joined Universal as
Executive V.P. and General Manager, and was appointed the presidency in 1999.

A scratch golfer and a fitness buff, Jim is married and has three children. He
resides in Los Angeles and Palm Desert, California.