Bruce Friend Joins Screen Engine/ASI

In the US, long-time entertainment industry exec Bruce Friend has joined Century City, CA-based TV, film and video research firm Screen Engine/ASI (SE/ASI) in the newly created role of Chief Product and Innovation Officer.

SE/ASI's film research capabilities include recruited audience screenings, positioning studies, film focus groups, ad testing, and proprietary methods TrailerTrak, competitive tracking study Tracktion, and PostTrak, offered in partnership with Comscore. It also provides television clients with multi-mode testing and in-home content testing, and in February it acquired media research consultancy The Diffusion Group (TDG).

Friend (pictured) joins with more than 30 years' multi-media and entertainment brand research. Most recently, he served as President, Media and Entertainment at communities specialist Maru/Matchbox, following MARU Group's acquisition of Vision Critical's Northern American Research Consulting division. Before joining Vision Critical, he was President of Ipsos OTX MediaCT, and earlier in his career he held senior research positions at Columbia Tristar Worldwide Marketing Group (a division of Sony Pictures), MTV Networks, the Disney Channel, Home Box Office, Telemundo Group, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Y&R Advertising.

In his new role, Friend will provide leadership to stimulate SE/ASI's growth through the refinement and development of new products. He will report to company founder and CEO Kevin Goetz, who comments: 'I am so excited Bruce is joining our senior executive team. I have known Bruce for decades. I worked alongside him at OTX and he was my client at Sony. Bruce brings extensive experience and an active curiosity that will put us on the frontier of innovation'.

Web site: www.screenengineasi.com .