Andre Blay

Andre Blay (July 27, 1937 – August 24, 2018) was an American businessman, film producer, and studio executive.

Early life and education Blay was born July 27, 1937, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, to homemaker Agnes and factory manager Robert. He graduated in 1959 from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree and a master's in business education. It duplicated cartridges for groups such as The Supremes.

In 1969, Blay founded an audio/video production and duplication company called Magnetic Video, which produced a series of industrial films and tapes for various corporations in the early 1970s. with a $43 million deal that covered its own films and American distribution of the pre-1950 Warner Bros. library.

That subsequently provided the model for and enabled the creation of the first video rental stores, many of which were soon started thereafter.

He was later recognized by the Consumer Electronics Association as creating the idea that "sparked a retail revolution as hundreds of mom-and-pop video rental and sales stores popped up in every community in America." In 1987, home video rental income surpassed movie theater revenues for the first time. Today, movie studios routinely make more money on video rentals and sales than from the box office of theaters.

CEO of 20th Century-Fox Video In the late 1970s, Blay paid a flat fee of $300,000 plus $500,000 yearly to 20th Century-Fox to license movies from their catalogue, which he then duplicated and distributed, earning a royalty generated per video rented. This proved so successful that 20th Century Fox quickly bought Magnetic Video in 1979 to form the 20th Century-Fox Video unit, for $7.2 million. While there he helped bring to production several movies, including Hope and Glory, Sid and Nancy, Souvenir, and A Time of Destiny. He served as CEO until 1986, when the company was sold.

Executive Movie Producer During the next several years Blay served as executive producer for several movies:

Mosquito (1995) Village of the Damned (1995) Souvenir (1989) They Live (1988) The Blob (1988) Jack's Back (1988 producer, uncredited) Brain Damage (1988) Prince of Darkness (1987) Homeboy (1988)

He also worked in securing venture capital for films such as The Princess Bride, The Emerald Forest, and The Name of the Rose.

CEO of Enterprise Software Blay subsequently served, until 1999, as chairman and CEO of Enterprise Software, a developer of broadcast management software for television stations and distributors, cable networks, and radio stations worldwide.

Death Blay died from complications of pneumonia on August 24, 2018, at the age of 81.

Awards In 2000, Blay was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame. Blay was made an Honorary Alumnus at Central Michigan University's College of Business Administration in 2006.