Alex Berger

{{Infobox person

| name = Alex Berger

| image = Alex Berger.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Alex Berger in 2000.

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1962|3|22}}

| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.

| occupation = {{cslist|Businessman|television and film producer|strategy consultant}}

}}

Alex Berger (born {{birth date|mf=yes|1962|3|22}}) is a producer, creator, consultant and entrepreneur in the media field.

Biography

=Childhood and family=

He was born March 22, 1962, in Philadelphia in the US. He is the son of Francine Dreyfus-Berger, a French painter and Dr. Joseph Berger, PhD.

In 1972, he moved to France with his parents and his sister Sylvie Berger. After a French schooling, he briefly studied at the University of Pennsylvania, then lived between the US and Europe.

He currently lives in Paris, with his wife {{ill|Florence Servan-Schreiber|fr|Florence_Servan-Schreiber|vertical-align=sup}} and their three children.

= Invention of Vizzavi =

In 1997, Alex Berger invents the multi-access web portal Vizzavi,[https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117780534.html?categoryid=18&cs=1&query=Alex%20Berger?ref=sharethis Canal exec sees MAP with News - Entertainment News, Business News, Media - Variety] which consists of enabling premium content to travel seamlessly between all of the subscribers and their services and devices ( Canal+ pay TV and CanalSatellite pay channels, AOL Europe subscribers, SFR mobile subscribers, Numéricâble subscribers.)... This system named Vizzavi, was co-owned by Vodafone under the name Vodafone Live.« 2000: Création, en joint-venture avec Vodafone, n°1 mondial de la téléphonie mobile, du portail Internet Vizzavi. », extrait de la [https://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualite/economie/20020909.OBS9754/chronologie.html Chronologie] du groupe Vivendi, sur le site du [http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/index.html Nouvel Obs] service.

= CanalNumedia & VivendiNet =

In 1998, Berger founded and became the first CEO of CanalNumedia and all the gaming activities of the group (2nd worldwide) and football, cinema and photography sites.[https://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/internet/0,39020774,2058655,00.htm Canal New Media, fer de lance interactif de Canal+][https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117780598.html?categoryid=18&cs=1&query=Alex%20Berger Canal Plus, Vivendi talk up News pact - Entertainment News, Business News, Media - Variety]

In 1999 he founded and became the co-CEO of Vivendi Universal Net (VivendiNet) along with Franck Boulben.

VivendiNet regrouped all digital contents of:[https://www.journaldunet.com/0002/000201allo2.shtml Jean-David Blanc (AlloCiné), Alex Berger (CanalNumédia/VNet) : "Nous croyons à un concept, un service, accessible partout"]

Canal+/CanalNumedia (sports and cinema websites and Allociné
Havas with all of its publications and digital assets such as Scoot, bonjour !, 01.net, la Vie Financière
{{ill|Cegetel|fr|vertical-align=sup}} (SFR) and Vizzavi
All the venture capital funds (Viventures) and the incubator @VISO co-owned 50/50 with SOFTBANK

= Vivendi, Universal & Canal+ merge =

Once approved by Jean Marie MessierLe jour où le ciel nous est tombé sur la tête, Jean-Marie Messier, 2009 and Pierre Lescure, Alex Berger initiated the discussions with Universal. With the help of Terry Semel, former CEO of Warner Brothers, they approached Edgar Bronfman Jr, CEO of Seagram, owned by Universal. This strategy led to Vivendi, Universal and Canal+ to merge in June 2000.[https://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualite/economie/20020909.OBS9754/chronologie.html Chronologie - Economie - Nouvelobs.com]

After the merger was finalised in June 2000, Alex Berger was at a strategic position between Vivendi-Universal CEO Jean-Marie Messier[https://web.archive.org/web/20000815084405/http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/july2000/nf00714f.htm Article] Vivendi's Messier Is Sticking to the Script in Hollywood, de Ron Grover, sur le site de [https://web.archive.org/web/19961019132104/http://www.businessweek.com/ Business Week], juillet 2000 and Canal+ Group CEO Pierre Lescure, head of content and digital. Internal politics and infighting raging, Alex Berger decided to leave Canal+ group in September 2000.{{Cite web |url=http://www.strategies.fr/actualites/medias/r60890W/alex-berger-quitte-canal.html |title=Alex Berger quitte Canal+ - Stratégies |access-date=2011-11-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402040610/http://www.strategies.fr/actualites/medias/r60890W/alex-berger-quitte-canal.html |archive-date=2012-04-02 |url-status=dead }}

= Berger Report (2019) =

On a new organisation for scripted drama series in France

Alex Berger was asked to write a report for the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée- French National Center for Cinema and Animation) on a new organisation of scripted drama in France.

The report was commissioned by the CNC to show what and how should be changed in the French market to meet the standards as well as needs in this golden age of scripted drama. The report puts in perspective the changes that need to be made within paradigm shift with the rise of the digital platforms, and how this affects the way of developing, producing and distributing TV series, taking Le Bureau des Légendes/The Bureau as an example.

https://www.cnc.fr/documents/36995/976401/Rapport+Berger+sur+une+nouvelle+organisation+de+la+fiction+s%C3%A9rielle+en+France.pdf/9737716b-6a6a-7537-8a41-e31100a75be9

= Television appearance =

In 1992, he interpreted the character of Jean-Robert Günther in {{ill|L'Émission impossible|fr|L%27Émission_impossible|vertical-align=sup}} on TF1, the first show of the TV presenter Arthur on television.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JshyloeA3ZA Arthur : Emission impossible. Intervention d'Alex Berger à partir de la 23e minute] In 1994, he made an appearance on Canal+ in the very last sketch of the show in {{ill|Nulle part ailleurs (TV program)|lt=Nulle part ailleurs|fr|Nulle part ailleurs}} of Antoine de Caunes and José Garcia. With the humoristic group Les Nuls as a guest on the set, he made a parody of one of them, Dominique Farrugia[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcsBxWLe3QQ Sketch de De Caunes et Garcia dans Nulle Part Ailleurs en 1994]

= Cinema appearance =

Alex Berger interpreted the character of Caius Tchounus Mogulus, in Astérix et Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre of Alain Chabat.{{Cite web |url=http://www.biosstars.com/a/alex_berger.htm |title=Alex Berger |access-date=2019-08-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819081300/http://www.biosstars.com/a/alex_berger.htm |archive-date=2009-08-19 |url-status=dead }}