Michael R. Polis

Michael Polis is Senior Vice President of Marketing Worldwide for The Jim Henson Company. Mr. Polis directs all aspects of brand marketing globally and leads strategic marketing initiatives for current top-rated television properties. In addition, he develops and produces direct-to-home video projects and oversees home video marketing through distribution partners worldwide.

Most recently, Mr. Polis was responsible for the year-long Muppet marketing campaign honoring the 25th Anniversary of The Muppet Show. This anniversary campaign, beginning September 2001, led to many opportunities including MuppetFest!, the first-ever Muppet fan festival; the successful video and DVD direct response promotion through Time Life Inc.; a marketing campaign with Long John Silvers restaurant chains, which features Muppet star Pepe the King Prawn and established a relationship with NASCAR for a potential Muppet related opportunity for 2002. Mr. Polis also served as an Executive Producer on Kermit’s Swamp Years, a home video feature to be released this Fall by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.

Prior to joining The Jim Henson Company, Mr. Polis was the Executive Director of Marketing for Universal Studios Home Video. During which time, he created and directed strategic marketing plans for such well-known family and children's releases as Babe, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Dragonheart, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Land Before Time franchise.

Mr. Polis was also responsible for establishing cross-promotional partnerships with such companies as Burger King, Kraft Foods, The Pillsbury Company, Hasbro and Tropicana. Prior to joining Universal Studios, Mr. Polis worked for Post Cereals, a subsidiary of Kraft Foods.