Fuse Media president and CEO Michael Schwimmer is stepping down. Schwimmer’s last day at Fuse will be April 12. Mike Roggero, COO & CFO of Fuse, has been named interim CEO.
“I have spent nearly 16 years working closely with this incredible company, its board, executive team and some of the most talented people in media and entertainment, and am very proud of what we have built together,” Schwimmer said. “I am excited about what’s next, both for myself and with Fuse, and glad to know that the company is in the excellent hands of a strong executive team under the leadership of Mike Roggero – someone who has played a large role in setting Fuse up for future success.”
Schwimmer joined the company’s first board of directors after shepherding Dish Network’s original investment into the start-up SíTV Media in 2003, which launched the SíTV cable network in 2004. He became CEO in 2005, overseeing the network’s growth and rebrand to NUVOtv in 2011, and the following year, establishing a partnership with Jennifer Lopez, including a multi-faceted collaboration with her company, Nuyorican Productions.
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In 2014, he spearheaded the company’s $226 million acquisition of Fuse from the Madison Square Garden Company, resulting in the creation of Fuse Media. Most recently, he launched Fuse Docs and Fuse Films: series that showcase documentaries and independent films, respectively; created the short-form focused Fuse Content Studio and spearheaded a unique partnership with Complex Networks; and formed a partnership with UnidosUS, reviving the organization’s ALMA Awards as its exclusive multiplatform media home.
“Michael’s grit and determination over the years – often in the face of long odds – have been a key ingredient to our culture and our success,” said Roggero. “We’ll greatly miss his steady hand and sense of humor.”
As chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Fuse Media, Roggero has overseen the company’s multiplatform operations, finance, legal, pricing and planning and technology departments, and is responsible for the company’s relationships with the investment and analyst community.
Previously, Roggero was a group executive with Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, where he managed the turn-around of a portfolio of international publishing businesses and served as COO for the company’s eLogic, Inc. subsidiary. He has held executive positions at The Walt Disney Company as well as at PepsiCo and Paramount Pictures. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, where he graduated as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, and a Masters of Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.