Gerv St. Petersburg

Gerv St. Petersburg

Biography

Peter Gervi was born on April 10, 1959 in the USA.

1980: A party for the co-founder of Computer Apple

Got an education at the University of Carolina (University of Carolina). Show business began for Peter Gervi directly in corridors of University of California in Santa Clara where it studied journalism and technologies of communications. The faculty annually selected to students $500 thousand for the organization of holidays, concerts and sporting events. And they already selected responsible for expenditure of these means. When Peter studied on a last year, the budget of faculty was entrusted it.

"Our entertainment programs had success, - he tells. - We even earned from them in a year $250 thousand".

Somehow time at St. Petersburg university found not who for other as legendary Steve Wozniak, the founder and the co-owner of Computer Apple. Wozniak needed the organizer of a party which he decided suit concerning own wedding. St. Petersburg undertook this order. Wozniak was so happy with his work that he offered Gervi a business partnership: he will invest money in creation of the production company, and Peter will hold in it a position of the vice president and will direct business. Petter, certainly, could not refuse such offer.

Producer Unison Corporation appeared in 1980. Musical US Festivals of 1982 - 83 years to which country musicians and rock groups from all States were going became its brightest projects.

1984: Moving to Moscow

In 1984 Peter Gervi took part in preparation of the project of a satellite teleconference with the Soviet Union from which Phil Donakhyyu and Vladimir Posner's talk show turned out afterwards. Therein Peter found out that it is possible to earn from the growing interest of the West in the Soviet Union not bad. The same year he made the decision to go to Moscow to work as the private business consultant.

"The career of the hired manager did not seduce me - I thought of creation of home company", - Peter Gervi tells.

St. Petersburg found customers among the American companies working in the field of media and show business. For example, for AVS TV company it prepared a series of TV programs "Two capitals".

1987: StoryFirst Distribution creation

In 1987 Peter organized Billy Joel's tour. The Moscow concert of Joel became then this event - nearly for the first time in the capital the rock star from America appeared.

"Once the small Hollywood firm suggested me to be engaged in distribution of videotapes with records of concerts of stars rock and pop musics, - Peter remembers. - Conditions were profitable, besides owners of firm were ready to conduct payments in rubles".

So in 1987 Peter Gervi had a home company - StoryFirst Distribution. On a question of why Gervi decided to open the case exactly here, but not in safe America, Peter answers almost with an aphorism: "Opportunities appear where they can appear". For it business in Russia - challenge. "Of what do I am proud? For example, the fact that managed to create here the TV company whereas none of the Russian businessmen which I suggested to participate in the project, believed in its success", - he says. As the entrepreneur starting from scratch Peter Gervi is convinced that at first there has to be a purpose, and then it is necessary to think of methods of its achievement.

In addition to sale of videos St. Petersburg had several successful transactions with Gosteleradio of the USSR. He sold to the central TV channels a series of show programs from Columbia Pictures, and on Mayak radio station attached the first self-produced program - the musical "Top American twenty".

"At that time I did not decide on in what business to be engaged. I was interested in any profitable case, - Peter Gervi tells. - In the United States, for example, together with one Japanese firm I opened studio on production of animated films. When I began to gain good income in the USSR, sold the share in this business".

In the Soviet Union Peter Gervi for several years became the ruble millionaire.

"In 1989 on my bank account there were ten million rubles, - he tells. - When I recalculated them for dollars at an official rate of 60 kopeks, represented myself the rich man. Once I thought that I should trying to create own radio station. In case of success I could become really secure person".

Inspired Peter Gervi probably the project of the French businessman Georges Polinski who in June, 1989 signed with Gosteleradio the agreement on creation of the USSR's first commercial radio station - Europe Plus. She aired in April, 1990.

1991: Renaming into StoryFirst Communications for start of radio

Renamed the Gervi Peter company into StoryFirst Communications. For work on the new project it invited from America the old partner Bert Klaynman, the consultant with 40-year work experience in radio business. Bert, by the way, also thought up the name "Maximum" for radio station.

"Radio Maximum" began broadcasting in December, 1991 - an only week later after opening in Moscow of one more FM station, Radio of Roks. In several years of radio station began to propagate and be multiplied. But Peter Gervi managed to appear among the first, as predetermined success of its project.

Opening of radio station cost it almost $1 million, but the project paid off in a year, and to the middle of 1993 of Radio Maximum gained the first million dollars of income. "In America it should wait much longer. And at the same time to spend not less than $50 million", - says Gervi.

"At Peter Gervi the belief in the potential of the Russian media market was combined with huge working capacity, - Alexander Kasparov, the first program director of Radio Maximum remembers (nowadays the vice president of EMI East Europe). - When we worked on the project of radio station, we had no days off and holidays. Peter could call the employees even at night. I cannot tell that he was the ideal manager. Our typical dispute of that time: "It is necessary to make so because so becomes in America", – Peter says. "But here not America", – I object. "And it is necessary to try to make also". Peter was contradictory in work with people. But at the same time he carried away the energy and was a great negotiator".

1996: Start of STS channel

After success of the Gervi Peter radio project conceived - neither more nor less - to create TV company. It took structure of the American television networks for model: the head company creates a packet of movies and programs and sells it to the partner stations broadcasting on certain cities and regions under the brand, uniform for network. In 1994 he happened to meet with Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox TV network and to tell about the intention. The magnate, according to Peter, called these plans unreal.

On development of the business plan and search of investors at Peter Gervi more than three years left. Therein he at the expense of own means and the credits prepared base for future company - opened the small TV stations broadcasting generally someone else's programs (in St. Petersburg, for example, "the 6th channel", in Nizhny Novgorod - TV-Nika, in Samara - Volga-TV appeared). In parallel StoryFirst radio business extended - Radio Maximum had three regional branches, and in two Russian cities and in Kiev there were open-air stations of Music Radio.

Andrey Kosogov, the first deputy chairman of the board of Alfa-Bank, remembers the acquaintance to Peter Gervi: "It impressed me with the enthusiasm and persistence. In 1993 Gervi came to us to bank and suggested to participate in creation of TV company. We then did not see in it benefit, but supported communication, watching how at Gervi affairs will go".

And Gervi managed to attract venerable investors - such as Morgan Stanley, Mercury Capital, Universal Studios, having sold it the most part of shares of StoryFirst (he kept a share in 10%). On opening of TV company it needed nearly $10 million. In December, 1996 in the Russian air the STS channel appeared.

Peter Gervi's television network began with eight stations belonging to StoryFirst. In two next years more than 130 regional stations became partners of the company, and the channel audience grew from 3 million viewers to 65 million STS, however, "absorbed" some more million dollars of investments, but growth rates of income from advertizing allowed to expect fast economic return.

At the beginning of 1998 Peter Gervi decided to look for buyers for stocks of STS. He says that for it this solution was natural: "Company management was constructed too in American, and the Russian partner was necessary for us for further development". Negotiations with Alfa-Bank in which then conceived to create the Alfa-TV holding company were resumed (the bank ripened for media industry by then and bought to himself Muz-TV channel).

But the August economic crisis, as stated, spoiled all game - it was necessary to think not of profits, and of survival of the company. Revenues of STS from advertizing dropped by 75%. Nevertheless at the end of 1998 Peter Gervi received the offer from Media-Most to sell a part of shares of TV company. He does not mention what money was offered it, but says that he refused negotiations.

In March, 1999 25% of stocks of STS were sold to Alfa-Bank.

The president of bank Pyotr Aven then so commented on the transaction with StoryFirst: "The TV channel on flat yield, of course, not the best object for investments, but its business potential is not worse, than at NTV, and we are able to afford to wait".

Bankers were not mistaken in the calculations - managers of STS after crisis not only did not allow drop in the rating of the channel, but also achieved the stable growth of audience that allowed the company by the end of 1999 twice - up to 4% - to increase the share in the market of TV advertizing.

"6% of the market of TV commercial fall to the share of STS, – Peter Gervi said about results of 2000. – We consider that we will be able to increase it to 10% in the nearest future".

Shareholders were happy too how there are affairs - in June, 2000 the Board of Directors of StoryFirst made the decision to select STS several million dollars for production of own programs.

At the end of 1999 Peter Gervi at own will resigned of the president of STS. He explained the voluntary retirement so:

"I decided that it is enough to be the board member. "Radio Maximum" and STS became the adult companies which are not needing constant control. Besides I always liked process of creation of the companies more, but not the leadership in daily affairs".

In 1999 to year 40-year-old Peter Gervi for the first time married. He called it achievement.

"Now I began private life out of work, - he says. - Earlier somehow it was not possible to arrange it".

2000: International Media Ventures

Since 2000 Gervi manages home investment company International Media Ventures and in 2000 started several projects at once. In particular, took a controlling stake of the Czech television network TV-3: "I want to expand the business out of borders of Russia".

In Moscow together with the Video International group he created the iVI agency specializing in promotion services on the Internet:

"I assume that in five years the Internet on sales volumes of advertizing will approach radio".

Gervi also began negotiations with the American company National Emusements on creation in Moscow of network of movie theaters multiplexes: "They own a know-how, and I know the Russian market". On the note on the high competition in this sphere Peter Gervi deliberately with astonishment raises eyebrows: "Where competition? In Moscow there is nothing yet". Also hints that it has an intention to invest money in one more project. "But only one, - he says. - At the same time I can work only on four projects. It is no more".

In 2001 it was quite critical to itself(himself): "I am too optimistic person. I should think more of that my companies had enough funds for survival in tough times".

In some projects, in particular, Sergey Vasilyev, the CEO and the former co-owner of the Video International group (after Vi) was a partner Gervi.

2004: Creation of Russian Media Ventures

In 2004 with the former shareholders of Vi of Gervi founded Russian Media Ventures company which possessed, for example, ID "OVA-Press" in due time.

2011: Co-owner of Russ Outdoor

In 2011 Gervi became the co-owner of the operator of outdoor advertizing Russ Outdoor, largest in the country. In Board of Directors of Russ Outdoor then his old partner Sergey Vasilyev began to represent the interests of Gervi.

2014: Applicant for purchase of Sanoma Independent Media

In 2014 it became known that Gervi is considered the main contender for purchase of ID of Sanoma Independent Media from the Finnish company Sanoma.