Bahman Naraghihas been named chief operating officer (COO) of Intermedia Film Equities USAand in his new role will oversee all Intermedia's business operations andfinance activities. He will report directly to Moritz Borman, chairman and CEOof the company.

Naraghi joinsIntermedia after a stint as executive vice president of Miramax Films where hewas in charge of the company's finance, accounting, operations and humanresources. He was instrumental in developing new financial arrangements for thefunding of motion picture production as well as developing and institutingMiramax's first five-year plan.

Prior to that,he held various executive positions at Universal Studios, most recently aschief financial officer at Universal Pictures. He was responsible for allaspects of planning, budgeting, financial reporting and business developmentincluding overseeing the integration of the PolyGram film businesses intoUniversal.

Before joiningthe studio system, Naraghi headed up the media and entertainment group atCredit Lyonnais in Los Angeles before serving as the bank's liaison withMGM and helping to rebuild the studio before the bank sold it.

"Intermediais a company that is a great fit for me," said Naraghi in a statement."My experience at Miramax and Universal and my interest in a wide rangeof industry activities is perfectly suited to this dynamic company underMoritz's leadership. The future is very bright for Intermedia."

It's acrucial year for Intermedia with upcoming releases including The Life OfDavid Gale, Dark Blue, Basic and Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines.