FormerMGM production chief Alex Gartner has joined Mosaic Media Group as a producingpartner with the LA production and distribution group's Atlas Entertainmentfilm division.

Gartner,who produced Barbershop 2 and servedas executive producer on Out Of Time, will develop and produce with Mosaic partner and Atlas Entertainmentfounder Charles Roven.

"This is the first step of an exciting new venture that willallow us to produce movies, television, lock in financing and expand what Chuckand the other partners at Mosaic have impressively built," Gartner said in astatement.

Gartner recently produced Mike Binder's drama The Upside OfAnger, which was fundedby Media 8 and stars Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen and EvanRachel Wood. New Line is scheduled to release the picture at the end of theyear.

While president of production at MGM, Gartner supervised a slatethat included Die Another Day and Legally Blonde.

Prior to MGM he served as executive vice president at Fox 2000,having launched the division with president Laura Ziskin. His credits thereincluded The Thin Red Line and Courage Under Fire.

"Alex's studio track record attests to his strongunderstanding of what makes a feature film work as a piece of entertainment andwhat will make it successful in the marketplace," Roven, currentlyproducing Batman Beginsat Warner Bros, said.

MosaicMedia Group launched in July 1999 and comprises film and music company AtlasEntertainment and its affiliate Atlas/Third Rail Management, and the talentmanagement group The Gold/Miller Company.

Mosaic produced both Scooby-Doo pictures and is in post-production on Terry Gilliam'sBrothers Grimm starring MattDamon and Heath Ledger, and Kicking And Screaming, which stars Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall.