German video and DVD distributor E-M-S New Media, which emerged as a major all-rights buyer at this year's autumn markets, has appointed former Advanced Medien board member Hanns-Arndt Jovy as a consultant to advise on its expansion into licence trading and production.

E-M-S, founded in 1997 by Werner Wirsing, chief of digital mastering studio Hecker Digital and a pioneer in the German DVD market, acquired all rights to several pictures at MIFED, including Interlight Pictures' Timepiece, set to star Mike Myers and Helen Hunt, and White Jazz, with John Cusack and Nick Nolte. It has a close relationship with Advanced which could handle theatrical distribution on its acquisitions.

However E-M-S' debut on Frankfurt's Neuer Markt on November 21 was less than dazzling. The company placed 5.4 million shares at an issue price of Euros6.50 which fell by more than 21% to Euros5.15 on their first day of trading.

47-year-old Jovy was a founding managing director of Advanced Licencing (known then as TSC Technische Systeme Consult) from 1981 and had been Advanced Medien's board member responsible for acquisition, licence trading and production from spring 1999 until this summer.