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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2011 > May > 15 > Entry
Paramount and State theaters name new ED
Jim Ritts has been named executive director of the Paramount and State theaters, officials with the Congress Avenue venues announced Saturday.
Ritts recently served as president and CEO of Primedia Television, a division of Primedia, Inc.
Ritts will replace Ken Stein who announced in January that he would be leaving the post June 1. Stein, who took the helm of the historic Congress Avenue theaters in 2004, is relocating to Dallas for family reasons.
Ritts has held board positions with New York’s Signature Theatre, the Joffrey Ballet and was a six-year member of the University of Texas College of Communication Foundation Advisory Council. He also served as commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. He currently sits on the advisory board of the Sports and Media Program at the University of Texas.
Ritts is a graduate of the University of Texas and received a master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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By G$
May 16, 2011 12:43 PM | Link to this
Wow! What a huge coup! I have followed Ritts for a number of years and he seems perfectly suited to take these landmark Austin theaters to the next level. He brings a unique blend of applicable knowledge/experience, industry relationships and creativity that is bound to have a lasting positive affect on the theaters, their patrons and board. Austin will be a huge beneficiary of his ability to bring economic benefit thru marquee shows, events and celebrities. I’m truly excited about this.