User:Lacto12/sandbox
Ira Elliott Ritter (born February 8, 1949) Ira is an entrepreneur with extensive leadership experience creating, building and managing diversified companies across a spectrum of industries that include: magazine/book publishing, TV/movie production, healthcare distribution, drug development and the environment. Currently, Ira serves as chairman of Ritter Pharmaceuticals Inc., a leading research and drug development company specializing in the microbiome and discovery of treatments for inflammatory, gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases. He continues to provide corporate management, strategic planning and financial consultation for a wide range of corporations.
Career He began his career in the publishing industry, starting his first magazine, Environmental Quality, while in college. Concerned by what he considered to be incorrect media coverage of student activities, he sought to provide awareness about social issues particularly environmental topics. In Washington, D.C. he met with Senators George McGovern, Ted Kennedy, Barry Goldwater, Jr. and other congressional leaders who agreed to write and serve on his board. He gained support of major authors including, Ray Bradbury and illustrators including, Jules Feiffer, who contributed to his publication. Realizing he needed a broader audience to effect change, he expanded from environment to women’s rights and sexual freedom helping launch Playgirl Magazine in 1973. He increased the editorial entertainment range of the publication by adding in depth interviews with female world leaders including Madame Jehan Sadat, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher among others. Over a 20 year career, he created a publishing empire, producing monthly national consumer magazines including Playgirl and Slimmer Magazines, and releasing best-selling books that included, It’s OK to Say No children series, Homefront by Patti Davis, Violent Sundays by Bob Chandler, Beauty Book by Morgan Fairchild, The Totally Unauthorized Trivia Book by Michael Jackson, Sex and the Married Women, among many others. Playgirl Magazine grew to an annual readership of over 20 million, was the 6th most profitable newsstand magazine for women, and the 16th most profitable magazine of the era. He then expanded into multi-media ventures.
In the entertainment sector, he served as chief executive officer of ON-TV, a division of Oak Industries (NYSE Company), where he oversaw operations and programming. He grew his division to become the largest cable subscription service launched in the 1980’s (over $1 million paid subscriber households and $3 billion in sales.) He managed the television/satellite group with a $100 million TV budget and initiated exclusive broadcasts into homes of Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York professional baseball, basketball and hockey games. From 1980-1985, he created, produced and directed the first televised home shopping program, Style’ 84 and revolutionized the “pay-per-view” channel broadcasting special viewings and first run movies. During that time, he also produced such blockbuster films as, Still Smokin by Cheech and Chong and Psycho II.
His expertise and entrepreneurial business acumen led him to participate in varied industries. In the health and beauty sector, he served as president and vice chairman of Quality King, Inc., the nation’s largest wholesale distributor for health care products with $5 billion in annual revenues (ranked the 18th largest privately held company, Forbes Top 100 List.) Simultaneously, he worked as president and chairman of Rockwood Industries, a business he developed that produced private label HBA products for major national retailers including GNC and Kmart.
From 1988 – 2001, he owned and operated a majority of the Great Expectation video-dating centers (8 cities) in the U.S. and went on to create one of the most successful personal matchmaking businesses on the continent, Elite Personal Search and Lifemates with over 50 offices throughout the U.S. and Canada. In addition, he served on the board of directors for the Martin Lawrence Galleries helping to take it public on the NYSE.
Ira has a long history of public service that range from appointments by three governors to several State of California commissions of which eight years were served as Commissioner on the California Prison Industry Authority. In 1981, he was honored with the Man of the Year Award from City of Hope.