New GM at ASPiRE

LOS ANGELES: The soon-to-launch African-American network ASPiRE has a general manager in place, Paul Butler.

Butler will oversee all operations for the programmer. Based at the Atlanta headquarters, he will report to Earvin "Magic" Johnson, the chairman of ASPiRE. Butler most recently served as the senior VP and general counsel at GMC TV. He will continue in this role to as he transitions to full time at ASPiRE in time for the network’s June lauch. GMC has been handling operations for ASPiRE since its creation, in February.

Johnson said, "We conducted an extensive search for the right person to lead ASPiRE and found that he was right here all along and already on the GMC team. Paul has a long track record of success with GMC with a wide range of responsibility and oversight. With his background and the fact that he was heavily involved in GMC’s tremendous growth, Paul is definitely ready to hit the ground running to ensure a successful launch and a great future for the network."

Charley Humbard, the president and CEO of GMC, added, "I have worked closely with Paul for six years and in that time he has thoroughly impressed me with his leadership skills, forward-thinking and ability to develop smart solutions to critical issues. He is very impressive as a business and creative executive. There is no question that Paul is an ideal choice to lead ASPiRE to great heights."