German television executive Andreas Bereczky Ph.D., who led the digital transformation of German state broadcaster ZDF and launched the network’s first video-on-demand service, has joined private equity firm Black Dragon Capital as an advisor, Black Dragon Capital CEO and Founder Louis Hernandez Jr. announced.
Bereczky will work with Black Dragon’s portfolio companies to develop media and technology strategies and will help the firm and its companies identify opportunities in Europe. He joins a group of Black Dragon media-industry advisors including former Sony chief technology officer Spenser Stevens, former Al Jazeera chief technology officer Mohammed Abuagla, former Avid Technologies executive vice president and chief technology officer Rashid Desai, and Sandi and Sean Nasseri, founders of MelroseINC.
The advisors draw on their experience to support the development of Black Dragon’s portfolio companies, and help strengthen the firm’s thesis-driven, operationally led investment approach. Black Dragon Capital is a minority-led fund that focuses on growth investments in industries disrupted by digitization.
Bereczky spent 15 years at ZDF, a national non-profit broadcast station, mandated by the German Constitution as an independent company. As executive vice president of Production and Engineering, he created the network’s first video-on-demand service and oversaw ZDF’s shift from standard-definition (SD) to high-definition (HD) programming. In 2017, he spearheaded the internet distribution of ZDF’s first ultra-high-definition (UHD) content. A 30-year IT and media veteran, he has served as a board member of the Deutsche TV-Platform, a trade group that represents German media and telecom companies. He is a 2005 recipient of the German Economic Forum’s National Leadership Award in IT Services and Multimedia.
Said Hernandez, “We are seeing the collapse of the boundaries between segments of the media industry and the creation of entirely new ways for broadcasters and content creators to reach their audiences. Andreas Bereczky understands these dynamics because he has lived them. He and I have worked together closely for years, and we share a viewpoint about what the digital media landscape will become. He knows in detail what our portfolio companies need to do to confront their challenges and seize their emerging opportunities. It’s an honor to have him join our team.”
Said Bereczky, “I’m excited to help Black Dragon and its companies navigate the media industry as it is today and as it will be tomorrow, and help them identify opportunities – both geographically, in Germany and throughout Europe – and in the rapidly changing world of media and technology. I’ve always admired Louis Hernandez Jr. for his relentless focus on customer needs and for the extensive time he devotes to his portfolio companies.”
“Dr. Bereczky’s insight will be an invaluable resource for our entrepreneurs as they work to build their media technology companies into industry leaders,” said Black Dragon Capital director Jean-Paul Lausell. “We take a thesis-driven approach to investment – our actions are based on our understanding of what’s developing and trending in our industries. Dr. Bereczky and our other advisors provide critical support for that mission. We’re delighted to add him to the Black Dragon family.”
About Black Dragon Capital
Black Dragon Capital is a private equity firm based in Miami with a focus on growth investments, particularly in digital commerce, financial services and media technology. Black Dragon’s team of industry professionals have significant operational experience, strong financial backgrounds, and proven track records of success and investment experience, ranging from startups to billion-dollar organizations in both public and private vehicles. The company leverages its network expertise and deep domain knowledge to assist in accelerating growth and profits in selected markets – all while working closely with entrepreneurs. Learn more at blackdragoncap.com.
