OUR TEAM
Karol Martesko-Fenster | CEO / Co-Chairman
Karol is an Austrian-born American entrepreneur and media industry innovator with broad motion picture, Internet, digital, broadcast, publishing, and event backgrounds. He has produced over three dozen award-winning films and his career spans multiple decades including pioneering leadership in the American independent film sector. Karol was previously President of Film for Michael Cohl’s S2BN Entertainment, EVP of Film & Animation at Babel Networks, Head of Film at Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures and President/Publisher of Silicon Alley Reporter. Karol has produced over 25 television and satellite broadcast music programs, multiple Webby Award-winning projects including wetheeconomy.com and focusforwardfilms.com, and he co-founded Filmmaker Magazine, RES Magazine and IndieWire.com. He is the founder of strategic advisory Thought Engine, Innovation Strategy Officer at the non-profit Theorem Media, and is a current or former advisory board member of Columbia University’s - Global Thought (CGT) and Digital Storytelling Lab (DSL), The Wall Street Theater, Bella Gaia, Rightster, The Film Collaborative, Rising Tide Studios, and the Hamptons International, LA Independent Film Festival, and the Kitzbuehel Film Festival.
Richard Abramowitz | Founder / Co-Chairman
Richard has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of distribution and marketing of feature films for more than 40 years. He has been an industry leader in personalized, focused film marketing and distribution that bypasses traditional film studio methodology, providing valuable, customized alternatives to content makers and owners. Richard taught University film classes for nearly 20 years (NYU, Purchase College Film Conservatory) and has lectured internationally on topics of film production, distribution and marketing as part of the American Film Showcase — a partnership between University of Southern California’s Cinematic Arts program and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Richard is a current or former member of several advisory boards, including SXSW, the Hamptons International Film Festival, The Woodstock Film Festival, The Creative Coalition, and the Jacob Burns Film Center. He co-founded The Seventh Art Stand, a national program to showcase films from countries placed under the travel ban by the Trump administration, has served on juries and spoken at film festivals including Sundance, Hot Docs, DOC NYC and the IFP. Richard is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He founded Abramorama in 2002.
Evan Saxon | President & Head of International Distribution
Evan is one of a select few executives that have successfully navigated both the music and film worlds. While working in the music space he marketed concert tours for iconic artists including Sting, Ramones, B.B. King, Pantera, Lucinda Williams, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, and more. Due to his trusted relationships in the music business Evan was contacted by a major record label to represent them in discussions with a tech company about bringing music content to cinemas. From there he was entrusted to distribute films from The Beatles, Tom Petty, Rush, Iron Maiden, Bob Marley, and many others. As our President and Head of International Distribution, Evan has overseen the distribution and marketing for films by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Dolly Parton, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Melanie Martinez, Jimi Hendrix, John Lydon, Above & Beyond, Duran Duran, and others.
Tom Hassell | SVP, Distribution
Tom Hassell’s started his career at Columbia Pictures in Philadelphia in 1984, followed by promotional transfers to Atlanta, Jacksonville and Dallas, where he was part of the teams that handled Ghostbusters, Karate Kid, The Natural, Look Who's Talking, Terminator 2 and many others. 1997 saw the formation of Polygram Films in LA and Tom was one of their first hires as the western division manager. Shortly after Polygram was sold to Universal Pictures, Tom moved back East and became eastern division manager at Destination Films, and in 2004 he joined Newmarket Films to be part of the team handling The Passion of the Christ (5000+ screens), Monster among others. The Newmarket team was brought on as part of Picturehouse, post the Time Warner acquisition, and Tom made that move handling films such as La Vie en Rose, Pan's Labyrinth, and many others.
Tom began consulting on the distribution and release of motion pictures in 2008 and handled among others The Dragon Tattoo trilogy, Killer Joe, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Insidious. He began his collaboration with Abramorama in 2011 with the national release of Peter Weir's The Way Back (650+ screens) and has handled many of the company’s larger releases including The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years. He is particularly proud of Abramorama’s growth over the years and his role in establishing relationships with exhibitors, both major commercial chains and indie arthouses, across the United States and Canada, and working closely with Abramorama’s in-house distribution team.
Trish Sullivan-Rothberg | SVP, Client Accounts / Marketing
Trish began her career in the Independent film world working with such directors as Ang Lee, Hal Hartley and Nick Gomez as an actress. Trish transitioned to production and became Operations Manager for True Fiction Pictures, Hal Hartley’s production company, overseeing such films as Amatuer, Flirt and Surviving Desire. For seven years Trish produced promos and on air events for television at USA Networks and the Sci-Fi Channel before producing, writing, directing her own films through West Cork Films. Trish holds a BFA in Acting from SUNY Purchase, is a Member of The Screen Actors Guild and Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio, and joined Abramorama in 2016.
Sterling Mahoney | Director of Design & Digital Marketing
Sterling started in the industry by serving popcorn and selling tickets at the local art house theater. Fresh out of college, she started at Abramorama as the receptionist. She soon climbed up the ranks to become administrator, in-house graphic designer and the office manager at HQ. She’s also the all around task-doer, lending a hand in every department of the company or wherever it’s needed.
Nicki Petrone | Director of Distribution & Operations
Nicki’s film Distribution career extends more than 24 years in the industry. Starting at Paramount Pictures in 1992, Nicki spent 14 years at different Distribution levels within the Studio. In 2006 she moved on to Picturehouse and has been working with Independent Studios since. She has also recently worked freelancing with Samuel Goldwyn, Drafthouse Films and Film Arcade for their releases.
Jon Friedman | Director of Exhibitor Relations & Global Print Control
Jon’s film career began in 1999 with Artisan Entertainment where he assisted on titles such as The Blair Witch Project and Requiem for a Dream. Following this, he worked at Newmarket Films (subsequently Picturehouse) where he was involved in releasing titles such as Monster, Passion of the Christ, Downfall and Pan’s Labyrinth. Jon has been working with Abramorama since 2009.
Cindy Banach | Theatrical & Non-Theatrical Booking
Cindy cut her teeth in the film business at Fox Lorber as head of post production and distribution. Her passion for foreign and independent films flourished at Palm Pictures where she helped bring to screen important films by auteur directors. She recently joined forces with ABRAMORAMA and continues to bring engaging programming to audiences across the country.
Erika Mallory Roberts | Marketing & Distribution
Erika Mallory Roberts has worked behind the scenes and in front of the camera for many years. She has worked as the Assistant to the Director on the award-winning feature film Mr. Jimmy, and is the Production Manager at One Two Three Films in Los Angeles. At Abramorama, Erika collaborates on Marketing and Distribution for music centered films and social impact documentaries. She studied Film and Media at Hunter College in NYC.
Laura Rickett | Controller
Laura joined Abramorama in 2022, after working extensively throughout the entertainment industry. Her range of work across digital platforms for both music and films includes managing financial reporting on JayZ's YouTube channel, working in the finance department at SESAC and as Controller at Fandor, a streaming film subscription service which had over 6000 film titles during her tenure.
Rob Marcus | In-House Counsel
Rob Marcus is an entertainment attorney with over 35 years of experience representing award winning clients in the film, television, music and animation business.
Cory Greenberg | CFO
Cory has been managing finances for businesses and non-profits for over 40 years as owner, managing partner, CFO and treasurer. He was CFO of a small publicly traded company as well as a NYC movie theatre joint venture with a national chain. Currently Cory consults and/or serves as CFO for several businesses.
Corporate PR
Falco Ink
Audience Engineering Teams
SD Professionals (TN)
1113 Collective (LA)
Tarbert Digital (NYC)
Lab
Digital Cinema United (LA, PRAGUE)
Deluxe (LA)
Trailers
Wheelhouse Creative (NYC)
Media Planning
Sawyer Studios (NYC)
Landau Carriage
Corporate Counsel
Pryor Cashman