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Blockbuster and How I Almost Became the Kingpin of Cable

March 5, 2009
by Santo Politi
General Partner, Spark Capital

Santo Politi

There was an article about Blockbuster (BBI) on Venture Beat yesterday. The trading of the stock was halted after it dropped 77 percent because apparently the company is seeking to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

I worked for Blockbuster for a brief period of time after Bankers Trust (another defunct company–now part of Deutsche Bank) and before CRV. I was the President of BBI responsible for new media. I got there right before their second IPO as it spun out of Viacom (VIA) and left right before the now infamous Enron deal.

It was an excellent career move for me and despite my short time there I learned a lot, got to do a lot and almost became the kingpin of cable!

Here is the story of what almost happened.

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