• by Wayne Friedman , January 21, 2009

Initiative's West Coast office has added to its executive lineup, recruiting again from news channel Current TV.

Ezra Cooperstein will be vice president and director of Innovations, reporting to Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Innovations Jason Meil, who joined Initiative in October 2008. Meil, like Cooperstein, had worked at Current since its inception. The 50-million subscriber cable network started in 2004, founded by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt.

Cooperstein will work on marketing strategies for Initiative's clients, including Bayer, Big Lots, Cadbury Schweppes, Computer Associates, Gateway, Hardee's, Hitachi, The Home Depot, Hyundai/KIA, Kao Brands, Lionsgate Films, LucasArts, MillerCoors, Nikon, Quiznos and SC Johnson.

Among his achievements at Current, Cooperstein developed "SuperNews"--a popular animated series, which turned shorts into a half-hour series. He was also responsible for the production of 35% of the network's total programming.

Cooperstein's East Coast Innovations counterpart is Dave Rosner.