UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN CONSENT STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Consent Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the
Registrant o
Filed by a Party other than the
Registrant þ
Check the appropriate box:
þ Preliminary
Consent Statement
o Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
o Definitive
Consent Statement
o Definitive
Additional Materials
o Soliciting
Material Pursuant to
§ 240.14a-12
PREMIER EXHIBITIONS, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in
Its Charter)
SELLERS CAPITAL LLC
SELLERS CAPITAL MASTER FUND, LTD.
MARK A. SELLERS III
MARK A. HUGH SAM
SAMUEL S. WEISER
(Name of Persons(s) Filing Consent
Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
þ No
fee required.
o
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Rules 14a-6(i)(1)
and 0-11.
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(3)
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pursuant to Exchange Act
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(set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and
state how it was determined):
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paid previously with preliminary materials:
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and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid
previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its
filing.
[PRELIMINARY
COPY — SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED DECEMBER 5,2008]
December ,
2008
To our fellow shareholders of Premier Exhibitions, Inc.:
We are sending you the attached Consent Solicitation Statement
and the accompanying WHITE consent card because we are
soliciting consents from the shareholders of Premier
Exhibitions, Inc. (the “Company” or “Premier
Exhibitions”) to elect four members to vacancies on the
Company’s Board of Directors (the “Company
Board”). The Company Board is currently comprised of a
single class of eleven directors, and there are currently seven
directors on the Company Board. Each of our nominees, if
elected, would hold office until the Company’s next annual
meeting of shareholders and until such person’s successor
has been elected or until such person’s death, resignation,
retirement or removal.
We are seeking your support for the election to the Company
Board of our four nominees, William M. Adams, Christopher J.
Davino, Jack Jacobs and Bruce Steinberg. We believe that these
four nominees, along with the two directors currently serving on
the Company Board that were designated by us, Mark A. Sellers
and Mark A. Hugh Sam, will provide new leadership for the
Company with the goal of maximizing shareholder value under the
leadership of a new chief executive officer. We believe that our
proposed nominees and existing designees on the Company Board
are committed to obtaining the best possible result for the
Company’s shareholders.
We urge you to carefully consider the information contained
in the attached Consent Solicitation Statement and then support
our efforts by signing, dating and returning in the enclosed
postage-paid envelope the WHITE consent card. The attached
Consent Solicitation Statement and the enclosed WHITE consent
card are first being sent or given to the Company’s
shareholders on or about January [ ], 2009.
We urge you not to sign any revocation of consent card that
may be sent to you by the Company. If you have done so, you may
revoke that revocation of consent by delivering a later dated
WHITE consent card to us at the address set forth on page 1 of
the attached Consent Solicitation Statement or to The Altman
Group, which is assisting us in this consent solicitation, at
its address listed on the back page of this Consent Solicitation
Statement.
If you have any questions or require any assistance with
providing your consent, please contact The Altman Group at one
of the telephone numbers listed on the back page of this Consent
Solicitation Statement.
This Consent Solicitation Statement and WHITE consent
card are furnished by Sellers Capital LLC and Sellers Capital
Master Fund, Ltd. (together, “Sellers Capital”) in
connection with their solicitation of written consents from you,
the holders of shares of common stock, par value $.0001 per
share (the “Shares”), of Premier Exhibitions, Inc., a
Florida corporation (the “Company”), to take the
following action (the “Proposal”) without a
shareholders’ meeting, as authorized by the Florida
Business Corporation Act and the Company’s by-laws:
The Proposal: Elect the nominees of Sellers
Capital — William M. Adams, Christopher J.
Davino, Jack Jacobs and Bruce Steinberg — described in
this Consent Solicitation Statement to serve as members of the
Board of Directors of the Company (the “Company
Board”), or, if any such nominee is unable to serve as a
member of the Company Board in the circumstances described on
the WHITE consent card, any other person designated as a
nominee by Sellers Capital.
The participants in this consent solicitation are Sellers
Capital, each of our four board nominees, and three of our
employees and investors, Mark A. Sellers, Mark A. Hugh Sam and
Samuel S. Weiser. Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam
currently serve on the Company Board. Information regarding
these participants appears under the section titled
“Information About the Participants” below. Consents
are not being solicited under this Consent Solicitation
Statement by the Company Board or management of the Company.
This Consent Solicitation Statement and the enclosed WHITE
consent card are first being sent or given to the
Company’s shareholders on or about
January [ ], 2009.
On December [ ], 2008, Sellers Capital provided
its written consent to the Proposal to the Secretary of the
Company, thereby fixing a record date for determining
shareholders entitled to give their written consent to the
Proposal described herein (the “Record Date”). Under
Florida law, shareholders of record as of the close of business
on the Record Date will be entitled to one vote for each Share
held as of that date. Sellers Capital is the beneficial owner of
4,778,399 Shares, representing approximately 16.3% of the
outstanding Shares, based upon the 29,284,999 Shares
reported by the Company as being outstanding as of
October 6, 2008 in its Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”) on October 10, 2008. By delivering its
written consent to the Proposal to the Company, Sellers Capital
has voted all of its Shares in favor of the Proposal.
The mailing address of the principal executive officers of
Sellers Capital is 311 S. Wacker Drive,
Suite 925, Chicago, Illinois60606. The mailing address of
the principal executive offices of the Company is 3340 Peachtree
Road, N.E., Suite 2250, Atlanta, Georgia30326.
WE URGE
YOU TO SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED WHITE
CONSENT CARD IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSAL DESCRIBED
HEREIN.
Questions
and Answers Relating to the Consent Solicitation
What are
you asking that shareholders consent to?
We are seeking your support for the election to the Company
Board of our four nominees, William M. Adams, Christopher J.
Davino, Jack Jacobs and Bruce Steinberg. Our nominees to the
Company Board would fill the four vacancies that currently exist
on the Company Board. We believe that these four nominees, along
with the two directors currently serving on the Company Board
that were designated by us, Mark A. Sellers and Mark A. Hugh
Sam, will provide new leadership for the Company with the goal
of maximizing shareholder value under the leadership of a new
chief executive officer. As described more fully in this Consent
Solicitation Statement, we believe that our proposed nominees
and existing designees to the Company Board are committed to
obtaining the best possible result for the Company’s
shareholders.
Who are
Sellers Capital’s board nominees?
William M. Adams, Christopher J. Davino, Jack Jacobs and Bruce
Steinberg are highly qualified individuals with significant
business experience. The principal occupation and business
experience of each of these nominees is described in this
Consent Solicitation Statement under the section titled
“The Proposal — Election of Our Four Board
Nominees,” which we urge you to read. Each of our nominees
would be an independent director of the Company under the
listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market, and none of our
nominees is currently affiliated with Sellers Capital, the
Company or any subsidiary of the Company. There are no
contractual arrangements between our nominees and any other
person relating to this consent solicitation, other than the
consent that each of our nominees has provided to Sellers
Capital to be named in this Consent Solicitation Statement, to
be nominated as a member of the Company Board, and to serve as a
director of the Company if elected. If elected to the Board, our
nominees would owe fiduciary duties to all of the Company’s
shareholders.
Who is
making the consent solicitation?
This consent solicitation is being made by Sellers Capital LLC
and Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd., which are referred to
together in this Consent Solicitation Statement as “Sellers
Capital.” Our board nominees and three of our employees and
investors, Mark A. Sellers, Mark A. Hugh Sam and Samuel S.
Weiser, are also considered participants in this consent
solicitation. Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam currently
serve on the Company Board. Sellers Capital is the beneficial
owner of 4,778,399 Shares, representing approximately 16.3%
of the outstanding Shares of the Company, based upon the
29,284,999 Shares reported by the Company as being
outstanding as of October 6, 2008. By delivering its
written consent to the Proposal to the Company, Sellers Capital
has voted all of its Shares in favor of the Proposal. Additional
information about Sellers Capital and the other participants in
this consent solicitation can be found in the sections of this
Consent Solicitation Statement titled “TheProposal — Election of Our Four Board Nominees”
and “Information About the Participants.” If the
Proposal is adopted, Sellers Capital will have nominated six of
the eleven directors on the Company Board.
Why is
Sellers Capital making this consent solicitation?
We are currently the owner of approximately 16.3% of the
Company’s outstanding Shares. Since becoming a shareholder
of the Company on May 9, 2007, we have watched the
Company’s share price fall more than 96% from an all-time
high of $18.62 to a recent low of $0.56. We do not believe that
this decline is due to the deteriorating economic environment,
but is the result of poor financial performance of the Company
that we believe is due to poor management of the Company’s
business, as we describe in detail in the section of this
Consent Solicitation Statement titled “Reasons for the
Solicitation.”
We believe our nominees possess the skills and experience
necessary to effectively govern the Company’s management
and assist it with developing a turnaround plan that will leave
the Company stronger financially and structured properly so that
it can respond successfully to opportunities in the exhibition
business globally. Our nominees, together with our two current
board member designees, are committed to taking the necessary
steps to address the Company’s problems.
We urge you to read in their entirety the sections of this
Consent Solicitation Statement titled “Reasons for the
Solicitation” and “Background to the
Solicitation.”
If you are a record holder of Shares as of the close of business
on the Record Date, you have the right to consent to the
Proposal. The Record Date for this consent solicitation is
December [ ], 2008. If you are a shareholder of
record at the close of business on the Record Date, you will
retain your right to consent even if you sell your Shares after
the Record Date.
What is
the deadline for providing a consent?
We urge you to submit your consent as soon as possible. For the
Proposal to be adopted, written consents from the holders of at
least a majority of the Shares must be delivered to the Company
within 60 days of the earliest dated written consent
delivered to the Company. Since Sellers Capital delivered its
written consent to the Company on December [ ],
2008, written consents from the requisite holders must be
delivered to the Company by no later than
February [ ], 2009. If you wish to provide a
consent to the Proposal, you should therefore sign, date and
return in the enclosed postage-paid envelope the WHITE
consent card as soon as possible. We urge you to act as soon
as possible to ensure that your consent will count.
How many
consents must be received to adopt the Proposal?
To adopt the Proposal, written consents representing a majority
of all of the Shares outstanding as of the Record Date are
required under Florida law. Generally, under Florida law,
directors of the Company are elected by a plurality of the votes
of Shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled
to vote at a meeting of the Company’s shareholders. Since
the Proposal is being adopted through an action without a
meeting, it requires approval by the holders of Shares having
not less than the minimum number of votes that would be
necessary to adopt the Proposal at a meeting at which all Shares
were present and voted. Therefore, the Proposal requires the
approval of the holders of a majority of all of the Shares
outstanding.
Since Sellers Capital holds 16.3% of the outstanding Shares of
the Company, based on the number of Shares reported by the
Company to be outstanding as of October 6, 2008, consents
from the holders of only approximately 33.8% of the
Company’s Shares must be received in order for the Proposal
to be adopted.
How do I
provide a consent?
To provide a consent, please sign, date and return in the
enclosed postage-paid envelope the enclosed WHITE consent
card today. Failure to return your consent will have the same
effect as voting against the Proposal.
If your Shares are held in the name of a broker, dealer,
commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, only it can
execute a consent with respect to your Shares and only upon
receipt of your specific instructions. Accordingly, it is
critical that you promptly contact the person responsible for
your account and give instructions for a WHITE consent
card in favor of the Proposal. We urge you to confirm in writing
your instructions to the person responsible for your account and
provide a copy of those instructions to The Altman Group, so
that we will be aware of all instructions given and can attempt
to ensure that those instructions are followed.
What if I
want to revoke my consent?
Any written consent may be revoked prior to the date that the
Company receives the required number of consents to adopt the
Proposal. To be effective, a revocation must be in writing and
received by the Company at its principal office or received by
the corporate secretary of the Company or other officer or agent
of the Company having custody of the book in which proceedings
of meetings of shareholders are recorded. The delivery of a
subsequently dated consent card that is properly completed will
constitute a revocation of any earlier revocation. Although a
revocation must be delivered to the Company to be effective, we
request that a copy of all revocations of consents be mailed,
delivered or sent by facsimile to The Altman Group, at its
address or facsimile number set forth on the back page of this
Consent Solicitation Statement, so that we will be aware of all
revocations and can more accurately determine if and when
sufficient unrevoked consents in favor of the Proposal have been
received.
Who
should I call if I have any questions about the
solicitation?
If you have any questions, require assistance in voting your
WHITE consent card, or need any additional copies of our
consent solicitation materials, please call The Altman Group at
one of the telephone numbers listed on the back page of this
Consent Solicitation Statement.
As the beneficial owner of 4,778,399 Shares of the Company,
representing approximately 16.3% of the Company’s
outstanding Shares, Sellers Capital is the largest institutional
shareholder of the Company. Our interest, similar to the
interests of all shareholders, is to maximize shareholder value.
We are soliciting your consent to elect our four nominees to the
Company Board. We believe that the Company’s CEO and the
Company Board have failed to effectively manage the
Company’s business and maximize its strategic capabilities.
In our opinion, as described below, the Company’s recent
history shows a pattern of executive mismanagement and a lack of
proper corporate governance.
We believe our nominees possess the skills and experience
necessary to effectively govern management and assist it with
developing a turnaround plan that will leave the Company
stronger financially and structured properly so that it can
respond successfully to opportunities in the exhibition business
globally. Our nominees, together with our two current board
member designees, are committed to taking the necessary steps to
address the problems that have caused the Company’s Share
price to fall more than 96% from an all-time high of $18.62 to a
recent low of $0.56. If we are successful in our consent
solicitation, we have a plan for the Company that we describe at
the end of this section.
In the following discussion, and the discussion above, any
reference to the Company Board is a reference to members of the
Company Board other than our designees serving on the Company
Board, Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam. All of the
comments noted in the following discussion have been discussed
with or presented to the Company’s CEO, Mr. Arnie
Geller, and the Company Board by Mr. Sellers and
Mr. Hugh Sam.
Discussion
We are seeking to add four directors to the Company Board to
fill four vacancies that currently exist. We believe the Company
has performed unsatisfactorily both in the short-term and over
the long-term during the period that we have been investors. We
also believe that the current CEO, who also serves as Chairman
of the Board, has been unwilling or unable to make the difficult
decisions that are necessary to reposition the Company for
growth, instead pursuing a business approach that we believe is
only reactive to immediate problems and ignores long-range
strategic planning. We believe that no clearly defined business
plan exists and, therefore, long-term corporate opportunities
for the Company are limited. The current independent directors,
in our view, have been unwilling or unable to force the CEO to
adhere to basic rules of management that dictate ongoing,
regular and periodic consultation between the board and
management to adequately protect the Company’s
shareholders. Instead, the directors in our view have given the
CEO “carte blanche” to manage the business without a
documented business plan or basic reporting structure that
routinely presents material business matters to the board for
review and approval.
The following is a summary of the reasons we believe that change
is necessary to ensure the viability of the Company and to
protect and enhance shareholder value.
1.
We
believe the decline in the Company’s Share price is not the
result of general stock market or economic decline but the
result of poor management.
The price of the Company’s Shares has dropped more than 96%
from its all time high of $18.62 to a recent low of $0.56.
Quarterly revenue decreased 6.3% to $15.1 million for the
second quarter of fiscal 2009 from $16.1 million in the
second quarter of fiscal 2008, while gross profit decreased 41%
to $7.1 million from $12.1 million for the same
quarter in fiscal 2008. For the first six months of fiscal 2009,
general and administrative expenses increased 113% to
$12.7 million from $6.0 million in the first six
months of fiscal 2008. For the first six months of fiscal 2009,
net income was $0.0 million compared to $8.8 million
for the first six months of fiscal 2008. EBITDA of the Company
declined to $1.3 million in the first six months of fiscal
2009 from $15.3 million in the first six months of fiscal
2008. The Company’s earnings per share declined to
$0.03 per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 from
$0.19 per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2008.
In addition to the recent poor financial performance, the
decline in the Company’s Share price can also be attributed
to problems with its core exhibition business. The
Company’s revenues from the “Bodies” exhibitions
continue to decline. The Company’s exhibition revenue
decreased approximately 18.4% to $12.6 million during the
second quarter of fiscal 2009 from $15.5 million for the
second quarter of fiscal 2008. The Company has reported that
this decrease is attributable to an attendance reduction of 15%
at the Company’s “Bodies” and Titanic exhibitions
in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to the second
quarter of fiscal 2008. Delays in rolling out new exhibits
continue. The Company has experienced significant delays in new
product development that have impacted the Company’s
performance. The longer it takes to introduce new exhibitions,
the more costs are incurred with no corresponding revenue to
offset those costs. The Company has experienced delays in
rolling out its “Luxor” exhibitions.
“Dialogue” has been delayed multiple times and the
launch of “Sports Immortals” has been postponed
several times as well. Not only are revenues declining and new
exhibition projects being delayed but we believe that several
current venue locations are not profitable. Without new sources
of revenue from new exhibitions, the Company has become too
dependant on “Bodies” and Titanic.
Based on these trends, we believe the decline in the
Company’s Share price is not a function of the
deteriorating economic environment but the result of poor
financial performance that we believe is due to poor management
of the Company’s business.
2.
We
believe that the CEO has difficulties working with other senior
managers, and that the Company has no succession plan in place
for the CEO.
In 2007, the Company hired a new CEO who we understand
ultimately resigned because of his inability to work with
Mr. Geller, resulting in Mr. Geller’s assumption
of the CEO role again. Mr. Harold W. Ingalls, the
Company’s Chief Financial Officer, who was hired in
February 2008, and Ms. Kelli L. Kellar, the Company’s
Chief Accounting Officer, who was hired in November 2007, have
also recently announced their intentions to resign based upon
their inability to work with other members of the Company’s
senior management. Mr. Ingalls specifically referenced his
inability to work with Mr. Geller. The Company’s
previous Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Stephen Couture,
resigned on February 15, 2008 after being with the Company
for only two years.
Ten people, including the most recently hired Vice President of
Marketing, have recently been fired and the Vice President of
Sponsorships was both hired and resigned in 2008. The Company
has reported that Mr. Bob Sirmans, the Company’s Vice
President of Business Development and Strategy, resigned during
the second quarter of fiscal 2009. On August 19, 2008,
Mr. Brian Wainger resigned as Vice President, Chief Legal
Counsel and Secretary of the Company.
We believe that this pattern indicates a problem in attracting
and retaining qualified senior level managers, yet the Company
Board has not held Mr. Geller accountable for these
problems or implemented a succession plan to replace him, either
due to these problems or in the event that he is unable to
continue as CEO.
3.
We
believe the Company has a bloated infrastructure with a pattern
of nepotism contributing to Mr. Geller’s inability to
cut unnecessary personnel costs.
The Company’s expenses continue to increase at a faster
pace than revenues. The Company’s publicly reported
“general and administrative” expense increased from
$6.0 million during the first six months of fiscal 2008
based on $27.5 million in revenues to $12.7 million
during the first six months of fiscal 2009 based on
$30.3 million in revenues.
The Company’s personnel costs have outstripped revenue
growth and, to date, no reduction in staff has been announced by
the Company. We believe this failure to control personnel costs
is the result of poor management, inadequate human resource
policies and nepotism in corporate hiring practices. The Company
currently employs Mr. Geller’s wife in a senior role
with Mrs. Geller reporting to Mr. Geller.
Mr. Geller has also employed his niece. Another senior
manager employs his father-in law and his brother, with both
individuals reporting to that senior manager, and has a contract
in place with another brother who reports to that senior
manager. The Company has a policy of not hiring employees who
would report to a family member, but this policy has been
allowed to be violated.
The Company has been unable to reduce its infrastructure costs,
which we believe is the direct result of poor oversight by the
Company Board and a pattern of nepotism that prevents
significant personnel cuts from being made.
We
believe Mr. Geller’s salary is excessive and well
beyond what is appropriate for the Company’s
size.
In fiscal 2008, Mr. Geller was paid a base salary of
$676,000 and total compensation of $1.26 million.
Meanwhile, companies of similar market capitalization pay their
CEOs a base salary in a range generally below $200,000. In
addition, Mr. Geller’s spouse receives $190,000 as a
senior designer and in fiscal year 2008 received $300,000 in
salary and royalties. The market capitalization of the Company
is currently only approximately $30.0 million and the
Company is losing money. We believe that Mr. Geller’s
current compensation is more in line with companies with a
significantly higher market capitalization than the Company. We
believe Mr. Geller’s salary and the salary of his
spouse is another indication of decisions at the Company being
made without the interests of the Company’s shareholders
being paramount.
5.
We
believe the Company and Mr. Geller have failed to
articulate a plan for realizing value from the Titanic assets
and have allowed the assets to be
tied-up in
litigation for years.
We believe that the Company and Mr. Geller have yet to
develop and articulate a plan for what the Company intends to do
with the Titanic assets, which has delayed a final decision by
the court. If our nominees are elected, we will assist
management in developing a plan for these assets that will
demonstrate respect for the artifacts and articulate a plan for
displaying these items in exhibitions globally. If the Titanic
assets are awarded to the Company by the court, it will be our
intention to keep the artifacts together as a collection and not
sell any artifacts individually or in small lots. We might
support a sale of the entire collection if the Company retains
rights to exhibit the collection globally, and we would not
support any action with respect to the artifacts that is
inconsistent with any court order. We believe the Titanic assets
represent value in excess of the current market price for the
Company’s Shares. However, the Titanic assets are
undervalued by prospective investors because the assets have
been tied-up
in litigation for so long that the value to the Company appears
uncertain. We believe the delay in resolving the court case and
implementing a plan for realizing value from these assets
reflects mismanagement by the Company Board and Mr. Geller.
6.
We
question the Company’s corporate governance practices and
actions.
It is our understanding that the Company Board has allowed
management to conduct business for years without a formal
business plan. In addition, we know from having two designees on
the Company Board that there is no standard monthly reporting
package for the board’s review and approval that details:
(a) detailed budget versus actual results; (b) proper
financial forecasts; (c) the status of all pending
litigation, including the Titanic litigation; (d) pending
contract negotiations and developments related to material
business transactions; (e) personnel issues; and
(f) pending new product development with timelines, cost
estimates and progress updates.
Under the leadership of the former CEO, the Company entered into
several transactions, including the Times Square transaction,
Luxor transactions and commitments regarding two permanent
exhibitions in Boston and Chicago that would have cost the
Company up to tens of millions of dollars if the transactions
were not terminated or renegotiated. The Company would be under
contractual obligations for these payments despite its declining
cash balance referenced earlier, although we understand that the
Company is continuing in its efforts to terminate some of these
obligations. We believe that these arrangements were entered
into without proper oversight by the Company Board.
In addition, we understand that Mr. Geller has handled
significant changes in the Titanic lawsuit without the consent
of the Company Board. In their requests to Mr. Geller,
Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam discovered this, along
with other instances where Mr. Geller has failed to keep
the Company Board apprised of significant business developments.
For example, when the Company’s Vice President of
Sponsorships left the Company, Mr. Geller failed to inform
the Board of the occurrence although such information was
relevant to the development of one of the Company’s
projects. Mr. Geller has also negotiated a contract that
would have restricted the Company’s ability to capitalize
on international opportunities even though the Board had
indicated a desire for Mr. Geller to remedy those
restrictions. This course of action was changed only due to the
strenuous objections and efforts of our board designees.
There are other instances of questionable judgment by the
Company Board. For example, on March 14, 2006, the Company
amended Mr. Geller’s employment agreement to provide
to Mr. Geller a cash bonus equal to “10% of the
Company’s quarterly net income.” This arrangement also
applied retroactively for all periods commencing on
July 30, 2004. We believe that crafting a bonus as a
percentage of the Company’s net income creates a conflict
of interest and runs contrary to the interests of shareholders,
providing incentives to inflate earnings and detracting from
shareholder value. The Company Board quickly rescinded this
bonus provision.
In addition, as described in the section of this Consent
Solicitation Statement titled “Background to the
Solicitation,” the Company disclosed to the public the
notices of resignation of Mr. Ingalls, its Chief Financial
Officer, and Ms. Kellar, its Chief Accounting Officer, more
than three weeks after the resignations were provided to the
Company and more than two weeks after the disclosure was
required to be made under SEC rules. The Company made this
disclosure only after we reminded the Company Board of its
obligations.
We believe the Company Board has exercised “lax
oversight” by allowing management to operate for years
without a business plan, failing to appropriately monitor
management, failing to address the high turnover of senior
management, failing to address the Company’s issues with
nepotism, failing to address the Company’s rising
administrative and personnel costs, and failing to address the
Company’s declining financial performance.
7.
We
believe the Company has a history of over-promising and
under-delivering.
The Company has consistently missed earnings estimates made by
analysts, which are based on company-provided data and quarterly
earnings conference calls. For the past three fiscal quarters,
the Company’s earnings have been below analysts forecasts
by a range of 38% to 150%. On the Company’s earnings call
on May 11, 2007, Mr. Geller stated that the Company
could earn $1.50 per share in 2008, which is significantly
different from the Company’s recent earnings per share
results. We believe that poor financial stewardship of the
Company has resulted in inflated earnings and performance
expectations that the Company has been unable to deliver upon.
We believe that this track record has hurt the credibility of
the Company’s management and the Company Board.
Our
Plan
If we are successful in this consent solicitation and our four
nominees are elected to the Company Board, it is our intent to
propose that the Company Board take the following actions:
•
Terminate Mr. Geller as CEO and Chairman of the Board;
•
Implement a search process for a new CEO;
•
Name one of our director candidates as interim CEO until a full
time replacement for Mr. Geller can be found;
•
Adjust compensation for senior managers that is more clearly
aligned with the interests of shareholders;
•
Evaluate and, if necessary, amend the Company’s personnel
policies;
•
Develop a strategic business plan for the Company that
incorporates capital allocation strategies as a critical measure
of future product development;
•
Produce monthly reporting packages that fully detail the status
of all elements of the Company’s business for review by the
Company Board;
•
Engage management to cut fixed and variable costs dramatically
without jeopardizing the Company’s ability to survive and
prosper;
•
Evaluate and overhaul the Company’s production activities;
•
Evaluate all existing venues and close unprofitable exhibitions;
•
Rebuild the sales and marketing function both domestically and
internationally;
•
Evaluate all existing contracts and make efforts to restructure
those that may not be in the Company’s best
interest; and
Increase the Company’s efforts to resolve the Titanic
litigation.
It is our intent to propose that the Company terminate
Mr. Geller for “cause,” under the terms of his
employment agreement. If Mr. Geller is terminated for
“cause,” he will be entitled to no further
compensation, bonus or severance from the Company. If
Mr. Geller were terminated for a reason other than
“cause,” or if “cause” could not be
established by the Company, then Mr. Geller may be entitled
to receive a lump sum payment equal to 299% of his base salary.
It is also possible that, in the event that Mr. Geller is
terminated or voluntarily resigns, the Company may make a
severance payment to Mr. Geller in connection with a
negotiated settlement.
If our nominees are elected, during the first six months our
goal will be to develop a turnaround plan for the Company that
exploits its strengths and addresses its weaknesses. This will
involve a complete evaluation of all aspects of the
Company’s business. The director nominees that we have
assembled all have relevant experience to assist in this
process. Although we can guarantee no specific results, we are
confident that our board nominees will be committed to directing
the Company’s efforts towards yielding the best results for
its shareholders.
The principal business of Sellers Capital LLC is to advise
privately held investment funds, including Sellers Capital
Master Fund, Ltd. Sellers Capital LLC is currently the
Investment Manager for Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. The
principal business of Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. is to
operate privately held investment funds for institutions and
high net worth individuals.
We purchased our first Shares of the Company on May 9,2007. On March 20, 2008, we filed a Schedule 13D with
the SEC disclosing that we had accumulated approximately 6.92%
of the Company’s outstanding Shares. At that time, we
believed the Company’s share price to be undervalued
because:
•
The Company was about to roll out more “Bodies”
exhibitions;
•
The Company was planning to move its business model towards a
self-run model, which was supposed to increase
margins — this included the “Luxor” venue,
which had recently been announced;
•
We believe that the Company was indicating that the Titanic case
was finally going to be resolved;
•
The Company was indicating that it was going to add up to three
new exhibitions, including its recently announced “Sports
Immortals” exhibition; and
•
The Company had recently hired new senior management.
On July 8, 2008, the Company announced first quarter
results for its 2009 fiscal year, which were below expectations.
Revenue for the first quarter increased to $15.2 million
from $11.4 million in the first quarter of the prior fiscal
year. The Company realized a net loss of ($0.9) million for
the first quarter compared to net income of $3.3 million in
the first quarter of the prior fiscal year. Diluted income
(loss) per common share for the quarter fell to ($0.03) per
share from $0.10 per share in the first quarter of the
prior fiscal year. EBITDA for the quarter fell to
($0.1) million from $5.7 million in the first quarter
of the prior fiscal year. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter fell
to $1.5 million from $6.2 million in the first quarter
of the prior fiscal year.
After the Company’s surprisingly negative results, we took
the opportunity to add to our holdings. In July 2008, as we
increased our holdings we filed three successive amendments to
our Schedule 13D disclosing that we had increased our
holdings to approximately 11.21%, 15.41% and 16.81% of the
Company’s outstanding Shares.
On July 11, 2008, after analyzing the Company’s first
quarter results and speaking with management, we wrote a letter
to the Company Board. In the letter, we outlined our concerns
that the Company’s Share price had declined due to
mismanagement of the business rather than because of a general
stock market decline or general economic conditions. We took
issue with several elements of the Company’s business
strategy, which we thought had been detrimental to shareholder
value in both the short-term and long-term. We believed that the
Company had spent too much money bulking up infrastructure in a
quest for growth without regard for maintaining profitability,
and in the process had eroded shareholder value.
In the letter, we outlined several steps that we believed the
Company should consider taking to restore the Company’s
profitability. These steps included renegotiating the
compensation packages for top management (pointing to
Mr. Geller’s and Mr. Eskowitz’s cash
compensation packages of $1.0 million and
$1.3 million, respectively, over the last year),
implementing a plan to improve the deteriorating fundamentals of
the “Bodies” exhibitions, retaining a
nationally-recognized “Big Four” auditor, imposing
controls on the Company’s cost structure, and requiring
management to demonstrate the economic feasibility of all growth
initiatives by ensuring that they meet internal rate of return
requirements.
At the end of the letter, we also requested that Mr. Mark
Sellers and Mr. Mark Hugh Sam be added to the Company Board
in order to bring a fresh approach to oversight and governance
of the Company. We also noted our belief that earnings and cash
flow per share, rather than top-line revenue growth, are the
metrics the Company should focus on.
After a number of discussions with the Company, we wrote another
letter to the Company Board on July 15, 2008. We again
outlined our request to have two designees placed on the Company
Board and also voiced our displeasure with the Company’s
proposal to reincorporate in Delaware, which we believed would
diminish some important shareholder rights, including the right
for shareholders to call a special meeting of shareholders.
In response to our requests, on July 18, 2008 the Company
announced that it was postponing its 2008 annual meeting of
shareholders, which was originally scheduled for August 6,2008 and at which the Company planned to ask shareholders to
vote on the Company’s proposal to reincorporate in Delaware.
On July 23, 2008, Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam
were appointed to the Company Board. At that time, the Company
also agreed that Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam would be
nominated by the Company for election to the Company Board at
the Company’s 2008 annual meeting of shareholders, which
was set for October 30, 2008. In connection with the
election of Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam to the
Company Board, the Company Board amended the Company’s
by-laws to increase the size of the Company Board from nine to
eleven members.
Shortly after being appointed to the Company Board,
Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam challenged the validity
of the purported appointment of two individuals, Mr. Harold
Ingalls and Mr. Gregg Goodman, to the Company Board. Our
designees advised Mr. Arnie Geller, the Chairman of the
Company Board, of their challenge and the legal basis for it and
requested Mr. Geller to place the matter on the
board’s agenda for its meeting on August 8, 2008. In
addition, our designees discussed with Mr. Geller the
possibility of his re-appointment as the Company’s
Executive Chairman.
On August 8, 2008, the Company Board determined that the
previously announced appointments of Mr. Ingalls and
Mr. Goodman to the Company Board were
“administratively ineffectual” and that they had
therefore been determined not to be directors of the Company. On
the same date, the Company Board re-appointed Mr. Geller as
the Executive Chair. Mr. Ingalls was again added to the
Company Board on August 21, 2008.
At this time, we also informed the Company that if our proposed
financial and governance reforms were not adopted by the
Company, we might undertake further measures in an effort to
have these reforms adopted, which measures might include
nominating our own slate of directors for election by the
Company’s shareholders.
On August 18 and 19, 2008, in response to Mr. Geller
being restored as Executive Chairman by the Company Board,
several individuals resigned. Mr. Bruce Eskowitz, who was
serving as the Company’s President and Chief Executive
Officer and as a director, and Mr. Brian Wainger, who was
serving as the Company’s Vice President, Chief Legal
Counsel and Secretary, provided their resignations to the
Company. In addition, Messrs. James S. Yaffe and Jonathan
F. Miller provided their resignations as members of the Company
Board. Mr. Yaffe is the nephew of Mr. Geller.
On October 7, 2008, the Company announced its financial
results for the second quarter of its fiscal 2009. Revenue for
the second quarter decreased to $15.1 million from
$16.1 million in the second quarter of the prior fiscal
year. For the first six months of fiscal 2009, revenue increased
10% to $30.3 million from $27.5 million in the first
six months of the prior fiscal year. Net income in the second
quarter fell to $0.9 million from $5.5 million in the
second quarter of the prior fiscal year. For the first six
months of fiscal 2009, net income fell to $0.0 from
$8.8 million in the first six months of the prior fiscal
year.
On October 30, 2008, Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam
were elected to the Company Board at the Company’s annual
meeting of shareholders. After a lengthy board meeting held
directly after the annual meeting, Mr. Sellers and
Mr. Hugh Sam remained dissatisfied with the lack of
progress they saw by the Company Board in implementing changes
to improve the Company’s financial results.
In a letter presented to Mr. Geller on November 4,2008 and in an announcement made on November 6, 2008,
Sellers Capital called for the resignation of Mr. Geller
and cited several reasons for Sellers Capital’s
dissatisfaction. Among the reasons was what we saw as
Mr. Geller’s excessive compensation in light of the
Company’s declining market cap. In fiscal year 2008,
Mr. Geller received a $676,000 salary and total
compensation of $1.26 million, including a cash bonus of
$300,000, even though the Company’s share price declined
55% during that fiscal year. In fiscal year 2009, his salary
remained the same while the Company’s financial performance
and share price continued to decline. We also noted the
significant decline in the Company’s share price since
mid-2007.
Some of the other factors noted for our concerns were what we
saw as:
•
The Company’s declining cash balance and liquidity;
•
A bloated organizational structure and failure to implement a
streamlined management structure to reduce payroll;
No clear plan to realize value from the Company’s Titanic
assets tied up in litigation, and a continued failure to resolve
the legal dispute;
•
Rampant nepotism and a lack of human resource policies designed
to control the employment of family members and friends;
•
Mr. Geller’s management shortcomings and failure to
create a succession plan; and
•
A stock price just above $1, risking a NASDAQ delisting.
In the letter to Mr. Geller and our announcement, we also
proposed plans to fix the problems facing the Company. We
proposed to reshape the Company Board by adding directors with
restructuring and turnaround experience, as well as
entertainment industry experience, and reshape the management
team. Our plan proposed to cut costs across the Company and
institute improved human resources and merit-based compensation
policies. We proposed that, with the help of a new management
team, the Company could make the changes necessary to restore
the Company to profitability and build value for all
shareholders.
Other steps that we proposed included:
•
Cutting fixed and variable costs dramatically and restoring
profitability while keeping business disruptions to a minimum;
•
Reducing growth initiatives until the Company returned to
profitability and was free-cash flow positive;
•
Focusing on a return on invested capital when making all capital
budgeting decisions;
•
Using the cost savings from the management restructuring to hire
a dedicated sales and marketing team for both U.S. and
international operations; and
•
Developing a plan to realize value from the Company’s
Titanic assets.
On November 11, 2008, Mr. Harold W. Ingalls, the
Company’s Chief Financial Officer, and Ms. Kelli L.
Kellar, the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer, delivered
notices to the Company of their intent to terminate their
employment with the Company based upon their
“inability . . . to work with other
members of the Company’s senior management.”
Mr. Ingalls’ notice specifically mentioned his
incompatibility with Mr. Arnie Geller, the Company’s
Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Ingalls also stated that upon
termination of his employment he would also resign as a member
of the Company Board. Under the employment agreements of
Mr. Ingalls and Ms. Kellar, the Company has
60 days in which to remedy the situation noted by
Mr. Ingalls and Ms. Kellar. In a letter to the
Company’s outside counsel on November 25, 2008, we
advised the Company that it was required to disclose this
development to its shareholders and the investing public. Under
applicable SEC rules and published guidance, which we cited to
the Company, the Company was required to have disclosed this
information in a Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the SEC within four business days of the development,
or November 17, 2008. On December 4, 2008, the Company
finally disclosed this information in a
Form 8-K
filed with the SEC, noting that the filing was triggered by
events occurring on November 11, 2008 but without providing
any background to the notices of resignation.
On November 18, 2008, we sent a letter to the Company
formally requesting copies of the Company’s shareholder
lists, which is our right as a shareholder of the Company under
Florida law. We had previously requested copies of the
Company’s shareholder lists on an informal basis, but the
Company did not provide any such lists to us. On
November 25, 2008, we filed suit in the Circuit Court of
the Thirteenth Judicial District in Hillsborough County, Florida
seeking to have the court compel the Company to provide us the
shareholder lists to which we are entitled under Florida law,
which is described more fully in the section below titled
“Litigation.”
On November 21, 2008, after another board meeting during
which a business or restructuring plan that had been requested
by the Company Board was not delivered, Sellers Capital
announced that it would solicit shareholders to elect four
independent directors to fill vacancies on the Company Board. In
addition, Sellers Capital reiterated its call for the immediate
resignation of Mr. Geller.
On November 25, 2008, our outside legal counsel sent a
letter to the Company through its outside legal counsel
reminding the Company of its obligation under Florida law to
prepare and deliver to its directors minutes of all meetings of
the Company Board, and noting that the Company had not provided
minutes from the prior three
meetings of the Company Board. The Company has since failed to
provide minutes for a fourth and fifth meeting of the Company
Board.
In a number of telephone calls and
e-mails
between November 20, 2008 and December 1, 2008, an
attorney with our outside counsel and an attorney with the
Company’s outside Florida counsel discussed the possibility
of a meeting between us and members of the Company’s
management and board to consider a possible resolution of the
issues we have raised. On December 1, 2008, our outside
counsel indicated to the Company’s outside counsel that we
were open to considering proposed resolutions of our issues from
the Company, but that we were not interested in having the
proposed meeting at that time because we felt the meeting would
not be productive. Our assessment was based on our prior
interactions with the Company’s management and board and
the issues that the Company’s outside counsel was unable to
indicate would be on the table for discussion. Although the
Company’s outside counsel indicated that there was
acknowledgement of many of the issues we have raised, he did not
indicate that Mr. Geller would consider resigning on a
timeframe acceptable to us.
Since issuing our November 4, 2008 letter to
Mr. Geller, we believe that Mr. Geller and the Company
Board have taken little action to address the issues raised by
us. We also believe that the Company Board has continually
stonewalled our efforts to have the Company Board take
meaningful actions to address the deteriorating financial
situation at the Company. In the instances in which we have
produced positive change through the Company Board, we have had
to undertake significant efforts to have our voice heard.
Litigation
On November 18, 2008, we sent a letter to the Company
formally requesting copies of the Company’s shareholder
lists, which is our right as a shareholder of the Company under
Florida law. We had previously requested copies of the
Company’s shareholder lists on an informal basis, but the
Company did not provide any such lists to us.
On November 24, 2008, the Company, through its outside
counsel, denied our request for the shareholder lists on the
basis that we had not described the purpose for our request with
“reasonable particularity,” even though we had
previously issued two press releases about our proposed consent
solicitation and our request stated that we were making the
request “in [our] role as a shareholder of the Company, in
good faith, for the purpose of identifying the shareholders that
[we] may contact in connection with a possible solicitation of
proxies effected in the near future in accordance with the
Exchange Act” and that we would “not use these lists
for any improper purpose” under Florida law.
Because the Company had waited six days to respond to our
request and we believed the Company’s basis for denying our
request was without merit and simply a delay tactic, on
November 25, 2008, we filed suit in the Circuit Court of
the Thirteenth Judicial District in Hillsborough County, Florida
seeking to have the court compel the Company to provide us the
shareholder lists to which we are entitled under Florida law.
On the same day that we filed our suit against the Company, and
several hours after we informed the Company in writing that we
filed the suit, the Company, through its outside counsel,
responded that the Company would now “assuredly
comply” with the request for the shareholder lists, on the
basis that our cover letter providing a courtesy copy of the
complaint “now satisfies the requirements of Florida
law.”
After agreeing to provide the requested lists, the Company,
through its outside counsel, filed a motion to dismiss our
complaint on November 26, 2008. In its motion, the
Company’s counsel implied to the court that we filed our
complaint after the Company said they would provide the lists,
which is a misstatement that we have corrected both with the
court and the Company’s outside counsel.
On December 2, 2008, the Company, through its outside
counsel, informed us that it would make certain documents
available for inspection and copying at its principal offices in
Atlanta, Georgia, and on December 3, 2008, our
representative visited the Company’s offices to review and
copy these documents. Since we believe the Company has not
provided us with all of the shareholder lists that we requested,
we currently intend to continue to pursue the litigation.
The
Proposal — Election of Our Four Board
Nominees
The Company Board is currently comprised of a single class of
eleven directors, and there are currently seven directors on the
Company Board. Our nominees to the Company Board would fill the
four vacancies that currently exist on the Company Board.
Pursuant to the Company’s by-laws, each of our nominees, if
elected, would hold office until the Company’s next annual
meeting of shareholders and until such person’s successor
has been elected or until such person’s death, resignation,
retirement or removal.
To adopt the Proposal, written consents representing a majority
of all of the Shares outstanding as of the Record Date are
required under Florida law. Generally, under Florida law,
directors of the Company are elected by a plurality of the votes
of Shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled
to vote at a meeting of the Company’s shareholders. Since
the Proposal is being adopted through an action without a
meeting, it requires approval by the holders of Shares having
not less than the minimum number of votes that would be
necessary to adopt the Proposal at a meeting at which all Shares
were present and voted. Therefore, the Proposal requires the
approval of the holders of a majority of all of the Shares
outstanding.
By delivering its written consent to the Proposal to the
Company, Sellers Capital has voted all of its Shares in favor of
the Proposal. Since Sellers Capital holds 16.3% of the
outstanding Shares of the Company, based on the number of Shares
reported by the Company to be outstanding as of October 6,2008, consents from the holders of only approximately 33.8% of
the Shares must be received in order for the Proposal to be
adopted. Shareholders of the Company do not have
dissenters’ rights of appraisal or similar rights under
Florida law in connection with the Proposal.
Our
Nominees
The following table sets forth the name, age, business and
residence addresses, current directorships, present principal
occupation, and employment and material occupations, positions,
offices and employments for the past five years of each of our
nominees to the Company Board. Each of our nominees is
independent under the listing standards of the Nasdaq Stock
Market and is not currently affiliated with Sellers Capital, the
Company or any subsidiary of the Company. Each of these nominees
is a citizen of the United States of America.
Name and Age
Addresses
Present Principal Occupation, Five-Year Employment History
and Other Directorships
William M. Adams Age — 38
Business address: Alpine Investors, LP
Three Embarcadero Center
Suite 2330 San Francisco, CA94111
Mr. Adams has been a Principal with Alpine Investors, LP
since September 2001. Alpine Investors, LP is a private equity
investor in micro-cap companies focused on firms with less than
$100 million of revenue. The firm currently manages
$250 million. Mr. Adams focuses primarily on managing
and monitoring the operational performance of portfolio
companies and developing and implementing growth strategies.
Leveraging early career roles that included marketing and sales
positions at The Clorox Company and strategic work as a
management consultant at The Mitchell Madison Group, a global
strategic consulting practice, he works most closely with
Alpine’s consumer, retail and direct marketing oriented
businesses. Mr. Adams serves on the Boards of Directors of
Direct Marketing Solutions, Inc., Lighting By Gregory, McKissock
and YLighting, all of which are private companies. He received a
Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg Graduate
School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor
of Arts from Colgate University.
Mr. Davino is a Principal and Head of the Corporate Rescue Group
of XRoads Solutions Group, LLC, a corporate restructuring
management consulting company, and has held these positions
since 2007. He oversees a national advisory practice of
approximately 30 professionals providing strategic, operational
and financial advice, interim and crisis management, and
transactional services to financially distressed middle market
companies and their various creditor and interest holder
constituencies. Transactional services include mergers and
acquisitions, debt and equity capital raising and balance sheet
recapitalizations. From early 2006 until 2007, Mr. Davino
was President of Osprey Point Advisors, LLC, a firm providing
consulting and investment banking services to companies,
including capital raising and mergers and acquisitions
transactional services. From July 2004 through December 2005,
Mr. Davino was President of
E-Rail
Logistics Inc., a rail-based logistics company, which he
founded. Prior to that position, he worked as a restructuring
professional at Financo Inc., an investment banking firm,
Wasserstein Perella Co., an investment banking firm, and Zolfo
Cooper & Co., an advisory and interim management firm
providing restructuring services. Mr. Davino is a member of
the Board of Directors of Hirsh International Corp., a public
company, and has recently served as Chairman of the Board of
Directors of Pendum Inc., a national ATM servicing business and
a private company, where he directed the company’s
restructuring activities, including the sale of the business.
Mr. Davino received his Bachelor of Science from Lehigh
University.
Jack Jacobs Age — 63
Business address: The Fitzroy Group, Ltd.
6th Floor
2 Balcombe Street
London NW1 6NW, UK
Mr. Jacobs has been a principal of The Fitzroy Group, Ltd., a
firm that specializes in the development of residential real
estate in London and invests both for its own account and in
joint ventures with other institutions, for the past five years.
He has held the McDermott Chair of Politics at West Point since
2005 and has served as an NBC military analyst since 2002.
Mr. Jacobs was a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of
AutoFinance Group Inc., one of the firms to pioneer the
securitization of debt instruments, from 1988 to 1989; the firm
was subsequently sold to KeyBank. He was a Managing Director of
Bankers Trust Corporation, a diversified financial institution
and investment bank, where he ran foreign exchange options
worldwide and was a partner in the institutional hedge fund
business. He retired in 1996 to pursue investments.
Mr. Jacobs’ military career included two tours of duty
in Vietnam where he was among the most highly decorated soldiers
earning three Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars and the Medal of
Honor, the nation’s
Present Principal Occupation, Five-Year Employment History
and Other Directorships
highest combat decoration. He retired from active military duty
as a Colonel in 1987. Since January 2007, Mr. Jacobs has
served as a member of the Board of Directors of Xedar
Corporation, a public company; since June 2006, he has been a
director of Visual Management Systems, a private company; and
from January 2006 to the present, he has been a director of
BioNeutral Laboratories Corporation USA, which has its
securities registered under the Exchange Act. Mr. Jacobs
received a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s degree from
Rutgers University.
Bruce Steinberg Age — 51
Business address: 58 Frognal
London NW3 6XG, UK
Residence address: 58 Frognal
London NW3 6XG, UK
Mr. Steinberg has served as a consultant for
Northern & Shell PLC, a publishing company, since May
2008 and is the former Chief Executive Officer of Hit
Entertainment Limited, a television production company in
London. During his tenure at Hit Entertainment Limited from June
2005 to March 2008, he turned around declining performance with
increased growth for three consecutive years, recruited the
senior management, reduced staff costs and consolidated
operations. He also restructured the business and revitalized
production. Mr. Steinberg managed a staff of 350 with
offices in London, New York, Dallas, Manchester, Hong Kong and
Tokyo. From December 2002 to July 2004, he was the Chief
Executive Officer of Fox Kids Europe Limited, a publicly traded
company broadcasting to more than 100 million homes in 57
countries. Mr. Steinberg has more than 20 years of
entertainment industry experience. He is currently Non Executive
Chairman of Wannabet Ltd., a private company, and a board member
of JDRF UK, a charitable organization. Mr. Steinberg
received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard
Business School and a Bachelor of Arts from Cambridge University
and Columbia University.
Our nominees will not receive any compensation from us for their
services as directors of the Company. Other than as described in
this Consent Solicitation Statement, there are no arrangements
or understandings between Sellers Capital and any of our
nominees or any other person or persons pursuant to which the
nominations described in this Consent Solicitation Statement are
to be made, other than the consent by each of our nominees to be
named in this Consent Solicitation Statement, to be nominated as
a member of the Company Board, and to serve as a director of the
Company if elected. Copies of the consents that have been signed
by our nominees are included in this Consent Solicitation
Statement as Appendix A. None of our nominees has
previously served as a director of the Company or has at any
time been an employee of the Company. None of our nominees or
any of their associates is a party adverse to the Company or any
of its subsidiaries or has a material interest adverse to the
Company or any of its subsidiaries in any material pending legal
proceedings. None of our nominees currently own, beneficially or
of record, any Shares or other securities of the Company. None
of our nominees has any interest, direct or indirect, by
security ownership or otherwise, in the Proposal except as
disclosed in this Consent Solicitation Statement.
Although we believe that our nominees are committed to obtaining
the best possible result for the Company’s shareholders,
there can be no assurance that the election of our nominees will
lead to any specific results with respect to the operations or
performance of the Company.
In the event that (i) any of our nominees is unable to
serve or for good cause is unwilling to serve as a member of the
Company Board
and/or
(ii) the Company makes or announces any changes to its
by-laws or takes or announces any other action that has, or if
consummated would have, the effect of disqualifying any or all
of our nominees, the WHITE consent card will be voted for
the election of such other nominee or nominees as Sellers
Capital may designate.
The WHITE consent card delivered with this Consent
Solicitation Statement provides each shareholder with the
opportunity to adopt the Proposal in part by designating the
names of any one or more of our nominees whom such shareholder
does not want elected to the Company Board.
We recommend and urge you to vote FOR the election to
the Company Board of our four nominees listed on the enclosed
WHITE consent card.
Current
Compensation Policies of the Company for Directors
In the Company’s definitive proxy statement for its 2008
annual meeting of shareholders filed with the SEC on
September 29, 2008 (the “Company’s 2008 Proxy
Statement”), the Company provided the following information
about its director compensation policies. The Company reported
that it pays each of its independent directors a $1,000 per
diem for in-person attendance, and a $300 per diem for
telephonic attendance, at a board or committee meeting. The
Company also reported that it pays the chairman of its audit
committee an additional $2,500 annually, and the chairman of
each of its compensation committee and corporate governance and
nominating committee an additional $2,000 annually.
The Company also reported that its historical policy is to
compensate each director by issuing 25,000 Shares upon a
director’s appointment and by issuing an option to purchase
75,000 Shares every three years (with the first such grant
made upon the director’s appointment) under the
Company’s 2004 Stock Option Plan.
The Company further reported that, in 2007, it adopted an
enhanced equity compensation incentive program for two of its
newly appointed directors, Mr. Jonathan F. Miller and
Mr. James S. Yaffe, who no longer serve on the Company
Board. Upon their appointment as directors, Messrs. Miller
and Yaffe each received stock options to purchase
200,000 Shares. These stock options were scheduled to vest
at the rate of 40,000 shares per year over five years,
subject to the re-election of Messrs. Miller and Yaffe at
each annual meeting of shareholders. The Company reported that
since Messrs. Miller and Yaffe resigned from the Company
Board before being re-elected at the Company’s 2008 annual
meeting of shareholders, these stock options will not vest.
However, the Company noted that upon their appointment to the
Company Board, Messrs. Miller and Yaffe also received a
grant of 25,000 Shares. The Company reported in a Current
Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the SEC on August 22, 2008 that
Messrs. Yaffe and Miller were appointed to the Company
Board on September 1, 2007 and resigned from the Company
Board on August 18, 2008. In a Current Report on
Form 8-K
filed with the SEC on August 11, 2008, the Company
disclosed that Mr. Yaffe is the nephew of Mr. Arnie
Geller.
The Company also reported that it reimburses each director for
medical insurance, and that it pays the annual premium for
long-term care insurance for three of its directors,
Messrs. Banker, Cretan and Reed.
Sellers
Capital’s Proposed Compensation Program for
Directors
If the Proposal is adopted and our four nominees to the Company
Board are elected, we plan to propose that the Company’s
policies for the compensation of its directors be modified. We
would propose that each independent director be paid an annual
retainer equal to $100,000, to be paid partly in cash and partly
in equity. We would propose to allow each director to elect the
portion of the annual retainer that they would receive in cash
and the portion that they would receive in the form of equity
awards, subject to a minimum election of 25% equity. The equity
awards would be in the form of stock options
and/or
restricted stock. We would also propose that each director be
paid $1,000 for each board meeting and committee meeting
attended, with all
out-of-pocket
expenses incurred in connection with attendance at such meetings
being reimbursed by the Company. In addition, we would propose
that the Company Board adopt a policy requiring each director to
personally acquire a minimum of 5,000 Shares of the Company.
We believe that our proposed compensation program will assist
the Company in attracting the quality of board members that will
be necessary for the Company to be successful, and we believe
that the equity components of our program will better align the
interests of the Company’s directors with the interests of
the Company’s shareholders.
Consent
Procedures
Action by
Consent Without a Meeting
Section 607.0704 of the Florida Business Corporation Act
provides that, unless the articles of incorporation of a Florida
corporation provide otherwise, any action required or permitted
to be taken at any annual or special meeting of shareholders of
that corporation may be taken without a meeting, without prior
notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing,
describing the action so taken, are dated and signed by the
holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum
number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take
that action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote
thereon were present and voted, and those consents are delivered
to the corporation by delivery to its principal office in
Florida, its principal place of business, its corporate
secretary, or another officer or agent of the corporation having
custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of
shareholders are recorded.
Article XII of the Company’s by-laws provides that any
written consent solicitation must strictly comply with the
requirements of Section 607.0704 of the Florida Business
Corporation Act. The Company’s by-laws also provide that
any consent solicitation must contain the information described
in Article II, Section 4 and Article III,
Section 12 of the Company’s by-laws, and that the
failure to include such information will result in such
shareholder consent solicitation being considered void. We
believe that this Consent Solicitation Statement includes all of
the information required to be included herein by the
Company’s by-laws.
For the Proposal to be adopted, written consents from the
holders of at least a majority of the Shares must be delivered
to the Company within 60 days of the earliest dated written
consent delivered to the Company. Since Sellers Capital
delivered its written consent to the Company on
December [ ], 2008, written consents from the
requisite holders must be delivered to the Company by no later
than February [ ], 2009.
On December [ ], 2008, Sellers Capital provided
its written consent to the Proposal to the Secretary of the
Company, thereby fixing the Record Date for determining
shareholders entitled to give their written consent to the
Proposal described herein. Under Florida law, shareholders of
record as of the close of business on the Record Date will be
entitled to one vote for each Share held as of that date.
Sellers Capital is the beneficial owner of
4,778,399 Shares, representing approximately 16.3% of the
outstanding Shares, based upon the 29,284,999 Shares
reported by the Company as being outstanding as of
October 6, 2008 in its Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
filed with the SEC on October 10, 2008. By delivering its
written consent to the Proposal to the Company, Sellers Capital
has voted all of its Shares in favor of the Proposal.
If the Proposal becomes effective as a result of this consent
solicitation, the Company will be required under
Section 607.0704 of the Florida Business Corporation Act to
provide notice within 10 days to the shareholders of the
Company who have not executed written consents in favor of the
Proposal.
According to publicly available information, the Shares
constitute the Company’s only class of voting securities,
and each Share entitles its record holder to one vote.
Shareholders of the Company do not have cumulative voting rights
in the election of directors, and cumulative voting is not
applicable in this consent solicitation. Only holders of Shares
as of the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to
execute written consents in favor of the Proposal. If you are a
shareholder of record at the close of business on the Record
Date, you will retain your right to consent even if you sell
your Shares after the Record Date. Accordingly, it is important
that you provide consent for the Shares held by you as of the
close of business on the Record Date on the WHITE consent
card.
Instructions
on How to Provide a Consent
If you are a record holder of Shares as of the close of business
on the Record Date for this consent solicitation, you may elect
to consent to, withhold consent to or abstain with respect to
the Proposal by marking the
“CONSENTS,”“CONSENT WITHHELD” or
“ABSTAINS” box, as applicable, underneath the Proposal
on the accompanying WHITE consent card and signing,
dating and returning it promptly in the enclosed postage-paid
envelope. The effectiveness of the Proposal will require the
properly completed and duly delivered, unrevoked written consent
to the Proposal by the holders of record of a majority of the
Shares outstanding. Since the Proposal requires the approval of
a majority of the Shares outstanding, an abstention will count
the same as withholding consent from the Proposal.
The accompanying WHITE consent card will be acted upon in
accordance with the shareholder’s instructions on such
WHITE consent card. You may consent to the election of
our four nominees to the Company Board by marking the
“CONSENTS” box or you may withhold consent to the
election of any one or more of our nominees by marking the
“CONSENTS” box and writing the name of any of our
nominees that you do not want to be elected in the space
provided on the WHITE consent card. By providing a
consent, you will be deemed to provide the consent with respect
to all Shares owned by you.
If a shareholder executes and delivers a WHITE consent
card, but fails to check a box marked “CONSENTS,”“CONSENT WITHHELD” or “ABSTAINS” for the
Proposal, the shareholder will be deemed to have consented to
the Proposal.
Your consent is important. Please sign, date and return the
enclosed WHITE consent card in the enclosed postage-paid
envelope today. Failure to return your consent, or abstaining,
will have the same effect as voting against the Proposal.
If your Shares are held in the name of a broker, dealer,
commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, only it can
execute a consent with respect to your Shares and only upon
receipt of your specific instructions. Accordingly, it is
critical that you promptly contact the person responsible for
your account and give instructions for a WHITE consent
card in favor of the Proposal. We urge you to confirm in writing
your instructions to the person responsible for your account and
provide a copy of those instructions to The Altman Group, so
that we will be aware of all instructions given and can attempt
to ensure that those instructions are followed.
Revocation
of Consents
Any written consent may be revoked prior to the date that the
Company receives the required number of consents to adopt the
Proposal. To be effective, a revocation must be in writing and
received by the Company at its principal office or received by
the corporate secretary of the Company or other officer or agent
of the Company having custody of the book in which proceedings
of meetings of shareholders are recorded. The delivery of a
subsequently dated consent card that is properly completed will
constitute a revocation of any earlier revocation. Although a
revocation must be delivered to the Company to be effective, we
request that a copy of all revocations of consents be mailed,
delivered or sent by facsimile to The Altman Group, at its
address or facsimile number set forth on the back page of this
Consent Solicitation Statement, so that we will be aware of all
revocations and can more accurately determine if and when
sufficient unrevoked consents in favor of the Proposal have been
received.
Solicitation
of Consents
The solicitation of consents pursuant to this consent
solicitation is being made by Sellers Capital LLC and Sellers
Capital Master Fund, Ltd., which are referred to together in
this Consent Solicitation Statement as “Sellers
Capital.” Consents may be solicited by mail, facsimile,
telephone, telegraph, Internet, in person and by advertisements
or press releases. Each of our nominees to the Company Board,
the other participants named in this Consent Solicitation
Statement, and other regular employees of Sellers Capital may
assist in the solicitation of consents without any additional
remuneration.
We have retained The Altman Group for advisory services in
connection with this solicitation and to assist us in the
solicitation of consents. For such services, we have agreed to
pay The Altman Group a fee not to exceed $35,000, together with
reimbursement of its reasonable
out-of-pocket
expenses. We have also agreed to indemnify The Altman Group
against liabilities and expenses arising out of its services to
us, including any liabilities under the federal securities laws,
except where any such liabilities arise out of The Altman
Group’s breach of its agreement
with us, gross negligence or willful misconduct. It is
anticipated that The Altman Group will utilize approximately 25
of its employees in connection with its services to us in
connection with this solicitation.
We plan to solicit consents from individuals, brokers, banks,
dealers, bank nominees, trust companies and other institutional
holders. We will be requesting banks, brokerage houses and other
custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to forward all solicitation
materials to the beneficial owners of the Shares they hold of
record, and we will reimburse these record holders for their
reasonable
out-of-pocket
expenses in doing so. We will not pay any fees or commissions to
any broker, bank, dealer, bank nominee, trust company or other
nominee for the solicitation of consents.
The entire expense of preparing, assembling, printing and
mailing this Consent Solicitation Statement and related
materials and the cost of soliciting consents will be borne by
Sellers Capital. We expect to incur approximately $500,000 in
expenses in connection with this consent solicitation. We
estimate that through the date hereof, our expenses in
connection with this solicitation have been approximately
$150,000.
If the Proposal is approved, we will not seek reimbursement of
the costs of this solicitation from the Company. However, if the
Proposal is approved but we must initiate litigation against the
Company in order for the approval of the Proposal to be
recognized, we will seek reimbursement for the costs incurred by
us in connection with such litigation and otherwise in causing
the Company to recognize the approval of the Proposal. If we do
seek reimbursement of such expenses from the Company, we do not
currently intend to submit the question of such reimbursement to
a vote of the Company’s shareholders, unless otherwise
required by law.
If you have any questions about this Consent Solicitation
Statement or the procedures to be followed to execute and
deliver a consent, please contact The Altman Group at one of the
telephone numbers set forth on the back page of this Consent
Solicitation Statement.
Information
About the Participants
This consent solicitation is being made by Sellers Capital LLC
and Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd., which are referred to
together in this Consent Solicitation Statement as “Sellers
Capital.” Our board nominees and three of our employees and
investors, Mark A. Sellers, Mark A. Hugh Sam and Samuel S.
Weiser, are also considered participants in this consent
solicitation. Mr. Sellers and Mr. Hugh Sam currently
serve on the Company Board. By delivering its written consent to
the Proposal to the Company, Sellers Capital has voted all of
its Shares in favor of the Proposal. If the Proposal is adopted,
Sellers Capital will have nominated six of the eleven directors
on the Company Board.
Sellers Capital is the beneficial owner of 4,778,399 Shares
of the Company, representing approximately 16.3% of the
Company’s outstanding Shares, based upon the
29,284,999 Shares reported by the Company as being
outstanding as of October 6, 2008. Additional information
about the transactions effected by Sellers Capital in the Shares
of the Company, and in options to acquire Shares of the Company,
during the past two years is set forth in Appendix B to
this Consent Solicitation Statement. None of our board nominees
or any of Messrs. Sellers, Hugh Sam or Weiser currently
own, beneficially or of record, directly or indirectly, any
Shares of the Company, although, as shown in Appendix D to
this Consent Solicitation Statement, Messrs. Sellers, Hugh
Sam and Weiser may be deemed to beneficially own the Shares of
the Company held by Sellers Capital. Each of Sellers Capital
LLC, Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. and Messrs. Sellers,
Hugh Sam and Weiser may currently be deemed to be affiliates of
the Company within the meaning of the U.S. federal
securities laws.
Sellers Capital LLC is a limited liability company organized
under the laws of the State of Illinois. Sellers Capital Master
Fund, Ltd. is an exempted company organized under the laws of
the Cayman Islands. The principal business of Sellers Capital
LLC is to advise privately held investment funds, including
Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. Sellers Capital LLC is
currently the Investment Manager for Sellers Capital Master
Fund, Ltd. The principal business of Sellers Capital Master
Fund, Ltd. is to operate privately held investment funds for
institutions and high net worth individuals. The principal
business office of Sellers Capital LLC and Sellers Capital
Master Fund, Ltd. in the United States is
311 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 925, Chicago, Illinois60606. The principal business office of each of Sellers Capital
LLC and Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. in the United States
was previously 161 N. Clark
Street, Suite 4700, Chicago, Illinois60601. The record
address of Sellers Capital LLC
and/or
Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. with the Company might
incorrectly list their previous address. The principal business
office of Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. in the Cayman
Islands is c/o M&C Corporate Services, Ugland House, South
Church Street, P.O. Box 309 GT, George Town,
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
Mark A. Sellers, age 40, has served as a director of the
Company since his appointment at Sellers Capital LLC’s
request on July 23, 2008. Since 2005, Mr. Sellers has
been the founder and managing member of Sellers Capital LLC.
Mr. Sellers is also a director of and an indirect investor
in Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. Prior to founding Sellers
Capital LLC, Mr. Sellers was the Lead Equity Strategist for
Morningstar, Inc., a provider of investment research. His
business address is Sellers Capital LLC, 311 S. Wacker
Drive, Suite 925, Chicago, Illinois60606. Mr. Sellers
is a citizen of the United States of America. The Company
disclosed in the Company’s 2008 Proxy Statement that
Mr. Sellers qualifies as an independent director of the
Company in accordance with the listing standards of the Nasdaq
Stock Market.
Mark A. Hugh Sam, age 43, has served as a director of the
Company since his appointment at Sellers Capital LLC’s
request on July 23, 2008. Since 2005, Mr. Hugh Sam has
been a member and Director of Research for Sellers Capital LLC.
Mr. Hugh Sam is also an indirect investor in Sellers
Capital Master Fund, Ltd. From 2003 to 2005, he was a research
analyst for Morningstar, Inc., a provider of investment
research. Mr. Hugh Sam is a member of the Canadian
Institute of Chartered Accountants and is a Chartered Financial
Analyst. His business address is Sellers Capital LLC,
311 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 925, Chicago, Illinois60606. Mr. Hugh Sam is a citizen of Canada. The Company
disclosed in the Company’s 2008 Proxy Statement that
Mr. Hugh Sam qualifies as an independent director of the
Company in accordance with the listing standards of the Nasdaq
Stock Market.
Samuel S. Weiser, age 48, has been a member and the Chief
Operating Officer of Sellers Capital LLC since 2007. He is
responsible for all non-investment activities. Mr. Weiser
is also an indirect investor in Sellers Capital Master Fund,
Ltd. From April 2005 to 2007, Mr. Weiser was a Managing
Director responsible for the Hedge Fund Consulting Group
within Citigroup Inc.’s Global Prime Brokerage division.
From 2002 to April 2005, he was the President and Chief
Executive Officer of Foxdale Management, LLC, a consulting firm
founded by Mr. Weiser that provided operational consulting
to hedge funds and litigation support services in hedge fund
related securities disputes. From 2001 to 2003, he also served
as Chairman of the Managed Funds Association, a lobbying
organization for the hedge fund industry. His business address
is Sellers Capital LLC, 311 S. Wacker Drive,
Suite 925, Chicago, Illinois60606. Mr. Weiser is a
citizen of the United States of America.
Biographical information of each of our board nominees is set
forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement under the section
titled “The Proposal — Election of Our Four Board
Nominees,” which we urge you to read.
Additional information about each of the participants in this
consent solicitation is set forth in Appendix C to this
Consent Solicitation Statement.
Other
Matters and Additional Information
Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
Appendix D to this Consent Solicitation Statement sets
forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership of the
Company’s Shares by certain beneficial owners and the
Company’s management. We have taken the information
contained in Appendix D from the Company’s 2008 Proxy
Statement, and we assume no responsibility for the accuracy or
completeness of this information. However, we have updated this
information from the Company’s 2008 Proxy Statement by
including updated information of Sellers Capital and its current
designees on the Company Board and have updated the share
ownership percentages shown in Appendix D by using the most
recently reported outstanding share information of the Company,
which it reported in its Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
filed with the SEC on October 10, 2008. In that
Form 10-Q,
the Company reported that it had 29,284,999 Shares
outstanding as of October 6, 2008.
Based on documents publicly filed by the Company, the mailing
address of the principal executive offices of the Company is
3340 Peachtree Road, N.E., Suite 2250, Atlanta, Georgia30326.
The information about the Company contained in this Consent
Solicitation Statement and the Appendices attached hereto has
been taken from, or is based upon, publicly available
information. Although we do not have any information that would
indicate that any information contained in this Consent
Solicitation Statement that has been taken from such documents
is inaccurate or incomplete, we assume no responsibility for the
accuracy or completeness of such information, except as may be
required by law.
Shareholder
Proposals for the Company’s 2009 Annual Meeting
Pursuant to the Company’s 2008 Proxy Statement, the Company
stated that it will include in its proxy materials for its 2009
annual meeting of shareholders shareholder proposals that comply
with
Rule 14a-8
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”), if such proposals are received by the
Company no later than February 23, 2009. The Company stated
that it will not include in its proxy materials shareholder
proposals received after February 23, 2009. Shareholder
proposals submitted for inclusion in the Company’s proxy
materials are required by the Company to be mailed to the
following address: Premier Exhibitions, Inc., 3340 Peachtree
Road, N.E., Suite 2250, Atlanta, Georgia30326, Attention:
Corporate Secretary.
The Company also stated in the Company’s 2008 Proxy
Statement that shareholder proposals that are not submitted for
inclusion in the Company’s proxy materials pursuant to
Rule 14a-8
under the Exchange Act, as described above, may be brought
before the 2009 annual meeting in accordance with the
Company’s by-laws. The Company stated that its by-laws
describe the information required in any such notice and also
require that the Company receive notice of such proposals not
less than 45 days nor more than 60 days prior to the
date of the annual meeting. Thus, the Company stated that for
the 2009 annual meeting, assuming that it is held on Wednesday,
August 5, 2009, it must receive shareholder proposals that
are not submitted for inclusion in its proxy materials between
June 6, 2009 and June 21, 2009. The Company further
stated that, in accordance with its by-laws, it will not permit
shareholder proposals that do not comply with the foregoing
notice requirement to be brought before the 2009 annual meeting
of shareholders. Shareholder proposals that are not submitted
for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement are required
by the Company to be mailed to the following address: Premier
Exhibitions, Inc., 3340 Peachtree Road, N.E., Suite 2250,
Atlanta, Georgia30326, Attention: Corporate Secretary.
We have taken this information from the Company’s 2008
Proxy Statement, and we assume no responsibility for the
accuracy or completeness of this information.
Forward-Looking
Statements
This Consent Solicitation Statement contains statements that are
not historical facts but are “forward-looking” in
nature. These forward-looking statements involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
actual results, performance, achievements or conditions to be
materially different from any future results, performance,
achievements or conditions expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. In some cases, such forward-looking
statements may be identified by terminology such as
“may,”“will,”“could,”“should,”“expects,”“intends” or
“believes” or the negative of such terms or other
comparable terminology. Shareholders should not place undue
reliance on any such forward-looking statements.
Sellers Capital LLC
Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd.
The undersigned hereby consents to be nominated as a director of
Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (the “Company”) and to being
named as such nominee in the proxy
and/or
consent solicitation materials filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission
and/or
otherwise distributed by Sellers Capital LLC, the Company, any
of their affiliates, or any of the other participants in any
such solicitation, in connection with the solicitation of
proxies
and/or
written consents for the undersigned’s election or
appointment at any annual or special meeting of the Company
held, or pursuant to any action without a meeting taken, within
six months of the date set forth below. The undersigned further
consents to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company if so
elected or appointed at any such meeting or pursuant to any such
action without a meeting.
In witness hereof, the undersigned hereby executes this consent
as of the date written below.
The undersigned hereby consents to be nominated as a director of
Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (the “Company”) and to being
named as such nominee in the proxy
and/or
consent solicitation materials filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission
and/or
otherwise distributed by Sellers Capital LLC, the Company, any
of their affiliates, or any of the other participants in any
such solicitation, in connection with the solicitation of
proxies
and/or
written consents for the undersigned’s election or
appointment at any annual or special meeting of the Company
held, or pursuant to any action without a meeting taken, within
six months of the date set forth below. The undersigned further
consents to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company if so
elected or appointed at any such meeting or pursuant to any such
action without a meeting.
In witness hereof, the undersigned hereby executes this consent
as of the date written below.
The undersigned hereby consents to be nominated as a director of
Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (the “Company”) and to being
named as such nominee in the proxy
and/or
consent solicitation materials filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission
and/or
otherwise distributed by Sellers Capital LLC, the Company, any
of their affiliates, or any of the other participants in any
such solicitation, in connection with the solicitation of
proxies
and/or
written consents for the undersigned’s election or
appointment at any annual or special meeting of the Company
held, or pursuant to any action without a meeting taken, within
six months of the date set forth below. The undersigned further
consents to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company if so
elected or appointed at any such meeting or pursuant to any such
action without a meeting.
In witness hereof, the undersigned hereby executes this consent
as of the date written below.
The undersigned hereby consents to be nominated as a director of
Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (the “Company”) and to being
named as such nominee in the proxy
and/or
consent solicitation materials filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission
and/or
otherwise distributed by Sellers Capital LLC, the Company, any
of their affiliates, or any of the other participants in any
such solicitation, in connection with the solicitation of
proxies
and/or
written consents for the undersigned’s election or
appointment at any annual or special meeting of the Company
held, or pursuant to any action without a meeting taken, within
six months of the date set forth below. The undersigned further
consents to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company if so
elected or appointed at any such meeting or pursuant to any such
action without a meeting.
In witness hereof, the undersigned hereby executes this consent
as of the date written below.
The following table sets forth information with respect to all
purchases and sales of Shares of the Company effected by Sellers
Capital during the past two years (including purchases of Shares
effected through the exercise of exchange-traded call options).
Shares of the Company purchased by Sellers Capital were
generally paid for with available cash, but on some occasions
purchases of Shares were temporarily financed through the buying
power in Sellers Capital’s margin account. Sellers Capital
currently has no margin indebtedness or other indebtedness
outstanding relating to any Shares of the Company that it
currently beneficially owns.
The following table sets forth information with respect to all
transactions effected by Sellers Capital in exchange-traded call
options to acquire Shares of the Company during the past two
years (including all acquisitions, sales, exercises and
unexercised expirations). All of the acquisitions and sales of
call options by Sellers Capital shown below were effected
through the Chicago Board Options Exchange. All exercises of
call options shown below are also shown as Share purchases in
the table set forth above.
Additional Information About
the Participants in this Consent Solicitation
Except as set forth in this Consent Solicitation Statement or in
the Appendices hereto, none of Sellers Capital LLC, Sellers
Capital Master Fund, Ltd., any of our board nominees, or any of
the other persons named in this Consent Solicitation Statement
as being participants in this consent solicitation, or any
associate of any of the foregoing persons (collectively, the
“Participants” and each, “Participant”)
(i) owns beneficially, directly or indirectly, or has the
right to acquire, any securities of the Company or any parent or
subsidiary of the Company, (ii) owns any securities of the
Company, or any parent or subsidiary of the Company, of record
but not beneficially, (iii) has purchased or sold any
securities of the Company within the past two years,
(iv) has incurred indebtedness for the purpose of acquiring
or holding securities of the Company, (v) is or has been a
party to any contract, arrangement or understanding with respect
to any securities of the Company within the past year,
(vi) has been indebted to the Company or any of its
subsidiaries since the beginning of the Company’s last
fiscal year, (vii) has any arrangement or understanding
with respect to future employment by the Company or any of its
affiliates or with respect to any future transactions to which
the Company or any of its affiliates will or may be a party, or
(viii) has engaged in or had, or is deemed to have, a
direct or indirect interest in any transaction, or series of
similar transactions, since the beginning of the Company’s
last fiscal year, or in any currently proposed transaction, or
series of similar transactions, to which the Company or any of
its affiliates was or is to be a party, in which the amount
involved exceeds $120,000.
In addition, except as set forth in this Consent Solicitation
Statement or in the Appendices hereto, (i) none of the
corporations or organizations in which any Participant has
conducted his principal occupation or employment was a parent,
subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company, (ii) none of
the Participants holds any position or office with the Company
or has any family relationship with any executive officer or
director of the Company or each other, and (iii) there are
no material proceedings to which any Participant is a party
adverse to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or in which
any Participant has a material interest adverse to the Company
or any of its subsidiaries.
During the past five years and, with respect to (b) below,
during the past 10 years, except as set forth in this
Consent Solicitation Statement or in the Appendices hereto:
(a) No petition under the federal bankruptcy laws or any
state insolvency law has been filed by or against, and no
receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer has been appointed by
a court for the business or property of, any Participant, or any
partnership in which any Participant was a general partner at or
within two years before the time of such filing, or any
corporation or business association of which he was an executive
officer at or within two years before the time of such filing;
(b) No Participant has been convicted in a criminal
proceeding or is a named subject of a pending criminal
proceeding (excluding traffic violations, similar misdemeanors
and other minor offenses);
(c) No Participant has been the subject of any order,
judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or
vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or
temporarily enjoining such person from, or otherwise limiting,
the following activities:
(i) Acting as a futures commission merchant, introducing
broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator,
floor broker, leverage transaction merchant, any other person
regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or an
associated person of any of the foregoing, or as an investment
advisor, underwriter, broker or dealer in securities, or as an
affiliated person, director or employee of any investment
company, bank, savings and loan association or insurance
company, or engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in
connection with such activity;
(ii) Engaging in any type of business practice; or
(iii) Engaging in any activity in connection with the
purchase or sale of any security or commodity or in connection
with any violation of federal or state securities laws or
federal commodities laws;
(d) No Participant has been the subject of any order,
judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or
vacated, of any federal or state authority barring, suspending
or otherwise limiting for more than 60 days the right of
such person to engage in any activity described in
paragraph (c)(i) above, or to be associated with persons
engaged in any such activity;
(e) No Participant has been found by a court of competent
jurisdiction in a civil action or by the SEC to have violated
any federal or state securities law, where the judgment in such
civil action or finding by the SEC has not been subsequently
reversed, suspended or vacated; and
(f) No Participant has been found by a court of competent
jurisdiction in a civil action or by the Commodities Futures
Trading Commission to have violated any federal commodities law,
where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission has not been subsequently
reversed, suspended or vacated.
No Participant has failed to file on a timely basis any reports
related to the Company that are required by Section 16(a)
of the Exchange Act.
In the instances where this Consent Solicitation Statement does
not directly address a disclosure that is required of the
Participants under Schedule 14A, no matters requiring
disclosure exist.
Common Stock Ownership of
Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of the
Company’s Shares by each shareholder known to be the
beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding Shares of
the Company and the beneficial ownership of the Company’s
Shares by each of the Company’s directors and named
executive officers, and the directors and executive officers as
a group. We have taken this information from the Company’s
2008 Proxy Statement, and we assume no responsibility for the
accuracy or completeness of this information. However, we have
updated this information from the Company’s 2008 Proxy
Statement by including updated information of Sellers Capital
and its current designees on the Company Board and have updated
the share ownership percentages shown below by using the most
recently reported outstanding share information of the Company,
which it reported in its Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
filed with the SEC on October 10, 2008. In that
Form 10-Q,
the Company reported that it had 29,284,999 Shares
outstanding as of October 6, 2008.
Common Stock
Beneficially Owned
Number of
Percentage of
Beneficial Owners:
Shares (#)
Class (%)(1)
Sellers Capital LLC(2)
4,778,399
16.3
Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd.(2)
4,778,399
16.3
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P.(3)
2,335,470
8.0
William S. and Janice S. Gasparrini(4)
2,888,937
9.9
Morgan Stanley(5)
1,956,348
6.7
Directors and Executive Officers:
Douglas Banker(6)
298,750
1.0
N. Nick Cretan(6)
293,750
1.0
Arnie Geller(7)
2,981,717
9.9
Mark A. Hugh Sam(8)
4,778,399
16.3
Harold W. Ingalls(9)
85,100
—
Mark A. Sellers(8)
4,778,399
16.3
Alan B. Reed(10)
58,040
—
Kelli L. Kellar(11)
25,000
—
Thomas Zaller(12)
250,000
—
Bruce Eskowitz(13)
—
—
Brian Wainger(14)
200,000
—
Stephen Couture(15)
216,667
—
Directors and executive officers as a group
(12 persons)
9,187,423
29.5
(1)
As of October 6, 2008, with percentages based on
29,284,999 Shares issued and outstanding, except where the
person has the right to acquire shares within the next
60 days (as indicated in the other footnotes to this
table), which increases the number of Shares beneficially owned
by such person and the number of Shares outstanding. Under the
rules of the SEC, “beneficial ownership” is deemed to
include shares for which an individual, directly or indirectly,
has or shares voting or dispositive power, whether or not they
are held for the individual’s benefit, and includes shares
that may be acquired within 60 days, including, but not
limited to, the right to acquire shares by exercise of options.
Shares that could be acquired within 60 days of the date of
the Company’s 2008 Proxy Statement are referred to in the
footnotes to this table as “presently exercisable
options.” Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to
this table, each shareholder named in the table has sole voting
and investment power with respect to all Shares shown as
beneficially owned by that shareholder. We have omitted
percentages of less than 1% from the table.
Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. beneficially owns
4,778,399 Shares, but Sellers Capital LLC, as Investment
Manager for Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd., has sole voting
and dispositive power with respect to such Shares. In addition,
as affiliated companies, Sellers Capital LLC and Sellers Capital
Master Fund, Ltd. are deemed to be a “group” within
the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act. The
principal business office of Sellers Capital LLC is
311 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 925, Chicago, Illinois60606. The principal business office of Sellers Capital Master
Fund, Ltd. in the United States is 311 S. Wacker
Drive, Suite 925, Chicago, Illinois60606. As control
affiliates of Sellers Capital LLC and Sellers Capital Master
Fund, Ltd., Messrs. Hugh Sam, Sellers and Weiser may be
deemed to beneficially own the 4,778,399 Shares that are
beneficially owned by Sellers Capital LLC and Sellers Capital
Master Fund, Ltd.
(3)
This information as to the beneficial ownership of the
Company’s Shares is based on the Schedule 13G dated
January 23, 2008 filed with the SEC by Goldman Sachs Asset
Management, L.P., and is based on 29,284,999 Shares issued
and outstanding. Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. reports
sole voting power with respect to 1,738,205 of such Shares,
shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 95,900 of
such Shares and sole dispositive power with respect to 2,239,570
of such Shares. The principal business office of Goldman Sachs
Asset Management, L.P. is 32 Old Slip, New York, New York10005.
(4)
This information as to the beneficial ownership of the
Company’s Shares is based on the Schedule 13D dated
July 6, 2005 filed with the SEC by William S. Gasparrini
and Janice S. Gasparrini, and is based on 29,284,999 Shares
issued and outstanding. Mr. Gasparrini reports sole voting
and dispositive power with respect to 544,994 of such Shares and
Mr. and Mrs. Gasparrini report shared voting and
dispositive power with respect to 1,743,943 of such Shares. The
Gasparrinis’ address is 23 Oak Street, Greenwich,
Connecticut06830.
(5)
This information as to the beneficial ownership of the
Company’s Shares is based on the Schedule 13G dated
February 14, 2008 filed with the SEC by Morgan Stanley and
Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., and is based on
29,284,999 Shares issued and outstanding. The Shares being
reported by Morgan Stanley as a parent holding company are
owned, or may be deemed to be beneficially owned, by Morgan
Stanley Investment Management Inc., an investment adviser, in
accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act. Morgan
Stanley Investment Management Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley reports sole voting power with
respect to 1,815,542 of such Shares and sole dispositive power
with respect to 1,956,348 of such Shares. Morgan Stanley
Investment Management Inc. reports sole voting power with
respect to 1,765,134 of such Shares and sole dispositive power
with respect to 1,839,046 of such Shares. The principal business
office of Morgan Stanley is 1585 Broadway, New York, New York10036, and the principal business office of Morgan Stanley
Investment Management Inc. is 522 Fifth Avenue, New York,
New York10036.
(6)
The amount shown includes presently exercisable options to
purchase 218,750 Shares.
(7)
The amount shown includes (i) 1,267,300 Shares held as
tenancy by the entities by Mr. Geller and his wife, Judith
Geller, (ii) presently exercisable options held by
Mr. Geller to purchase 718,750 Shares, and
(iii) 83,167 Shares held by Judith Geller.
(8)
As control affiliates of Sellers Capital LLC and Sellers Capital
Master Fund, Ltd., Messrs. Hugh Sam and Sellers may be
deemed to beneficially own the 4,778,399 Shares that are
beneficially owned by Sellers Capital LLC and Sellers Capital
Master Fund, Ltd.
(9)
The amount shown includes 75,000 restricted Shares that vest
over a three-year period, with one-third of those Shares vesting
on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of
Mr. Ingalls’ amended and restated employment agreement
dated February 20, 2008.
(10)
The amount shown includes 4,000 Shares held by
Mr. Reed as custodian for his daughter, 33,207 Shares
beneficially owned by Mr. Reed’s wife, Elizabeth A.
Reed, and presently exercisable options to purchase
20,833 Shares.
(11)
The amount shown includes 20,000 restricted Shares that vest
over a three-year period, with one-third of those Shares vesting
on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of
Ms. Kellar’s amended and restated employment agreement
dated November 27, 2007.
These Shares represent presently exercisable options held by
Mr. Zaller.
(13)
Effective as of August 19, 2008, Mr. Eskowitz resigned
as the Company’s president, chief executive officer and
director. Pursuant to the terms of Mr. Eskowitz’s
separation agreement, he forfeited all restricted stock awards
and stock options previously granted to him by the Company.
(14)
These Shares represent presently exercisable options held by
Mr. Wainger. Effective as of August 19, 2008,
Mr. Wainger resigned as the Company’s vice president
and chief legal counsel. Mr. Wainger’s options to
purchase Shares remained outstanding.
(15)
These Shares represent presently exercisable options held by
Mr. Couture. Mr. Couture resigned as the
Company’s Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and a
director effective as of February 15, 2008.
Your vote is important. No matter how many Shares you own,
please give us your consent FOR the Proposal described in this
Consent Solicitation Statement by taking three steps:
•
SIGNING the enclosed WHITE consent card,
•
DATING the enclosed WHITE consent card, and
•
MAILING the enclosed WHITE consent card TODAY in the
enclosed postage-paid envelope.
If any of your Shares are held in the name of a brokerage firm,
bank, bank nominee or other institution, only it can vote such
Shares and only upon receipt of your specific instructions.
Accordingly, please contact the person responsible for your
account and instruct that person to execute the WHITE
consent card representing your Shares. We urge you to confirm in
writing your instructions to The Altman Group at the address or
facsimile number provided below so that we will be aware of all
instructions given and can attempt to ensure that such
instructions are followed.
If you have any questions, require assistance in voting your
WHITE consent card, or need any additional copies of our
consent solicitation materials, please call The Altman Group at
one of the telephone numbers listed below.
[PRELIMINARY
COPY — SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED DECEMBER 5,2008]
CONSENT CARD
Consent by Shareholders of Premier Exhibitions, Inc.
To Action Without a Meeting
THIS CONSENT IS SOLICITED BY SELLERS CAPITAL LLC
AND SELLERS CAPITAL MASTER FUND, LTD.
THIS CONSENT IS NOT BEING SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
OR MANAGEMENT OF PREMIER EXHIBITIONS, INC.
The undersigned, a shareholder of record of Premier Exhibitions,
Inc. (the “Company”), hereby consents pursuant to
Section 607.0704 of the Florida Business Corporation Act
with respect to all shares of common stock, par value
$.0001 per share, of the Company held by the undersigned to
the following action without a meeting of the shareholders of
the Company:
RESOLVED, that each of William M. Adams, Christopher J. Davino,
Jack Jacobs and Bruce Steinberg is hereby elected to the Board
of Directors of Premier Exhibitions, Inc. (the
“Company”) to fill the four vacancies on the Board of
Directors and to hold office until the Company’s next
annual meeting of shareholders and until such person’s
successor has been elected and qualified.
o CONSENTS
o CONSENT
WITHHELD
o ABSTAINS
To
withhold consent to the election of any one or more nominees,
write the name(s)
anywhere in the following spaces:
In the event that (i) any of these nominees is unable to
serve or for good cause is unwilling to serve as a member of the
Company’s board of directors
and/or
(ii) the Company makes or announces any changes to its
by-laws or takes or announces any other action that has, or if
consummated would have, the effect of disqualifying any or all
of these nominees, this consent card will be voted for the
election of such other nominee or nominees as Sellers Capital
LLC and/or
Sellers Capital Master Fund, Ltd. may designate.
INSTRUCTIONS
Check the appropriate box above to consent or withhold
consent to, or abstain from, the resolution set forth above.
IF NO BOX IS MARKED FOR THE PROPOSAL, THE UNDERSIGNED WILL BE
DEEMED TO CONSENT TO THE RESOLUTION, EXCEPT THAT THE UNDERSIGNED
WILL NOT BE DEEMED TO CONSENT TO THE ELECTION OF ANY
NOMINEE WHOSE NAME IS WRITTEN ANYWHERE IN THE SPACES PROVIDED
ABOVE. IN THE ABSENCE OF DISSENT OR ABSTENTION BEING INDICATED
ABOVE, THE UNDERSIGNED HEREBY CONSENTS
TO THE RESOLUTION SET FORTH ABOVE.
IMPORTANT:
PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND MAIL THIS CONSENT CARD PROMPTLY!
IN ORDER
FOR YOUR CONSENT TO BE VALID, IT MUST BE SIGNED AND
DATED
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this
shareholder consent on the date set forth below.
Date:
Print Name of Shareholder (Individual or Entity Name)
Signature of Shareholder (or Representative of Entity)
Signature (if held jointly by individuals)
Name and Title of Representative of Entity (if
applicable — See Note below)
IMPORTANT NOTE TO SHAREHOLDERS:
Please sign exactly as your shares are registered. Joint owners
should both sign. When signing as executor, trustee,
administrator, guardian, officer of a corporation,
attorney-in-fact
or in any other fiduciary or representative capacity, please
give your full name and title. This consent, when executed, will
vote all shares held in all capacities. Be sure to date this
Consent Card.
**THIS IS
YOUR CONSENT CARD**
Dates Referenced Herein and Documents Incorporated by Reference