As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 20, 2009

				Registration No. 333-

 

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

Ascent Media Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)		(720) 875-5622 (Address of Principal Executive Offices and Zip Code)		26-2735737 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

(Full title of plan)

		Copy to:
William E. Niles Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary Ascent Media Corporation 520 Broadway, 5th Floor Santa Monica, California 90401 (310) 434-7000 (Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)		Marc A. Leaf Renee L. Wilm Baker Botts L.L.P. 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, New York 10112 (212) 408-2500

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer o		Accelerated filer o		Non-accelerated filer þ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)		Smaller reporting company o

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Proposed

Proposed

Maximum

Maximum

Offering

Aggregate

Amount of

Title of Each Class of Securities to be

Amount to be

Price per

Offering Price

Registration

Registered

Registered (1)

Share

(3)

Fee (4)

Series A Common Stock, par value $.01 per share

104,837

(2)

$2,650,279.36

$147.89

Series B Common Stock, par value $.01 per share

76,210

 

 

PART I
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

          Note: The document(s) containing the employee benefit plan information required by Item 1 of Part I of this Form and the statement of availability of registrant information and other information required by Item 2 of Part I of this Form will be sent or given to the participant as specified by Rule 428 under the Securities Act. In accordance with Rule 428 under the Securities Act and the requirements of Part I of Form S-8, such documents are not being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act. Ascent Media Corporation (the “Company”) will maintain a file of such documents in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act. Upon request, the Company will furnish to the Commission or its staff a copy or copies of all the documents included in such file.

PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

          The following documents, previously filed with the Commission by the Company pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated herein by reference.

          (i) The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, filed on March 31, 2009;

          (ii) The Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K: Item 5.02 filed on February 13, 2009 and Item 5.02 filed on April 15, 2009; and

          (iii) The description of the Company’s Series A common stock, par value $.01 per share, and the Company’s Series B common stock, par value $.01 per share, contained in the Company’s Form 8-A filed under the Exchange Act on September 12, 2008, and any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

          All documents subsequently filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than any report or portion thereof furnished or deemed furnished under any Current Report on Form 8-K) prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and made a part hereof from their respective dates of filing (such documents, and the documents enumerated above, being hereinafter referred to as “Incorporated Documents”); provided, however, that the documents enumerated above or subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act in each year during which the offering made by this Registration Statement is in effect prior to the filing with the Commission of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K covering such year shall not be Incorporated Documents or be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement or be a part hereof from and after the filing of such Annual Report on Form 10-K.

          Any statement contained in this Registration Statement, in an amendment hereto or in an Incorporated Document shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed amendment to this Registration Statement or in any subsequent Incorporated Document modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

     Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

     Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

          Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) provides, generally, that a corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (except actions by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. A corporation may similarly indemnify such person for expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of any such action or suit by or in the right of the corporation, provided that such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in the case of claims, issues and matters as to which such person shall have been adjudged liable to the corporation, provided that a court shall have determined, upon application, that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which such court shall deem proper.

          Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL provides, generally, that the certificate of incorporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such provision may not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under section 174 of Title 8 of the DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. No such provision may eliminate or limit the liability of a director for any act or omission occurring prior to the date when such provision became effective.

          Article V, Section E of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company provides as follows:

1. Limitation On Liability.

          To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, a director of the Corporation shall not be liable to the Corporation or any of its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. Any repeal or modification of this paragraph 1 shall be prospective only and shall not adversely affect any limitation, right or protection of a director of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification.

2. Indemnification.

          (a) Right to Indemnification. The Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law as it presently exists or may hereafter be amended, any person who was or is made or is threatened to be made a party or is otherwise involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a “proceeding”) by reason of the fact that he, or a person for whom he is the legal representative, is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or while a director or officer of the Corporation is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee, representative or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust or other enterprise, including any nonprofit entity, including service with respect to employee benefit plans, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by such person. Such right of indemnification shall inure whether or not the claim asserted is based on matters that antedate the adoption of this Section E. The Corporation shall be required to indemnify or make advances to a person in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person only if the proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Corporation.

          (b) Prepayment of Expenses. The Corporation shall pay the expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by a director or officer in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that the payment of expenses incurred by a director or officer in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking by the director or officer to repay all amounts advanced if it should be ultimately determined that the director or officer is not entitled to be indemnified under this paragraph or otherwise.

          (c) Claims. If a claim for indemnification or payment of expenses under this paragraph is not paid in full within 30 days after a written claim therefor has been received by the Corporation, the claimant may file suit to recover the unpaid amount of such claim and, to the extent permitted by law, shall be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such claim. In any such action the Corporation shall have the burden of proving that the claimant was not entitled to the requested indemnification or payment of expenses under applicable law.

          (d) Non-Exclusivity of Rights. The rights conferred on any person by this paragraph shall not be exclusive of any other rights which such person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of this Certificate, the Bylaws, agreement, vote of stockholders or resolution of disinterested directors or otherwise.

          (e) Insurance. The Board of Directors may, to the full extent permitted by applicable law as it presently exists, or may hereafter be amended from time to time, authorize an appropriate officer or officers to purchase and maintain at the Corporation’s expense insurance: (i) to indemnify or insure the Corporation for any obligation which it incurs as a result of the indemnification of directors and officers under the provisions of this Section E; and (ii) to indemnify or insure directors and officers against liability in instances in which they may not otherwise be indemnified by the Corporation under the provisions of this Section E.

          (f) Other Indemnification. The Corporation’s obligation, if any, to indemnify any person who was or is serving at its request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, enterprise or nonprofit entity shall be reduced by any amount such person may collect as indemnification from such other corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, enterprise or nonprofit entity.

3. Amendment or Repeal.

          Any amendment, modification or repeal of the foregoing provisions of this Section E shall not adversely affect any right or protection hereunder of any person in respect of any act or omission occurring prior to the time of such amendment, modification or repeal.

Item 7. Exemption From Registration Claimed.

     Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

Exhibit No.		Description
4.1		Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registration Statement on Form 10 of the Company (File No. 000-53280), filed with the Commission on June 13, 2008 (the “Form 10”)).
4.2		Form of Bylaws of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Form 10).
4.3		Specimen certificate for shares of the Company’s Series A common stock, par value $.01 per share (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Form 10).
4.4		Specimen certificate for shares of the Company’s Series B common stock, par value $.01 per share (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Form 10).

Exhibit No.		Description
4.5		Stock Options Agreement, dated as of March 30, 2009 between the Company and Robert R. Bennett.
5.1		Opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P. as to the legality of the securities being registered.
23.1		Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
23.2		Consent of Baker Botts L.L.P. (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1		Power of Attorney (included on page 6).

Item 9. Undertakings.

     (a) The Company hereby undertakes:

          (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

               (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended;

               (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement;

               (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

               provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this registration statement.

          (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

          (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

     (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Company’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein and the offering of such securities at the time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering hereof.

     (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Company in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Company certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto, duly authorized, in the City of Santa Monica, State of California, on April 20, 2009.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

          KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints William E. Niles and Sharon L. Meymarian and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full power of substitution and re-substitution for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign and file any or all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents and each of them full power and authority, to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in and about the premises, to all intents and purposes and as fully as they might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or their substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons (which persons constitute a majority of the Board of Directors) in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

Signature		Title		Date
/s/ William R. Fitzgerald		Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive		April 20, 2009
William R. Fitzgerald		Officer and Director
/s/ Jose A. Royo		President, Chief Operating Officer and Director		April 20, 2009
Jose A. Royo
/s/ George C. Platisa		Executive Vice President, Chief Financial		April 20, 2009
George C. Platisa		Officer and Treasurer
/s/ Philip J. Holthouse		Director		April 20, 2009
Philip J. Holthouse
/s/ Brian C. Mulligan		Director		April 20, 2009
Brian C. Mulligan
/s/ Michael J. Pohl		Director		April 20, 2009
Michael J. Pohl

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.		Description
4.1		Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registration Statement on Form 10 of the Company (File No. 000-53280), filed with the Commission on June 13, 2008 (the “Form 10”)).
4.2		Form of Bylaws of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Form 10).
4.3		Specimen certificate for shares of the Company’s Series A common stock, par value $.01 per share (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Form 10).
4.4		Specimen certificate for shares of the Company’s Series B common stock, par value $.01 per share (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Form 10).
4.5		Stock Options Agreement, dated as of March 30, 2009 between the Company and Robert R. Bennett.
5.1		Opinion of Baker Botts L.L.P. as to the legality of the securities being registered.
23.1		Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
23.2		Consent of Baker Botts L.L.P. (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1		Power of Attorney (included on page 6).