UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 8-K

 


 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 10, 2016

 


 

DEMAND MEDIA, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

Delaware

 

001-35048

 

20-4731239

(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)

 

(Commission File No.)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

1655 26 th  Street
Santa Monica, California

 

90404

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (310) 656-6253

 

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address if changed since last report)

 


 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

¨

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 



 

Item 5.02                    Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

On February 10, 2016, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Demand Media, Inc. (the “Company”) elected Mitchell Stern to serve as a Class II director. As a Class II director, Mr. Stern will be up for reelection at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2018. Mr. Stern was also appointed to serve as the Chairman of the Company’s Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”), replacing Brian Regan who will no longer serve on the Audit Committee. On February 10, 2016, Mr. Regan was also appointed to serve as the Chairman of the Company’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Nominating Committee”).

 

Mr. Stern has over 25 years of experience with media companies, serving in both financial and lead operational roles over that span. Mr. Stern served as the Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Communications, Inc., a media company that operated newspapers, web properties and other specialty publications, from July 2010 to July 2012, and as the President and Chief Executive Officer of DIRECTV Holdings LLC, a direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster in the United States, from December 2003 to March 2005. Prior to joining DIRECTV, Mr. Stern was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fox Television Stations, Inc. and Twentieth Television from 1998 to 2003 and President and Chief Operating Officer of the Fox Television Stations from 1993 to 1998. Mr. Stern has previously served on the boards of Triton Media Group, LLC, Freedom Communications, and LIN Television, the audit committees of Freedom Communications and LIN Television and the compensation committee of Triton Media Group. Mr. Stern received an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

 

There are no arrangements between Mr. Stern and any other person pursuant to which Mr. Stern was selected as a director, nor are there any transactions to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party and in which Mr. Stern has a material interest subject to disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. Mr. Stern is eligible to receive compensation pursuant to the Company’s Outside Director Compensation Program, which is described below.

 

In conjunction with Mr. Stern’s election to the Board, on February 10, 2016, Victor Parker resigned from the Board as a Class I director and was reelected as a Class II director who will be up for reelection at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2018. The resignation and reelection of Mr. Parker was effected solely to more evenly distribute the number of directors among each of the Company’s three classes of directors in accordance with the requirements of the Delaware General Corporation Law. For all other purposes, Mr. Parker’s service on the Board is deemed to have continued uninterrupted.

 

Outside Director Compensation Program

 

On February 10, 2016, the Board approved certain changes to the Company’s outside director compensation program (the “Director Compensation Program”), which provides for compensation to each independent director who is not affiliated with any of Oak Investment Partners, Spectrum Equity Investors or Generation Partners (the “Outside Directors”). The revised Director Compensation Program provides for annual cash retainers of (i) $50,000 for serving on the Board and $100,000 for serving as the non-executive chairman of the Board; (ii) $25,000 for serving as the Chairman of the Audit Committee and $12,500 for serving as a member of the Audit Committee; (iii) $15,000 for serving as the Chairman of the Company’s Compensation Committee and $7,500 for serving as a member of the Company’s Compensation Committee; and (iv) $10,000 for serving as the Chairman of the Nominating Committee and $5,000 for serving as a member of the Nominating Committee. Each Outside Director is also eligible to receive an initial equity award granted on or after the date on which such Outside Director is initially elected to the Board, with an aggregate grant date fair value of $150,000 consisting of a restricted stock unit (“RSU”) award with a grant date fair value of $75,000 and a non-qualified stock option award with a grant date fair value of $75,000, each of which vests over three years. In addition to this initial equity award, each Outside Director who is serving on the Board on the day preceding any annual meeting of stockholders (excluding any Outside Director who received an initial grant in the same calendar year) and whose service will continue following the annual meeting is entitled to receive an equity award granted as of the date of the annual stockholder meeting with an aggregate grant date fair value of $75,000, comprised of an RSU award with a grant date fair value of $37,500 and a non-qualified stock option award with a grant date fair value of $37,500, each of which vests over three years.  In addition to the foregoing, if the Board has a non-executive chairman, the non-executive chairman is entitled to an annual RSU award with a grant date fair value of $50,000, which vests over two years. All equity awards granted pursuant to the Director Compensation Program are subject to the Outside Director’s continued service on the Board and are subject to acceleration upon the occurrence of specified events.

 

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Item 9.01        Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d)      Exhibits

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

 

 

 

10.1

 

Outside Director Compensation Program of Demand Media, Inc. (updated as of February 2016)

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

Date: February 12, 2016

DEMAND MEDIA, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Daniel Weinrot

 

 

Daniel Weinrot

 

 

Executive Vice President and General Counsel

 

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INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

 

 

 

10.1

 

Outside Director Compensation Program of Demand Media, Inc. (updated as of February 2016)

 

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Exhibit 10.1

 

Outside Director Compensation Program

(Updated as of February 2016)

 

The following compensation shall be payable in accordance with the terms set forth below to each Outside Director serving on the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Demand Media, Inc. (the “Corporation”). Outside Directors shall include any member of the Board who is not (i) an employee of the Corporation, or (ii) affiliated with Oak Investment Partners, Spectrum Equity Investors or Generation Partners, or any of their affiliated entities (collectively, the “Venture Sponsors”).

 

Cash Compensation

 

Board Service

 

 

Annual Retainer:

 

$

50,000

 

 

 

Non-Executive Chairman

 

 

Annual Retainer

 

$

100,000

 

 

 

Committee Service

 

 

Audit Committee:

 

 

Chair Annual Retainer:

 

$

25,000

Member Annual Retainer:

 

$

12,500

Compensation Committee:

 

 

Chair Annual Retainer:

 

$

15,000

Member Annual Retainer:

 

$

7,500

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee:

 

 

Chair Annual Retainer:

 

$

10,000

Member Annual Retainer:

 

$

5,000

 

All Annual Retainers will be paid quarterly in arrears after the end of each applicable calendar quarter at the regularly scheduled Board meeting following the conclusion of such quarter. The Annual Retainers to be paid for serving as the Non-Executive Chairman and for service on any Committee (including as Committee chair) are in addition to the Annual Retainer for serving on the Board.

 

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Equity Compensation

 

Initial Equity Grant:

 

Each Outside Director will receive an initial equity award granted on or after the date on which the Outside Director is first elected to the Board (the “ Initial Grant ”) with an aggregate grant date fair value of approximately $150,000. The Initial Grant shall consist of (i) a one-time restricted stock unit award with respect to the Corporation’s common stock with a grant date fair value of approximately $75,000 (the “ Initial RSU Grant ”) and (ii) a one-time non-qualified stock option award with respect to the Corporation’s common stock with a grant date fair value of approximately $75,000 (the “ Initial Option Grant ”), which Initial Option Grant shall have an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Corporation’s common stock on the grant date on the applicable exchange or market on which its common stock is listed as of such date. One-third (1/3) of the Initial RSU Grant shall vest on the one year anniversary of the Outside Director’s appointment to the Board and the remaining two-thirds (2/3) of the Initial RSU Grant shall vest in eight (8) substantially equal installments on each three-month anniversary of the first vesting date, subject to continued Board service through the applicable vesting date. One-third (1/3) of the Initial Option Grant shall vest on the one year anniversary of the Outside Director’s appointment to the Board and the remaining two-thirds (2/3) of the Initial Option Grant shall vest in twenty-four (24) substantially equal installments on each monthly anniversary of the first vesting date, subject to continued Board service through the applicable vesting date.

 

Annual Equity Grant:

 

Each Outside Director who is serving on the Board on the day preceding any annual meeting of stockholders (excluding any Outside Director that received an Initial Grant in the same calendar year as the calendar year in which the applicable annual meeting of stockholders takes place) and whose service will continue on the day following such annual meeting (whether due to re-election or an ongoing term of service) will automatically receive an additional equity award granted as of the date of such annual meeting (the “ Annual Grant ”) with an aggregate grant date fair value of approximately $75,000. The Annual Grant shall consist of (i) a restricted stock unit award with respect to the Corporation’s common stock with a grant date fair value of approximately $37,500 (the “ Annual RSU Grant ”) and (ii) a non-qualified stock option award with respect to the Corporation’s common stock with a grant date fair value of approximately $37,500 (the “ Annual Option Grant ”), which Annual Option Grant shall have an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Corporation’s common stock on the grant date on the applicable exchange or market on which its common stock is listed as of such date. The Annual RSU Grant shall vest in twelve (12) substantially equal installments on each three-month anniversary of the grant date, subject to continued Board service through the applicable vesting date. The Annual Option Grant shall vest in thirty-six (36) substantially equal installments on each monthly anniversary of the grant date, subject to continued Board service through the applicable vesting date.

 

Annual Non-Executive Chair Equity Grant:

 

If the Board is chaired by a Non-Executive Chairman as of the commencement of any fiscal year, the Non-Executive Chairman will automatically receive a restricted stock unit award with respect to the Corporation’s common stock granted as of the first business day of such fiscal year (the “ Annual Non-Executive Chair Grant ”) with a grant date fair value of approximately $50,000. The Annual Non-Executive Chair Grant shall vest in eight (8) substantially equal

 

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installments on each of March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31, commencing on the March 31 following the grant date, subject to continued Board service through the applicable vesting date. For purposes of fiscal year 2016, the Annual Non-Executive Chair Grant will be granted as of the approval date of the revised Outside Director Compensation Program and will vest as set forth above.

 

Each outstanding, unvested equity award issued pursuant to the Initial Grant, an Annual Grant or an Annual Non-Executive Chair Grant will automatically accelerate and vest in full on the date on which (i) an Outside Director ceases to be an Outside Director due to his or her death or disability, (ii) an Outside Director stands for re-election but is not re-elected to the Board or (iii) upon a Change of Control (as such term is defined in the Corporation’s Amended & Restated 2010 Incentive Award Plan).

 

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