Peter Deutschman
About Peter Deutschman
Peter Deutschman, age 49, was nominated to the Amaze Holdings, Inc. (AMZE) Board in May 2025 and is serving as a director by November 2025. He is CEO of The Buddy Group (since 2005), and formerly Chief Innovation Officer at Michaels (2020–2022), credited with developing MakerPlace by Michaels; he holds a BA from Pepperdine and a master’s in management and producing from Columbia University . The Board determined he is not independent due to providing more than $200,000 of services to the Company and subsidiaries in the last fiscal year .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Buddy Group | Chief Executive Officer | 2005–present | Business strategy and value acceleration across investor days, product launches, brand transformations |
| Michaels (retail) | Chief Innovation Officer | 2020–2022 | Led development of MakerPlace by Michaels (Etsy competitor) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | No public company directorships listed in past five years for Deutschman in AMZE’s proxy |
Board Governance
- Independence: Not independent; provided >$200,000 of services to the Company and subsidiaries in the last fiscal year .
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee comprised of Eric Doan (Chair) and David Yacullo; Compensation Committee is a single-member committee (Eric Doan); Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee is a single-member committee (Eric Doan). Deutschman is not listed as a member of these committees .
- Board leadership: Michael Pruitt served as Non‑Executive Chair beginning Feb 20, 2023 and later as interim CEO (not independent while serving as interim CEO) .
- Attendance and engagement: The Board reported that each director serving during FY2024 attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; Deutschman’s individual attendance is not disclosed (he was nominated in 2025) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cash retainer | $5,000 per quarter for each non‑employee director (paid in arrears), equivalent to $20,000 annually; 2024 cash fees for non‑employee directors shown as $20,000 each (Doan, Brad Yacullo, David Yacullo) . |
| Expense reimbursement | Reasonable expenses reimbursed upon submission of invoices/receipts . |
Performance Compensation
- No performance‑based director compensation metrics or equity grants specific to Deutschman are disclosed; the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan permits stock awards/RSUs/performance awards and caps non‑employee director awards at $500,000 in grant‑date value per calendar year .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Roles | Potential Interlocks/Conflicts |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | No public company boards disclosed; no interlocks identified in AMZE materials . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Strategy and brand/ecommerce expertise from leading The Buddy Group; innovation role at Michaels including building MakerPlace by Michaels .
- Education: BA (Pepperdine); master’s in management and producing (Columbia University) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Apr 14, 2025 | Nov 7, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Common shares beneficially owned | 625,000 (3.60%) | 67,978 (<1%) |
| Preferred holdings | 5,000 Series D (convertible to 625,000 common, subject to 4.99% cap) | Not disclosed |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and related‑party exposure (RED FLAG): The Board explicitly determined Deutschman is not independent because he provided more than $200,000 of services to the Company and subsidiaries in the last fiscal year; this is a material relationship relevant to conflict‑risk assessment .
- Committee structure (RED FLAG): AMZE’s Compensation and Nominating & Governance Committees are single‑member committees (Eric Doan), and the Audit Committee excludes Deutschman; concentrated committee control reduces distributed oversight and is atypical among best‑practice governance frameworks .
- Ownership alignment: Deutschman held a meaningful stake as of April 2025 (625,000 common, plus Series D preferred convertible into common subject to 4.99% cap) but reported common holdings of 67,978 by Nov 2025; the shift underscores dynamic capital structure changes at AMZE (reverse split/financing conversions) and should be monitored for alignment and dilution impacts .
- Hedging/pledging policy: AMZE prohibits short sales and hedging; pledging requires prior consent—supportive of alignment policies .
- Indemnification: Standard director/officer indemnification agreements and advancement of expenses are in place .
Monitoring priorities for investors: track any ongoing consulting/services between Deutschman/The Buddy Group and AMZE for related‑party approvals (Audit Committee review); watch committee composition changes and any move to multi‑member, fully independent committees; and monitor insider ownership updates post capital structure changes .