Working with Grade, Starger became the president of Associated Film Distribution, the distributor of ITC's films which tied him to the production of films both successful (Autumn Sonata, The Muppet Movie, On Golden Pond, Sophie's Choice) as well as the bombs that destroyed the company (Raise the Titanic!, The Legend of the Lone Ranger, Saturn 3).
Working with Grade, Starger became the president of Associated Film Distribution, which managed ITC's films. This role involved overseeing both successful projects (Autumn Sonata, The Muppet Movie, On Golden Pond, Sophie's Choice) and those that were commercially unsuccessful (Raise the Titanic!, The Legend of the Lone Ranger, Saturn 3).