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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.27

                               EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

     Agreement, made this 28th day of November, 1998, between Hallmark
Entertainment Networks, Inc., a Delaware corporation with offices at 1325 Avenue
of the Americas, New York, New York 10019 or its permitted assigns ("Employer"),
and Jeffrey J. Johnson, P.O. Box 368, Atkinson, New Hampshire 03811
("Employee").

                                   WITNESSETH:

     WHEREAS, Employer desires to retain the services of Employee and Employee
desires to be employed by Employer upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set
forth;

     NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants herein contained, the
parties hereto agree as follows:

     1. Employment and Duties.

     (a) Effective November 28, 1998 (the "Effective Date"), Employer hereby
employs Employee and Employee hereby agrees to serve as Vice President and
Managing Director-HEN Asia Pacific of Employer, reporting to the Executive Vice
President, Sales and Marketing. Employee agrees to perform such services
consistent with Employee's position. Employee shall use Employee's best efforts
to promote the interests of Employer and shall devote Employee's full business
time, energy and skill exclusively to the business and affairs of Employer
during the "Term" (as "Term" is defined in Paragraph 2 below).

     (b) Employee's primary duties shall concern the supervision of Employer's
Asian area efforts in affiliate sales and marketing concerning television
programs and other audiovisual properties (collectively, the "Properties" and
individually, a "Property") as are assigned to him.

     (c) During the course of Employee's employment hereunder, Employer may be
incorporating subsidiary companies for the development and marketing of
individual Properties. Employer shall have the right to loan or make available,
without additional compensation to Employee, Employee's services as an officer
or director of any such subsidiary to Hallmark Cards, Incorporated ("Hallmark")
or its subsidiaries or to perform services for any Property owned or controlled
by Hallmark or any such subsidiary, provided, that his duties as an officer of
any such subsidiary shall be consistent with his duties hereunder. Employee
further agrees

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that all the terms of this Employment Agreement shall be applicable to
Employee's services for Hallmark and each such subsidiary.

     (d) As a condition to Employer being bound hereunder, Employee shall pass a
drug test to Employer's satisfaction, by a testing service chosen by Employer.

     2. Term of Employment. The term of Employee's employment ("Term") with
Employer shall commence on the Effective Date and shall end on November 30,
2000, unless terminated earlier as is provided in Paragraph 8 of this Agreement
or extended by mutual agreement of the parties.

     3. Compensation.

     (a) Salary. As compensation for Employee's services hereunder, Employer
shall pay to Employee a salary at the rate of U.S. $200,000 per year. Such
salary shall be paid biweekly, in arrears. At the end of the first year of the
Term, Employer will conduct a performance review of Employee's performance and
make such upward adjustment in salary as Employer deems appropriate.

     (b) Bonuses. At the end of each calendar year Employee will be paid such
bonus as Employer in its discretion determines, depending on Employee's and
Employer's business performance. Bonus payments shall be made no later than
thirty days after the end of each calendar year. Employee will not be entitled
to a bonus after year-end 1998. Employee will be eligible for a bonus at the end
of the calendar year in which the Term ends.

     (c) Withholding. All payments of salary shall be made in appropriate
installments to conform with the regular payroll dates for salaried personnel of
Employer. Employer shall be entitled to deduct from each payment of compensation
to Employee such items as federal, state and local income taxes, FICA,
unemployment insurance and disability contributions, and such other deductions
as may be required by law.

     (d) Expenses. During the Term, Employer shall pay or reimburse Employee on
an accountable basis for all reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket expenses for
entertainment, travel, meals, hotel accommodations and other expenditures
incurred by Employee in connection with Employee's services to Employer in
accordance with Employer's expense account policies for its executive personnel
or with the approval of the President.



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     (e) Fringe Benefits. During the Term, Employee shall be entitled to receive
the following fringe benefits: (i) paid vacation according to Employer's
standard policy for senior executives, (ii) group medical, dental, life and
disability insurance, and any Employer-sponsored 401(k) plan (subject to any
required waiting period), and (iii) any other fringe benefits, including any
phantom shares plan, on terms that are or may become available generally to
senior executives of Employer. Employee's level of participation in any phantom
shares or other incentive plan will be subject to Employer's discretion, but at
a level consistent with other executives in similar senior management positions.

     (f) Cost of Living Adjustment; Tax Equalization. As long as Employee is
based in Singapore, Employer will provide Employee with such tax assistance, tax
equalization and cost of living adjustments as are provided by Hallmark Cards,
Incorporated pursuant to its standard expatriate policies and guidelines, as
amended from time to time. The amount of any payments under this Paragraph 3(f)
paid to or for Employee shall not exceed U.S. $110,000 in any year. The parties
understand that, if it is more tax efficient, Employer will directly lease
Employee's home and/or car for Employee, provided that any lease payments made
hereunder by Employer will count against the U.S. $110,000 cap. The $110,000
amount or cap in this Paragraph 3(f) is based on the United States/Singapore
currency exchange as of the Effective Date and shall be adjusted as such
exchange rates vary during the Term.

     (g) Relocation Costs. Employer will reimburse Employee for the costs of
relocating Employee and his family (if any) from Sydney to Singapore, such costs
not to exceed $25,000. After expiration or termination of this Agreement and if
Employee relocates to Sydney or the United States within six months thereafter,
Employer will reimburse Employee for his relocation costs, such costs not to
exceed $25,000 except if the Agreement is terminated under Paragraph
8(a)(iii)(A, B or D).

     (h) Deposits. Employer will advance Employee up to $27,000 for any
refundable deposits which Employee must make for his housing, children's
schooling and car. Upon the earlier of expiration or other termination of this
Agreement or upon refund to Employee of any such deposits, Employee will
promptly refund any such advances to Employer; those advances which are returned
to the Employee rather than direct to the Employer.

     4. Place of Employment. During the Term, Employee shall be required to
perform Employee's duties in such reasonable office space provided by Employer
in Singapore, and


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Employee shall undertake all reasonable travel required by Employer in
connection with the performance of Employee's duties hereunder.

     5. Confidentiality; Intellectual Property; Name and Likeness.

     (a) Employee agrees that Employee will not during the Term or thereafter
divulge to anyone (other than Employer (and its executives, representatives and
employees who need to know such information) or any persons designated by
Employer) any knowledge or information of any type whatsoever designated or
treated as confidential by Employer relating to the business of Employer or any
of its subsidiaries or affiliates, including, without limitation, all types of
trade secrets, business strategies, marketing and distribution plans as well as
concrete proposals, plans, scripts, treatments and formats described in
subparagraph (b) below. Employee further agrees that Employee will not disclose,
publish or make use of any such knowledge or information of a confidential
nature (other than in the performance of Employee's duties hereunder) without
the prior written consent of Employer. This provision does not apply to
information which becomes available publicly without the fault of Employee or
information which Employee discloses in confidence to her own privileged
representatives or is required to disclose in legal proceedings, provided
Employee gives advance notice to the President of Employer and an opportunity to
Employer to resist such disclosure in legal proceedings.

     (b) During the Term, Employee will disclose to Employer all concrete
proposals, plans, scripts, treatments, and formats invented or developed by
Employee during the term which relate directly or indirectly to the business of
Employer or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates including, without limitation,
any proposals and plans which may be copyrightable, trademarkable, patentable or
otherwise exploitable. Employee agrees that all such proposals, plans, scripts,
treatments, and formats are and will be the property of Employer. Employee
further agrees, at Employer's request, to do whatever is necessary or desirable
to secure for the Employer the rights to said proposals, plans, scripts,
treatments, and formats, whether by copyright, trademark, patent or otherwise
and to assign, transfer and convey the rights thereto to Employer at Employer's
expense.

     (c) Employer shall have the right in perpetuity to use Employee's name
reasonably in connection with credits for Properties for which Employee performs
any services.



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     6. Employee's Representations. Employee represents and warrants that:

     (a) Employee has the right to enter into this Agreement and is not subject
to any contract, commitment, agreement, arrangement or restriction of any kind
which would prevent Employee from performing Employee's duties and obligations
hereunder;

     (b) To the best of Employee's knowledge, Employee is not subject to any
undisclosed medical condition which might have a material effect on Employee's
ability to perform satisfactorily Employee's services hereunder.

     7. Non-Competition; No Raid.

     (a) During the Term, Employee shall not engage directly or indirectly,
whether as an employee, independent contractor, consultant, partner, shareholder
or otherwise, in a business or other endeavor which interferes with any of his
duties or obligations hereunder or which is directly competitive with the
business of the Employer or its subsidiaries, including but not limited to the
production, distribution or any other exploitation of audiovisual television
material (the "Other Business").

     (b) Employee further agrees that during the Term and for a period of one
year thereafter, Employee will not employ or knowingly attempt to employ or
assist anyone else to employ any person who is, at the date of termination of
Employee's employment, working as an officer, policymaker or in high-level
creative development or distribution (including without limitation executive
employees) for or rendering substantially full-time services as such to
Employer.

     8. Termination.

     (a) This Agreement may be terminated and the Term ended on five business
days written notice for any one of the following reasons (except (i) in which
case termination shall occur on the date of death):

          (i) The death of Employee;

          (ii) The physical or mental disability of Employee to such an extent
     that Employee is unable to render services to Employer for a period
     exceeding an aggregate of thirty business days during any twelve-month
     period of the Term. For purposes of counting the aggregate of thirty
     business days, days properly designated by Employee as vacation days shall
     not be counted;




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          (iii) For "cause," which for purposes of this Agreement shall be
     defined as:

               (A) the use of drugs and/or alcohol which interfere materially
          with Employee's performance of Employee's services under this
          Agreement;

               (B) Employee's conviction of any act which constitutes a felony
          under federal, state or local laws or the law of any foreign country;

               (C) Employee's persistent refusal to perform after ten days
          written notice, Employee's duties and responsibilities pursuant to
          this Agreement;

               (D) Employee's dishonesty in non-trivial financial dealings with
          or on behalf of Employer, its subsidiaries. affiliates and parent
          corporation or in connection with performance of his duties hereunder;
          or

               (E) Employee's voluntary resignation (except under Paragraph
          8(b)).

     (b) Employer shall also have the right to terminate Employee prior to the
expiration of the Term in addition to pursuant to Paragraph 8(a) above by
providing Employee with not less than thirty (30) days advance notice in
writing. In the event of a termination pursuant to this Paragraph 8(b) or any
other termination not described in Paragraph 8(a): (i) the Employer shall pay to
the Employee within thirty (30) days after such notice of termination the
remaining amounts described in Paragraph 3(a) above for the balance of the Term
(discounted to the date of payment at the Alternate Base Rate, as defined in the
Credit Agreement between Employer's parent company and the Chase Manhattan Bank,
et al.), and Employer shall have no further obligations to Employee hereunder
except as stated herein. If Employer terminates Employee under this Paragraph
8(b), Paragraph 7(a) shall apply for the remainder of the Term.

     (c) In the event that Employer terminates this Agreement due to any of the
reasons set forth in Paragraphs 8(a)(i) and 8(a)(iii)(A)-(D) above, Employee
shall be paid Employee's salary through the later of the expiration of the five
(5) business days period referred to in Paragraph 8(a) or the end of the month
in which the termination event occurs after which Employer's obligation to pay
salary to Employee shall terminate. Should Employer terminate this Agreement due
to Employee's disability as defined above in Paragraph 8(a)(ii), Employee shall
receive the amounts set forth in Paragraph 8(b) as if the termination had
occurred under Paragraph 8(b). After making the payments provided for in this
sub-paragraph (c), Employer shall have no further obligations to Employee,
except for Paragraph 3(g).




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     (d) Upon termination of this Agreement, Employee shall promptly return
all of Employer's property to Employer.

     (e) Upon termination of Employee's employment for any reason, Employee
shall tender Employee's resignation from the Board of Directors of any of
Employer's subsidiaries or affiliates on which Employee is serving, and Employer
shall accept such resignation forthwith.

     9. Breach; Remedies. Both parties recognize that the services and benefits
to be rendered under this Agreement by each party are special, unique and
extraordinary in character, and that in the event of the breach by a party of
the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the other party be entitled, inter
alia, if it so elects, to institute and prosecute proceeding in any court of
competent jurisdiction, either in law or in equity, to obtain damages for any
breach of this Agreement, and to seek to enforce the specific performance
thereof by the other party. In the case of a breach by Employee, Employer may
seek to enjoin Employee from performing services for any other person, firm or
corporation. The parties further stipulate that the law of New York shall apply
to any dispute or action regarding this agreement.

     10. Assignment. This Agreement is a personal contract and, except as
specifically set forth herein, the rights, interests and obligations of Employee
herein may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated, although
he may assign or use as security payments due hereunder from Employer. The
rights and obligations of Employer hereunder shall bind in their entirety the
successors and assigns of Employer, although Employer shall remain fully liable
hereunder. As used in this Agreement, the term "successor" shall include any
person, firm, corporation or other business entity which at the time, whether by
merger, purchase or otherwise, acquires all or substantially all of the assets
or business of Employer.

     11. Amendment; Captions. This Agreement contains the entire agreement
between the parties. It may not be changed orally, but only by agreement in
writing signed by the party against whom enforcement of any waiver, change,
modification or discharge is sought. Paragraph headings are for convenience of
reference only and shall not be considered a part of this Agreement. If any
clause in this Agreement is found to be unenforceable, illegal or contrary to
public policy, the parties agree that this Agreement shall remain in full force
and effect except for such clause.



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     12. Prior Agreements. This Agreement supersedes and terminates all prior
agreements between the parties relating to the subject matter herein addressed,
and sets out the full agreement between the parties concerning its subject
matter.

     13. Notices. Any notices or other communications required or permitted
hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed effective when delivered in
person or, if mailed, by registered or certified mail, return receipt
requested, in which case the notice shall be deemed effective on the date of
deposit in the mails, postage prepaid, addressed to Employee at Employee's
address first written above and, in the case of Employer, addressed to its
President with a copy to General Counsel, Hallmark Cards, Incorporated, 2501
McGee Trafficway, Kansas City, Missouri 64108. Either party may change the
address to which notices are to be addressed by notice in writing given to the
other in accordance with the terms hereof.

     14. Periods of Time. Whenever in this Agreement there is a period of time
specified for the giving of notices or the taking of action, the period shall be
calculated excluding the day on which the giver sends notice and excluding the
day on which action to be taken is actually taken.

     15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in any number of
counterparts, each of which shall be an original, and all of which, taken
together, shall constitute one instrument,

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Employer has by its appropriate officer signed this
Agreement and Employee has signed this Agreement as of the day and year first
above written.

                                  HALLMARK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORKS, INC.


                                  By: /s/ ANDREW P. BRILLIANT
                                     -------------------------------------------

                                  Title: EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT,
                                         SALES AND MARKETING
                                        ----------------------------------------


                                  EMPLOYEE:



                                  /s/ JEFFREY J. JOHNSON
                                     -------------------------------------------
                                      Jeffrey J. Johnson




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