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Tony Vinciquerra

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Tony Vinciquerra
Born
Anthony Vinciquerra

(1954-08-30) 30 August 1954 (age 70)
Albany, New York, US[1]
Alma materUniversity at Albany
Occupation(s)Chairman and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Spouse
Toni Knight
​
​
(m. 2003; div. 2020)​
Children3

Anthony "Tony" Vinciquerra (born August 30, 1954) is an American film executive who is the chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.[2] He was previously president and CEO of Fox Networks Group.[3]

Early life

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Vinciquerra was born in Albany, New York, and grew up with three sisters in a two-bedroom apartment.[4] He performed various odd jobs in his youth, and began working in radio ad sales in college.[4] He graduated from University at Albany in 1977.[5]

Career

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CBS, Heart-Argyle, and Fox

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Vinciquerra began his career in television broadcasting ad sales at local stations and later CBS, and was named COO of Hearst-Argyle Television in 1999.[4][3] He joined Fox in December 2001 as president of the Fox Television Network.[3] In 2002, he was named president and CEO of Fox Networks Group, which included Fox Cable Networks, Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports, and Fox International Channels, and he was named chairman in 2008.[3][6] After leaving Fox in 2011,[3] he spent time as an entertainment consultant and advisor at TPG Capital.[7]

In 2009, Vinciquerra was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.[8] He has sat on the boards of directors at Univision, Pandora Media, Motorola Mobility, DirecTV, and Qualcomm.[4][7]

Sony Pictures Entertainment

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In May 2017, it was announced that Vinciquerra would be filling the role of CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, left vacant by Michael Lynton after he announced his departure for Snap Inc. Vinciquerra was hired[5] to oversee the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, Sony Pictures Television and worldwide media networks.[9] During his time there, he has increased the amount of collaboration between Sony divisions like the motion picture group and Sony Interactive Entertainment, which resulted in the development of productions like Uncharted (2022), The Last of Us, and Twisted Metal.[10] He is credited with reversing a downward trend of film box office performances and strengthening the television division,[11] leading a “dramatic turnaround” with five consecutive years of increasing profit and record-high operating income for the company.[12]

In his role overseeing Sony Pictures Television, Vinciquerra was involved in the hirings of Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik as co-hosts of the television quiz show Jeopardy! in 2021 after the death of longtime host Alex Trebek.[13][14] Before any of his episodes aired, Richards stepped down from his position after several insensitive comments made on his podcast emerged.[15][16] Vinciquerra helped manage the resumed host search,[17] which concluded in July 2022 with deals for Bialik and Ken Jennings as the show's rotating co-hosts.[18]

During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike, he lobbied for the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to de-escalate negotiations and resume talks with the unions.[19] He also advocated for writers' unions to "come to a common ground" with production companies on the use of generative AI in film and television production.[20]

Personal life

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In 2001, Vinciquerra moved to Los Angeles and met his wife, Toni Knight, an advertising executive who now owns her own firm.[21] They have three children together.[4] They divorced in 2020.[22]

References

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  1. ^ McClellan, Steve (March 18, 2002). "Bread-and-butter guy". Broadcasting+Cable.
  2. ^ Lang, Brent (May 11, 2017). "Tony Vinciquerra Named Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e Andreeva, Nellie (January 6, 2011). "Tony Vinciquerra To Leave Fox, David Haslingden To Head Fox Networks Group". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e James, Meg; Faughnder, Ryan (May 11, 2017). "Meet Tony Vinciquerra, the 'not flashy' executive hired to fix struggling Sony Pictures". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Barnes, Brooks (May 11, 2017). "Sony Pictures, Shifting Toward TV, Names Tony Vinciquerra Its C.E.O." The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  6. ^ Lewis, Hilary (March 12, 2009). "Chernin Fallout Sparks News Corp. Shakeup". Business Insider. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Littleton, Cynthia (April 26, 2017). "Tony Vinciquerra Advances as Lead Candidate for Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Post". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  8. ^ Staffpublished (October 17, 2009). "Cover Story: Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame Class of 2009". Broadcasting+Cable. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  9. ^ Busch, Anita (May 11, 2017). "Tony Vinciquerra Named Chairman/CEO Of Sony Pictures Entertainment Replacing Outgoing Exec Michael Lynton". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  10. ^ viapiuser (2017-05-12). "Tony Vinciquerra". Variety. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  11. ^ Rushfield, Richard (2023-03-10). "Tony Vinciquerra: Will Smith, the 'Woman King' Snub & Spider-Man's Future". theankler.com. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  12. ^ Spotlight, C.-Suite. "C-Suite Spotlight Announces Top 25 Media Executives of 2023". PRWeb. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  13. ^ Grynbaum, Michael; Sperling, Nicole (August 14, 2021). "'Like Choosing a Pope': How Succession Got Messy at 'Jeopardy!'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  14. ^ Darwish, Meaghan (August 16, 2021). "How Involved Was Mike Richards in Choosing a 'Jeopardy!' Host?". TV Insider. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Grynbaum, Michael; Sperling, Nicole; Jacobs, Julie (August 20, 2021). "Abrupt Exit of New 'Jeopardy!' Host, Mike Richards, Rattles a TV Institution". The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  16. ^ Stelter, Brian (August 20, 2021). "Mike Richards has stepped down as the host of 'Jeopardy!'". CNN Business. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  17. ^ Darcy, Oliver; Stelter, Brian (August 23, 2021). "Mayim Bialik to be first guest host of 'Jeopardy!' following Mike Richards' departure". CNN Business. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  18. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 27, 2022). "Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings Officially Set as Permanent 'Jeopardy!' Hosts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  19. ^ Morris, Chris (August 10, 2023). "Forget Iger or Sarandos: Sony Pictures' CEO may be the best hope to end the Hollywood strike". Fast Company.
  20. ^ Hayes, Dade (2023-09-13). "Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Tony Vinciquerra Urges Guilds To Embrace "Common-Ground" Solution On AI: "You Can't Get In The Way Of Technology"". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  21. ^ James, Meg (March 23, 2009). "Low-profile News Corp. executive Tony Vinciquerra given starring role". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  22. ^ Variety Staff (July 2, 2020). "Sony Pictures Chief Tony Vinciquerra, WorldLink CEO Toni Knight to Divorce". Variety. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
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