Peter Guber, Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, has been a force in the entertainment industry for over thirty years. He has leveraged his creativity and business acumen into record-breaking profits and critical acclaim, establishing him as one of the most successful executives in the entertainment and communications industries. Films he personally produced or executive produced, including Rain Man (1988), Batman (1989), La couleur pourpre (1985), Midnight Express (1978), Gorilles dans la brume (1988), Les sorcières d'Eastwick (1987), Missing - Porté disparu (1982) and Flashdance (1983), have resonated with audiences all over the world, earning over three billion dollars worldwide and garnering more than 50 Academy Award nominations.
Guber joined Columbia pictures in 1968 and, within three years, became Studio Chief. During his tenure at the creative helm, Columbia surged to record breaking profits on the strength of such box office hits as Shampoo (1975), Taxi Driver (1976), Tommy (1975), Nos plus belles années (1973) and Rencontres du troisième type (1977).
In 1976, following his entrepreneur instincts, Guber founded Casablanca Record and Filmworks. Its record operation included such superstars as KISS, Donna Summer and The Village People. It also included some of the most successful soundtracks of all time including Flashdance, which sold more than 14 million albums. In 1979, Guber formed PolyGram Entertainment where he was Chairman of the Board and CEO. He sold his interest in Polygram in 1983 and formed and served as Co-Owner of the Guber-Peters Entertainment Company (GPEC) which established a major presence in motion pictures, television and music including producing the music and official soundtrack for the 1984 Summer Olympics. Within five years, GPEC became a public company and, in 1989, was acquired by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
In 1989, Guber reached a personal milestone when he was named Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). Under his visionary leadership, the company re-framed its entire Loews exhibition circuit, introducing Sony's SDDS sound system, introduced the concept of IMAX theater and films integrated into multi-plex theaters and transformed the Sony lot into a state of the art digital production facility. SPE's motion picture business earned an industry best domestic box office market share averaging 17% over four years, propelled by an enormous string of successes including Des hommes d'honneur (1992), Philadelphia (1993), Basic Instinct (1992), Une équipe hors du commun (1992) and Nuits blanches à Seattle (1993), among many others. During this same period, Sony Pictures led all competitors with a remarkable total of 120 Academy Award Nominations, the highest four year total ever for a single company.
After leaving Sony in 1995, Guber formed Mandalay Entertainment Group as a multimedia entertainment vehicle in motion pictures, television, sports entertainment and new media. Mandalay Pictures is a pre-eminent motion picture company that finances, produces and distributes motion pictures for the global marketplace. It's box office hits include Souviens-toi... l'été dernier (1997), Sept ans au Tibet (1997), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Stalingrad (2001), The Score (2001), Bleu d'enfer (2005), Darfur Now (2007) and Never Back Down (2008), among many others. Mandalay Series Television has enjoyed great success with Cupid, Mercy Point, Rude Awakening, Oh, Baby, and the critically acclaimed television series, Brotherhood, winner of The George Foster Peabody Award. Mandalay Television has produced eight original Movies of the Week for Lifetime Television, based on the books of the world renowned and best-selling author, Nora Roberts. The Nora Roberts franchise has been a worldwide ratings success for the cable network.
Following his location based entertainment leadership experience with Loews, Guber expanded Mandalay into a national entertainment sports provider with Mandalay Sports Entertainment. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Mandalay Baseball Properties (MBP), a subsidiary of Mandalay Sports Entertainment which includes professional baseball franchises, sports marketing, stadium development, ownership, management and consulting. The seven sports franchises that MBP owns, operates and/or consults with are Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A affiliates of the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox.
Guber is Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors for Mandalay Media, a publicly traded company on the OTC. Mandalay Media is at the forefront of new media with online ventures and innovative mobile and interactive offerings. In February 2008, Mandalay Media acquired Twistbox Entertainment, Inc., a global producer and publisher of mobile content. In October 2008, Mandalay Media acquired AMV Holding Limited, a leading European mobile entertainment and marketing company delivering games and lifestyle content and services directly to consumers.
In late 2006, Guber became a significant investor in and now serves on the Advisory Board for Betawave Corporation, a leading entertainment and media company focused on brand immersion experiences that reach consumers in a deeply engaged state of mind. The Betawave portfolio of publishers has a unique monthly audience of 32.9 million users domestically and 69 million worldwide and is a major media opportunity among "Big 3" for youth marketing. Betawave recently surpassed Disney Online and Nickelodeon to become the number one online U.S. youth opportunity.
In 2009, Guber co-founded GeekChicDaily with Wizard Entertainment's Gareb Shamus and digital entertainment entrepreneur, Peter Levin. GeekChicDaily, is a free opt-in daily email newsletter and website designed as a one-stop resource for relevant and discerning content for video games, technology and applications, comics, collectibles, gear and TV and film. Leveraging Shamus' Wizard Entertainment platform, GeekChicDaily is entering the market with a loyal base of followers.
Throughout Guber's career, he has never strayed from his passion to teach and mentor the future entertainment and business leaders. He is a full professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and has been a member of the faculty for over 30 years. He is also a member of the UCLA Foundation Board of Trustees, as well as the winner of UCLA's prestigious Service Award for his accomplishments and association with the school. Guber has turned this legacy and experience in front of the camera where he has been seen every Sunday morning for the last 6 years on American Movie Classics (AMC) cable network, as co-host of the critically acclaimed national TV show, Shootout, featuring the major stars and entrepreneurs of the entertainment industry. AMC moved Guber's talents to prime time with a series of one hour specials in 2009 called StoryMakers. He can be seen as co-host of In the House, a weekly, half-hour news and interview show focused on industry trends in pop culture, providing a platform for major stars, key filmmakers and other creative and business leaders to comment on their industry. The show, the first original series to air on Encore, has a two season commitment. He can also be seen on the NBC-owned Los Angeles outlet KNBC, as co-host of Show Business with Bart and Guber. This weekly show features discussion and analysis specifically designed for Los Angeles' showbiz community and offers a fresh perspective on the inner workings of the entertainment industry.
Peter Guber is a noted author with works including "Inside The Deep" and the L.A. Times best-seller "Shootout: Surviving Fame and (Mis)Fortune in Hollywood." In December 2007, Guber wrote the cover article for the Harvard Business Review titled "The Four Truths of the Storyteller". Guber has also authored op-ed pieces for the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
A passionate, humorous, and tireless motivator, Peter Guber is a sought after speaker at numerous global events. Tapped for his wisdom and expertise, he is a regular entertainment and media analyst for Fox Business News. He has also recently appeared on NBC's Today (1952) Show, CNBC's The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch (2004), MSNBC's Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann (2003), Fox News's Your World w/ Neil Cavuto (1996), Chris Matthews' Hardball with Chris Matthews (1997), CNBC's The Wall Street Journal Report (1992) with Maria Bartiromo, CNN's Paula Zahn Now (2003), CNBC's "Power Lunch", 20/20 (1978) with Elizabeth Vargas and "Fox Business News" with David Asman.
