Peter Chernin
Peter Chernin | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 29, 1951 Harrison, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor, producer |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Known for | Chairman and CEO of The Chernin Group; former president and COO of News Corporation; former chairman and CEO of Fox Group |
Peter Chernin (born May 29, 1951) is a prominent American entrepreneur, investor, and producer in the film and television sectors. He serves as the chairman and CEO of The Chernin Group (TCG), an enterprise he established in 2010. TCG focuses on managing, operating, and investing in companies within media, entertainment, and technology industries.
Early life and education
Born in Harrison, New York to Mary (née Townsend) and Herbert Chernin, Peter was brought up in a Unitarian household, with his father being of Jewish heritage. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature.
Career
Chernin began his tenure at Fox in 1989 after serving as president and COO at Lorimar Film Entertainment. Prior to that, he held the position of executive vice president for programming and marketing at Showtime/The Movie Channel, as well as vice president of Development and Production at the David Gerber Company. His career started in publishing with roles at St. Martin's Press and later as an editor for Warner Books.
News Corp.
Before launching TCG, Chernin acted as president and COO of News Corporation and was chairman and CEO of the Fox Group from 1996 until 2009. In this capacity, he managed global operations spanning five continents, covering film and television production and distribution, broadcasting, alongside News Corp.'s ventures into digital media.
Throughout his 20-year tenure at News Corp., Chernin developed expertise in both the creative and business sides of entertainment. He led Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment as well as the Fox Broadcasting Company, driving Fox's expansion in sports, cable networks, and general entertainment programming on both domestic and international fronts.
Under his guidance, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation produced the two highest-grossing movies ever—Titanic and Avatar; the Fox Broadcasting Company secured the top position among viewers aged 18 to 49; and 20th Century Fox Television emerged as the leading supplier of network television content.
News Corp.'s cable division expanded dramatically from zero to over 400 million subscribers within less than ten years, assembling a robust portfolio that included Fox News Channel, FX, Fox Sports Net, National Geographic Television, among others. Prior to his 1996 role, Chernin served as CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, overseeing global feature-film production, marketing strategies, and distribution efforts. Between 1989 and 1992, while acting as president of entertainment for the Fox Broadcasting Company, he expanded programming from two nights to seven nights per week.
Industry observers anticipated Chernin’s departure from News Corp. around mid-2009, with James Murdoch expected to succeed him. On February 24, 2009, after two decades with the company, he announced plans to leave in order to explore independent business ventures. Chase Carey took over his responsibilities on June 4, 2009.
In October 2010, reports indicated that the Tribune Company was considering Chernin for executive leadership roles such as CEO or chairman. Additionally, following Carol Bartz's exit from Yahoo! in 2011, there was speculation about Chernin’s potential involvement; however, during the October 2011 All Things Digital AsiaD Conference held in Hong Kong, he publicly dismissed any intentions to pursue opportunities with Yahoo!.
TCG
After departing from News Corp. in 2009, Peter Chernin took the helm of his own enterprise, The Chernin Group (TCG). The company's holdings encompass Chernin Entertainment, a production entity; a controlling interest in CA Media, which invests primarily in Asian media; and strategic stakes in U.S.-based technology and media firms including Pandora, Fullscreen, Tumblr, Barstool Sports, and Flipboard.
TCG’s debut feature film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), achieved global box office revenues exceeding $480 million. Additional significant productions comprise the comedy Parental Guidance (2012), the sci-fi thriller Oblivion featuring Tom Cruise, and the comedy The Heat starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.
Established in November 2010, CA Media aims to develop and oversee media, entertainment, and technology ventures across Asia. Its investments include Hong Kong-based Legend Fighting Championship in 2011, a 49% acquisition in Endemol India in 2012 to spearhead TV, film, and digital content production locally, as well as backing Indian youth-focused media company Only Much Louder. In 2014, TCG partnered with AT&T to inject $500 million into online video platforms.
In April 2012, Chernin divested a minority portion of TCG to Providence Equity Partners and other investors. By 2013, he made a bid near $500 million for streaming platform Hulu. TCG also held investment in Tumblr, which was sold to Yahoo for $1.1 billion. Later that year, TCG expanded its online video portfolio by acquiring anime streaming service Crunchyroll for roughly $100 million. In 2016, Chernin Media purchased a majority interest in Barstool Sports, moving its base to New York City.
In 2018, Chernin co-established TCG Capital Management, an advisory firm managing private equity investments spanning media, entertainment, technology, sports, and consumer industries. That same year, TCG sold Crunchyroll to AT&T, which incorporated it into WarnerMedia; Crunchyroll was subsequently sold to Funimation in 2021.
July 2022 saw the launch of The North Road Company by Chernin—a global independent production firm that includes Chernin Entertainment. By January 2023, The North Road had secured $150 million from the Qatar Investment Authority, complementing previous investments of $500 million from Providence Equity and $300 million from Apollo Global Management to support media and technology ventures along with strategic acquisitions.
In early 2023, reports linked Chernin with potential interest in acquiring ITV Studios, known for producing "Love Island." By July 2023, The North Road revealed intentions to pursue acquisition of UK-based production house All3Media, recognized for series such as Fleabag, Gogglebox, and The Traitors.
Boards
Peter Chernin holds board positions at American Express, co-leads the board of visitors at University of California, Berkeley, and acts as a senior advisor to Providence Equity Partners. He is chairman and co-founder of Malaria No More as well as a trustee for Malaria No More UK, organizations dedicated to eradicating malaria fatalities. His past board memberships include roles at Twitter, Pandora, News Corp, DirecTV, E-Trade, and Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Personal life
In 1980, Chernin wed Megan (née Brody).
Politics
Chernin has contributed more than $100,000 to the Democratic Party and was a host for a Barack Obama fundraising event in 2013. Additionally, he endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential race.
Filmography
He served as a producer on all listed films unless indicated otherwise.
Film
| Year | Title | Co-Producers | Distributor | Production Budget | Box Office Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver | 20th Century Fox | $93 million | $481.8 million |
| 2012 | Parental Guidance | Dylan Clark, Billy Crystal | $25 million | $119.8 million | |
| 2013 | Oblivion | Dylan Clark, Duncan Henderson, Joseph Kosinski, Barry Levine | Universal Pictures | $120 million | $287.9 million |
| The Heat | Jenno Topping | 20th Century Fox | $43 million | $229.9 million | |
| 2014 | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver | $170 million | $710.6 million | |
| The Drop | Dylan Clark, Mike Larocca | Fox Searchlight Pictures | $12.6 million | $18.7 million | |
| St. Vincent | Jenno Topping, Fred Roos, Theodore Melfi | The Weinstein Company | $13 million | $54.8 million | |
| Exodus: Gods and Kings | Jenno Topping, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer, Mark Huffam | 20th Century Fox | $140 million | $268.2 million | |
| 2015 | Spy | Jenno Topping, Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson | $65 million | $235.7 million | |
| 2016 | Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates | Jenno Topping, Jonathan Levine | $33 million | $77.1 million | |
| Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Jenno Topping | $110 million | $296.5 million | ||
| Hidden Figures | Jenno Topping, Theodore Melfi, Donna Gigliotti, Pharrell Williams | $25 million | $236.2 million | ||
| 2017 | Snatched | Jenno Topping, Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson | $42 million | $60.8 million | |
| War for the Planet of the Apes | Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver | $150 million | $490.7 million | ||
| The Mountain Between Us | Dylan Clark, Jenno Topping, David Ready | $35 million | $62.8 million | ||
| The Greatest Showman | Jenno Topping, Laurence Mark | $84 million | $435 million | ||
| 2018 | Red Sparrow | Jenno Topping, David Ready, Steven Zaillian | $69 million | $151.6 million | |
| 2019 | Tolkien | Jenno Topping, David Ready, Kris Thykier | Fox Searchlight Pictures | $20 million | $9 million |
| Ford v Ferrari | Jenno Topping, James Mangold | 20th Century Fox | $97.6 million | $225.5 million | |
| Spies in Disguise | Jenno Topping, Michael J. Travers | $100 million | $171 million | ||
| 2020 | Underwater | Jenno Topping, Tonia Davis | $50 million | $40 million | |
| 2021 | Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, Fear Street Part Three: 1666 | Jenno Topping, David Ready | Netflix | Template:NA | |
| 2022 | Slumberland | Jenno Topping, David Ready, Francis Lawrence, Cameron MacConomy | $150 million | Template:NA | |
| 2023 | Dicks: The Musical | Jenno Topping, Larry Charles, Kori Adelson | A24 | ||
| 2025 | Back in Action, Fear Street: Prom Queen | Seth Gordon, Beau Bauman, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Kori Adelson | Netflix | ||
| TBA | 11817 | Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Kori Adelson, Oly Obst | |||
- Acknowledgments
| Year | Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Lazer Team | Special thanks from producers |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Seek and Destroy | Executive producer | Pilot episode for television |
| Pleading Guilty | Executive producer | Television pilot | |
| 2011 | Allen Gregory | Executive producer | |
| Terra Nova | Executive producer | ||
| Outnumbered | Executive producer | Special television program | |
| Metro | Executive producer | TV movie | |
| Lovelives | Executive producer | Pilot episode for TV | |
| 2011−12 | Breakout Kings | Executive producer | |
| 2012 | Entry Level | Executive producer | Pilot episode for television |
| 2012−13 | Ben and Kate | Executive producer | |
| Touch | Executive producer | ||
| 2013 | Two Wrongs | Executive producer | Television pilot |
| 2014 | Delirium | Executive producer | TV pilot episode |
| Hieroglyph | Executive producer | ||
| 2016 | Me & Mean Margaret | Executive producer | Pilot for television |
| 2011−18 | New Girl | Executive producer | |
| 2019−2022 | See | Executive producer | |
| 2019−2023 | Truth Be Told | Executive producer | |
| 2020−present | P-Valley | Executive producer | |
| 2021 | Bombay Begums | Executive producer |
- Additional crew roles
| Year | Title | Position | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Cry for the Strangers | Production executive | Television movie |
| 1982−83 | Seven Brides for Seven Brothers | Executive consultant |
- Acting credits
| Year | Title | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Family Guy | Himself |
- Production management
| Year | Title | Position | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Elvis and the Beauty Queen | Production executive | Television film |