List of Jewish American businesspeople in media

Note: This article was proposed for deletion on Wikipedia.

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This is a partial list of notable Jewish American business executives in the media industry. For other Jewish Americans, see lists of Jewish Americans.

Advertising and public relations

  • Alvin Achenbaum (1925–2016), advertising executive, co-founder of Achenbaum and Associates, founder of the Achenbaum Institute of Marketing
  • David R. Altman (1915–2000), co-founder of the Altman, Stoller, Weiss advertising agency
  • Edward Bernays (1891–1995), Austrian-born pioneer in the field of public relations and propaganda
  • William Bernbach (1911–1982), co-founder of international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (now DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc.)
  • Milton H. Biow (1892–1976), advertising executive, founder of the Biow Company
  • Maxwell Dane (1906–2004), co-founder of international advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (now DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc.)
  • David Deutsch (1929–2013), founder of David Deutsch Associates (later led by his son, Donny (1957–); sold to IPG in 2000)
  • Daniel Edelman (1920–2013), founder of PR firm Edelman, Inc. (now led by his son, Richard (1954–))
  • Alvin Eicoff (1921–2002), founder of A. Eicoff & Company, inventor of direct response television (DRTV) advertising
  • Arthur C. Fatt (1905–1999), advertising executive at the Grey Advertising Agency
  • Lee Garfinkel (1955–), advertising executive, founder of the Garfinkel Group
  • Al Fleishman (1905–2002), co-founder of PR and marketing agency FleishmanHillard Inc.
  • Monroe Green (1904–1996), advertising director of The New York Times
  • Michael Kempner (1958–), founder of PR firm MWWPR
  • Julian Koenig (1921–2014), co-founder of advertising agency Papert Koenig Lois
  • Albert Lasker (1880–1952), Prussian-born advertising pioneer, owner of the Lord & Thomas advertising agency (now Foote, Cone & Belding) and MLB's Chicago Cubs
  • Norman B. Norman (1914–1991), advertising executive, co-founder of the Norman, Craig & Kummel agency (later renamed to NCK Organization)
  • Shirley Polykoff (1908–1998), early female advertising executive
  • Randall Rothenberg, CEO of iab.
  • Howard J. Rubenstein (1932–2020), founder of public relations firm Rubenstein Associates
  • Marian Salzman (1959–), advertising and PR executive, CEO of Havas PR North America, co-founder of Cyberdialogue
  • Rich Silverstein (1949–), co-founder of advertising agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners (GSP)
  • Joseph Spiegel (1840–1914), German-born founder of direct marketing and catalog company Spiegel; member of the Spiegel family
  • Carl Spielvogel (1928–2021), founder of marketing and advertising communications company Backer & Spielvogel
  • Herbert D. Strauss (1909–1973), advertising executive at the Grey Advertising Agency
  • Ken Sunshine (1948–), founder of Sunshine Sachs Consultants
  • Linda Kaplan Thaler (1951–), advertiser, founder of the Kaplan Thaler Group (now Publicis New York) and Kaplan Thaler Productions
  • Ronn Torossian (1974–), founder of 5W Public Relations (5WPR)
  • Lawrence Valenstein (1899–1982), co-founder of the Grey Group
  • Lester Wunderman (1920–2019), founder of Wunderman, Inc., creator of modern-day direct marketing and inventor of the toll-free 1-800 number
  • Jordan Zimmerman (1955/56–), founder of Zimmerman Advertising, former co-owner of NHL's Florida Panthers
  • Sergio Zyman (1945–), Mexican-American marketing executive, founder of the Zyman Group

Music industry

  • Herb Abramson (1916–1999), founder of Atlantic Records
  • Berle Adams (1917–2009), co-founder of Mercury Records and senior executive at MCA
  • Lou Adler (1933–), co-founder of Dunhill Records, co-owner of West Hollywood's Roxy Theatre
  • Moses Asch (1905–1986), Polish-born co-founder of Folkways Records
  • Irving Azoff (1947–), chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment, founder of Giant Records, co-founder of the Oak View Group, former chairman of MCA Inc. and Ticketmaster
  • Marty Bandier (1941–), CEO of Sony/ATV, former chairman and CEO of EMI Music Publishing
  • Emile Berliner (1851–1929), German-born co-founder of RCA Records
  • Miriam Bienstock (1923–2015), former senior executive at Atlantic Records
  • Jerry Blaine (1910–1973), co-founder of Jubilee Records
  • Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (1981–), founder of School Boy Records, RBMG Records; manager of Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande
  • Edgar Bronfman Jr. (1955–), former CEO of Warner Music Group (WMG); member of the Bronfman family
  • Leonard (1917–1969) and Phil Chess (1921–2016), Polish-born founders of Chess Records; members of the Chess family
  • Lew Chudd (1911–1998), Canadian-born founder of Imperial Records
  • Alan N. Cohen (1930–2004), former VP of Warner Communications (now WarnerMedia), and (co-)owner of NBA's Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks
  • Lyor Cohen (1959–), Israeli-American co-founder of 300 Entertainment, former president of Def Jam Recordings
  • Clive Davis (1932–), former president of Columbia Records, founder of Arista Records, Inc. and J Records
  • Ron Fair, former president of record labels A&M, Geffen, Virgin and senior artists and repertoire executive at RCA, Chrysalis, EMI
  • Leo Feist (1869–1930), founder of music publishing firm Leo Feist, Inc.
  • Jason Flom (1961–), founder of Lava Music, LLC, former chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records
  • Milt Gabler (1911–2001), founder of Commodore Records
  • David Geffen (1943–), founder of Geffen Records and DGC Records, co-founder of Asylum Records
  • Jody Gerson (1961–), chairman of the Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG)
  • Joe Glaser (1896–1969), founder of the Associated Booking Corporation, manager of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday
  • Daniel Glass, founder of Glassnote Records
  • George Goldner (1918–1970), co-founder of record labels Tico, Gee, Rama, End, Gone, Roulette, Red Bird and Blue Cat
  • Richard Gottehrer (1940–), co-founder of music and entertainment company The Orchard
  • Norman Granz (1918–2001), founder of Clef Records, Norgran Records, Verve Records and Pablo Records
  • Al Green, founder of National Records
  • Irving Green (1916–2006), co-founder of Mercury Records
  • Florence Greenberg (1913–1995), founder of record labels Tiara, Scepter, Hob, and Wand
  • Jerry Heller (1940–2016), co-founder of Ruthless Records; known for launching West Coast's gangsta rap movement
  • Jac Holzman (1931–), founder of Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records
  • Orrin Keepnews (1923–2015), co-founder of Riverside Records and Milestone Records
  • Don Kirshner (1934–2011), music publisher and promoter who co-founded Aldon Music
  • Allen Klein (1931–2009), founder of ABKCO Music & Records, Inc., former manager of the Rolling Stones
  • Lester Koenig (1917–1977), founder of Contemporary Records
  • Michael Lang (1944–2022), music promoter, founder of Just Sunshine Records, and co-creator of the Woodstock Music & Art Festival
  • Morris Levy (1927–1990), co-founder of Roulette Records
  • Goddard Lieberson (1911–1977), British-born former president of Columbia Records and the RIAA
  • Alfred Lion (1908–1987), German-born co-founder of Blue Note Records
  • Avery and Monte Lipman, founders of Republic Records \
  • Herman Lubinsky (1896–1974), founder of Savoy Records
  • Lee Magid (1926–2007), record producer
  • Fred Mendelsohn (1917–2000), former president of Savoy Records
  • Lewis Merenstein (1934–2016), record producer
  • Doug Morris (1938–), chairman of Sony Music Entertainment, former chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group, founder of Big Tree Records
  • Jerry Moss (1935–), co-founder of A&M Records
  • Syd Nathan (1904–1968), founder of King Records
  • Guy Oseary (1972–), Israeli-American CEO of Maverick, co-founder of Maverick Management; manager of Madonna, U2
  • Mo Ostin (1927–2022), record executive at Verve, Reprise Records, Warner Bros. Records, and DreamWorks
  • Lou Pearlman (1954–2016), record producer, founder of Trans Continental Records; manager/creator of the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC
  • Randy Phillips (1954/1955–), former president of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and current president and CEO of LiveStyle (formerly SFX Entertainment)
  • Milton Rackmil (1906–1992), co-founder of Decca Records and former head of Universal Pictures
  • Teddy Reig (1918–1984), founder of Roost Records
  • Gary Richards (1970–), president of LiveStyle, North America
  • Steve Rifkind (1962–), founder of Loud Records and SRC Records, former vice president of Universal Motown Records
  • Elliot Roberts (1943–2019), co-founder of Asylum Records; manager of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell
  • Samuel Roxy Rothafel (1882–1936), theatrical impresario
  • Rick Rubin (1963–), co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, former co-president of Columbia Records
  • Larry Rudolph (1963–), founder of Reign Deer Entertainment, co-founder of Maverick Management; manager of Britney Spears
  • Art Rupe (1917–2022), founder of Specialty Records
  • Bob Shad (1920–1985), founder of Time Records and Mainstream Records
  • Cary Sherman, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
  • Robert F. X. Sillerman (1948–2019), founder of LiveStyle, Inc. and CKX, Inc. (now Industrial Media); owned majority rights to Graceland, the Elvis Presley estate
  • Robert Ellis Silberstein (1946–), music industry executive; former manager and husband of Diana Ross
  • Tom Silverman, founder of Tommy Boy Records, former vice president of Warner Bros. Records
  • Phil Spector (1939–2021), co-founder of record labels Philles and Warner-Spector; developer of the Wall of Sound formula
  • Jules C. Stein (1896–1981), co-founder of the Music Corporation of America; member of the Stein family
  • Seymour Stein (1942–), former VP of Warner Bros. Records Inc., co-founder of Sire Records
  • Bernard Stollman (1929–2015), founder of the ESP-Disk record label
  • Nat Tarnopol (1931–1987), record producer, president of Brunswick Records; manager of Jackie Wilson
  • Lenny Waronker (1941–), former president of Warner Bros. Records and co-chairman of DreamWorks Records
  • George Wein (1925–2021), music producer, impresario, and founder of the Newport Jazz Festival
  • Bob Weinstock (1928–2006), former owner of Prestige Records
  • Barry Weiss (1959–), co-founder of RECORDS, former chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Music Group and the RCA/Jive Label Group
  • Hy Weiss (1923–2007), Romanian-born founder of Old Town Records
  • Jerry Wexler (1917–2008), former co-owner of Atlantic Records; coined the term "rhythm and blues" (R&B)
  • Walter Yetnikoff (1933–2021), former president of CBS Records International and former CEO of CBS Records
  • Hans Zimmer (1957–), German-American head of the film music division at DreamWorks, co-founder of Remote Control Productions, Inc.

Newspapers and publishing

  • Tom Allon, publisher of City & State, former co-owner of Manhattan Media LLC
  • Walter Annenberg (1908–2002), founder of Triangle Publications, Inc. (the Philadelphia Inquirer, TV Guide)
  • Herbert R. Axelrod (1927–2017), founder of TFH Publications
  • Jason Binn (1968–), founder of Niche Media (Hamptons, Aspen Peak, Gotham) and DuJour Media
  • Paul Block (1875–1941), president of Block Communications and publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Toledo Blade
  • Bennett Cerf (1898–1971), co-founder of Random House
  • Jerry Finkelstein (1916–2012), former publisher of the New York Law Journal and the Hill
  • Bart Fles (1902–1989), Dutch-American former literary agent and publisher
  • Jane Friedman, co-founder of Open Road Integrated Media, former president and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers LLC
  • Hugo Gernsback (1884–1967), Luxembourgish-born inventor and magazine publisher, founder of Experimenter Publishing (Amazing Stories, Electrical Experimenter, Radio News); Hugo Award eponym
  • Milton Glaser (1929–2020), co-founder of the New York Magazine, creator of the "I Love New York" logo
  • Al Goldstein (1936–2013), co-founder of Screw
  • Martin Goodman (1908–1992), founder of Timely Publications (later Marvel Comics)
  • Jonathan Greenblatt (1970–), former CEO of GOOD Worldwide, Inc.
  • Hank Greenspun (1909–1989), publisher of the Las Vegas Sun
  • Alfred Harvey (1913–1994), comic book publisher, founder of Harvey Comics, Inc. (Richie Rich, Casper the Friendly Ghost)
  • Ruth Sulzberger Holmberg (1921–2017), publisher of the Chattanooga Times
  • Morton L. Janklow (1930–2022), co-founder of Janklow & Nesbit Associates, the largest literary agency in the world
  • Bruce Judson (1958–), former General Manager at Time Inc. New Media, co-founder of Time Warner's banner ad website Pathfinder
  • Jonathan Karp (1963/1964–), publisher of Simon & Schuster
  • Don Katz (1952–), founder of Audible
  • Larry Kirshbaum (1944–), former chief of publishing for Amazon Publishing and CEO of the Time Warner Book Group
  • Donald S. Klopfer (1902–1986), co-founder of Random House
  • Alfred (1892–1984) and Blanche Knopf (1894–1966), founders of publishing house Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
  • Meredith Kopit Levien (born 1970/1971), CEO of The New York Times Company
  • Harvey Kurtzman (1924–1993), Mad
  • Bruce Levenson, (1949–) co-founder of the United Communications Group (UCG), former co-owner of NBA's Atlanta Hawks
  • Jay Levin, founder of LA Weekly
  • Ross Levinsohn, former publisher of the Los Angeles Times, CEO of Tribune Interactive (the digital arm of tronc), former president of Fox Interactive
  • Jack Liebowitz (1900–2000), Russian-born former co-owner of National Allied Publications (later DC Comics)
  • Peter Mayer (1936–2018), British-born co-founder of the Overlook Press, and former CEO of Penguin Books
  • Eugene Meyer (1875–1959), publisher of The Washington PostMichael G. Schechter, ‘Meyer, Eugene Isaac’ in IO BIO, Biographical Dictionary of Secretaries-

General of International Organizations, Edited by Bob Reinalda, Kent J. Kille and Jaci Eisenberg, p. 1. www.ru.nl/fm/iobio, retrieved August 8, 2020

  • Donald Newhouse (1929–), owner of Advance Publications, Inc.
  • S. I. Newhouse Sr. (1895–1979), founder of Advance Publications, Inc., the parent company of Condé Nast (GQ, Pitchfork, the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Vogue, W, Wired) and American City Business Journals (ACBJ)
  • Adolph Ochs (1985–1935), Arthur Hays Sulzberger (1891–1968), Arthur Ochs Sulzberger (1926–2012), The New York Times
  • Norman Pearlstine (1942–), media executive, CCO at Bloomberg L.P. and Time Inc., former executive editor of the Wall Street Journal
  • David J. Pecker (1951–), chairman and CEO of American Media, Inc. (National Enquirer, Us Weekly, Star, Flex, Globe, Men's Fitness)
  • Marty Peretz (1938–), The New Republic
  • Warren H. Phillips (1926–2019), former long-time CEO of Dow Jones & Company
  • Joseph Pulitzer (1847–1911), Hungarian-born former publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the New York World; known for pioneering yellow journalism and establishing the Pulitzer Prizes
  • Axel Rosin (1907–2007), German-born president of the Book of the Month Club
  • Arthur M. Sackler (1913–1987), former publisher of the Medical Tribune and chairman of Medical Press, Inc.; member of the Sackler family
  • M. Lincoln Schuster (1897–1970), Austrian-born co-founder of Simon & Schuster
  • Leon Shimkin (1907–1988), former executive and partner at Simon & Schuster
  • Sime (1873–1933), Sidne (1898–1950), Syd Silverman (1932–2017), former owners and publishers of Variety
  • Richard L. Simon (1899–1960), co-founder of Simon & Schuster; member of the Simon family
  • Roger Williams Straus Jr. (1917–2004), co-founder of book publishing company Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG); member of the Guggenheim family
  • Reuben Sturman (1924–1997), former adult magazine publisher and co-founder of Doc Johnson Enterprises
  • Joshua Topolsky (1977–), co-founder of Vox Media, Inc. (the Verge, SB Nation, Polygon, Curbed), founder of digital media company The Outline
  • Helen Valentine (1893–1986), founder of Seventeen magazine
  • Jann Wenner (1946–), co-founder of the Rolling Stone
  • Richard Saul Wurman (1935–), co-founder of TED
  • William Bernard Ziff Sr. (1898–1953), co-founder of Ziff Davis
  • Mortimer Zuckerman (1937–), Canadian-American publisher of U.S. News & World Report, former owner of the New York Daily News, The Atlantic and Fast Company, co-founder of Boston Properties, Inc.

Television, film and video

  • Merv Adelson (1929–2015), co-founder of Lorimar Television
  • Edmund Ansin (1936–2020), co-founder of Sunbeam Television Corporation
  • Avi Arad (1948–), Israeli-American founder of Marvel Studios, LLC, former CEO of Toy Biz
  • Samuel Z. Arkoff (1918–2001), co-founder of American International Pictures; inventor of the "ARKOFF formula"
  • Adam Aron (1954–), president and CEO of movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. and co-owner of NBA's Philadelphia 76ers
  • Ted Ashley (1922–2002), chairman of Warner Bros. and VC of Warner Communications Inc., founder of the Ashley-Famous talent agency
  • Barney Balaban (1887–1971), co-founder of the Balaban and Katz Theater Corporation and former long-time president of Paramount Pictures; member of the Balaban family
  • Gary Barber (1957–), South African-born former CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), co-founder of the Spyglass Media Group
  • Chuck Barris (1929–2017), founder of game show production company Barris Industries (the Gong Show, the Dating Game)
  • Phil Berg (1902–1983), co-founder of the Berg-Allenberg talent agency
  • Bruce Berman (1952–), chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures
  • Gail Berman (1956–), founding partner of the Jackal Group, co-founder of media company BermanBraun (now Whalerock Industries)
  • Jason Blum (1969–), founder of Blumhouse Productions
  • Lloyd Braun (1958–), owner of Whalerock Industries, former chairman of the ABC Entertainment Group
  • Alan N. Braverman (1947/1948–), senior EVP, secretary and general counsel of the Walt Disney Company
  • Bernie Brillstein (1931–2008), founder of the Brillstein Company
  • Norman Brokaw (1927–2016), chairman of the William Morris Agency
  • Jerry Bruckheimer (1943–), founder of Jerry Bruckheimer Inc., co-founder and co-owner of NHL's Seattle Kraken
  • Peter Chernin (1951–), media executive & investor, founder of the Chernin Group; former president and COO of News Corp.
  • Joel and Ethan Coen (1954–, 1957–), founders of Mike Zoss Productions
  • Harry Cohn (1891–1958), co-founder of Columbia Pictures (formerly Cohn-Brandt-Cohn (CBC) Film Sales)
  • Warren Cowan (1921–2008), co-founder of Rogers & Cowan
  • Barry Diller (1942–), media executive, chairman of IAC/InterActiveCorp, former CEO of Paramount Pictures and Fox, Inc.
  • Eddie Einhorn (1936–2016), (co-)founder of the TVS Television Network and pay-TV channel SportsVision, former head of CBS Sports, and co-owner of MLB's Chicago White Sox
  • Michael Eisner (1942–), founder of the Hollywood Pictures Company and the Tornante Company, former long-time CEO of the Walt Disney Company
  • Ari Emanuel (1961–), co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC (WME) and the International Management Group (IMG)
  • Robert Evans (1930–2019), media executive, president of Paramount Pictures
  • Barbara Fedida (1964/1965–), ABC News executive
  • Erik Feig, former co-president of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., founder of new media company Picturestart
  • Charles K. Feldman (1905–1968), founder of the Famous Artists talent agency
  • Jon Feltheimer (1951–), CEO of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
  • Dave (1894–1979) and Max Fleischer (1883–1972), founders of Fleischer Studios (later Paramount Cartoon Studios)
  • William Fox (1879–1952), Hungarian-born founder of the Fox Film Corporation and De Luxe
  • Reuven Frank (1920–2006), Canadian-born broadcast executive, former president of NBC News
  • Rob Friedman (1950–), co-chairman of Lionsgate Films, Summit Entertainment
  • Fred W. Friendly (1915–1998), former president of CBS News
  • Jeff Gaspin (1960–), former chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment
  • Alan Gerry (1929–), founder of Cablevision Industries
  • Gary Gilbert (1965–), founder of Gilbert Films, co-owner of NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Adam Glasser (1964–), founder of Seymore, Inc.
  • Yoram Globus (1943–), Israeli-American former co-owner of the Cannon Group, Inc., founder of Rebel Way Entertainment
  • William Goetz (1903–1969), co-founder of Twentieth Century Pictures (later 20th Century Fox)
  • Leonard Goldenson (1905–1999), founder of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
  • Samuel Goldwyn (1879–1974), Polish-born founder of the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Samuel Goldwyn Productions; member of the Goldwyn family
  • Steve Golin (1955–2019), founder of Anonymous Content LLP, co-founder of Propaganda Films
  • Sid Grauman (1879–1950), founder of the Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre
  • Brian Grazer (1951–), co-founder of Imagine Entertainment
  • Bob Greenblatt (1959/1960–), former chairman of NBC Entertainment and WarnerMedia
  • Brad Grey (1957–2017), co-founder of Brillstein Entertainment Partners, former chairman of Paramount Pictures
  • Mindy Grossman (1957–), former CEO of Home Shopping Network (HSN)
  • Sandy Grushow (1960–), CEO of Phase 2 Media, former chairman of the Fox Television Entertainment Group
  • Peter Guber (1942–), chairman and CEO of the Mandalay Entertainment Group, former CEO of PolyGram Films, co-owner of NBA's Golden State Warriors and MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers
  • Bonnie Hammer (1950–), chairman of NBCUniversal Content Studios
  • Albie Hecht, Chief content officer of digital media studio Pocket.watch, former executive vice president of HLN, founder of Spike TV
  • Doug Herzog (1959– ), former president of the Viacom Music and Entertainment Group and USA Network
  • Andy Heyward (1949–), former chairman and CEO of DIC Entertainment, founder of Genius Brands International
  • Steven Hirsch (1961–), founder of Vivid Entertainment
  • Alan F. Horn (1943–), chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, former president and COO of Warner Bros., co-founder of Castle Rock Entertainment
  • Johnny Hyde (1895–1950), Russian-born talent agent, former vice-president of WMA, and known for developing the career of Marilyn Monroe
  • Bob Iger (1951–), media executive, CEO of the Walt Disney Company
  • Jeffrey Katzenberg (1950–), co-founder of DreamWorks, former chairman of Walt Disney Studios
  • Ryan Kavanaugh (1974–), co-founder of Relativity Media
  • Marc Klaw (1858–1936), former theatre owner and co-founder of the Theatrical Syndicate
  • Eugene V. Klein (1921–1990), chairman and chief stockholder of National General Corporation
  • Jon Klein, former president of CNN
  • John Kohn (1925–2002), former head of production for EMI
  • Steve Koonin (1957–), former president of Turner Broadcasting System
  • Kay Koplovitz (1945–), co-founder of USA Network
  • David Kramer (1968/1969–), co-president of United Talent Agency
  • Ynon Kreiz, American-Israeli media executive, co-founder of Fox Kids Europe, former chairman and CEO of Endemol, and Maker Studios, Inc.
  • Alex Kurtzman (1973–), (co-)founder of film and television production companies K/O Paper Products and Secret Hideout
  • Jeff Kwatinetz (1965–), COO of Cube Vision, founder of the Firm, Inc., co-founder of 3-on-3 basketball league Big3
  • Andrew Lack, chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, former chairman and CEO of Bloomberg News and Sony Music Entertainment
  • Carl Laemmle (1867–1939), German-born co-founder of Universal Pictures
  • Greg Lansky (1982–), French-American co-founder of adult film company Vixen Media Group
  • Abe Lastfogel (1898–1984), former long-time president of WMA
  • Norman Lear (1922–2023), co-founder of ELP Communications and Tandem Productions
  • Avi Lerner (1947–), Israeli-American co-founder of Nu Image and Millennium Films, co-owner of Bulgaria-based Nu Boyana Film Studios, Eastern Europe's largest film production studios
  • Gerald M. Levin (1939–), former executive at Time Warner, Inc. and HBO
  • Harvey Levin (1950–), founder of TMZ
  • Marcus Loew (1870–1927), founder of Loew's theater chain, co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
  • Michael Lynton (1960–), British-American former chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, chairman of Snap Inc.
  • Ted Mann (1916–2001), founder of Mann Theatres
  • Louis B. Mayer (1884–1957), Belarus-born co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Mike Medavoy (1941–), Chinese-born co-founder of Orion Pictures and Phoenix Pictures, former chairman of TriStar Pictures; member of the Medavoy family
  • Barry Meyer (1946–), former chairman of Warner Bros. Entertainment
  • Ronald Meyer (1944–), Vice chairman of NBCUniversal, former CEO of Universal Studios, co-founder of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
  • Lorne Michaels (1944–), Canadian-American founder of multimedia entertainment studio Broadway Video, creator of Saturday Night Live
  • Arnon Milchan (1944–), Israeli-American Hollywood mogul, founder of Regency Enterprises, co-founder of Summit Entertainment LLC; former Israeli spy
  • Harold (1907–1968), Marvin (1918–2002) and Walter Mirisch (1921–), founders of the Mirisch Company
  • Les Moonves (1949–), president and CEO of the CBS Corporation, former co-COO of Viacom, Inc.
  • Leslie Morgenstein, CEO of Alloy Entertainment
  • Neal H. Moritz (1959–), founder of Original Film
  • Larry Namer, co-founder of E!
  • Marc Nathanson (1945–), cable television pioneer, founder of Falcon Cable
  • James M. Nederlander (1922–2016), former chairman of the Nederlander Organization, one of the largest live theater owners in the U.S.; member of the Nederlander family
  • David Nevins (1966–), chairman of Showtime Networks (SNI) and CCO of the CBS Corporation
  • Mosheh Oinounou (1982–), executive producer of CBS Evening News
  • Noah Oppenheim (1977/1978–), president of NBC News
  • Tom Ortenberg (1960–), former CEO of Open Road Films, founder of distribution company Briarcliff Entertainment
  • Michael Ovitz (1946–), former president of Disney, co-founder of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
  • Amy Pascal (1958–), former co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment (stepped down due to 2014's Sony Pictures hack), founder of Pascal Pictures
  • Richard Plepler (1960–), former chairman and CEO of HBO
  • Eric Pleskow (1924–2019), Austrian-born media executive, president of United Artists, and co-founder of Orion Pictures
  • Henry G. Plitt (1918–1993), founder of the Plitt Theatres chain
  • Tom Pollock (1943–2020), co-founder of the Montecito Picture Company, former chairman of Universal Pictures
  • Steven Price (1962–), co-founder of Townsquare Media and minority owner of NBA's Atlanta Hawks
  • Gigi Pritzker (1962–), co-founder of MWM Studios (formerly known as OddLot Entertainment); member of the Pritzker family
  • Mark Rachesky (1960–), chairman of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.
  • Brett Ratner (1969–), co-founder of RatPac Entertainment
  • Shari Redstone (1954–), chairman of ViacomCBS
  • Sumner Redstone (1923–2020), media magnate, former chairman of Viacom and the CBS Corporation; majority owner of National Amusements, Inc.
  • Rob Reiner (1947–2025), co-founder of Castle Rock Entertainment
  • Burt Reinhardt (1920–2011), former president of CNN and co-founder of United Press International Television News
  • Charles Rivkin (1962–), CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), former CEO of the Jim Henson Company (a.k.a. Muppets, Inc.)
  • Henry C. Rogers (1914–1995), co-founder of Rogers & Cowan
  • Tom Rosenberg (1947/1948–), co-founder of the Lakeshore Entertainment Group
  • Michael S. Rosenfeld (1934–2010), co-founder of Creative Artists Agency.
  • David Rhodes (1973–), former president of CBS News, former head of Bloomberg Television North America
  • Rich Ross, former executive at Discovery Channel and CEO of Shine USA
  • Steve Ross (1927–1992), founder of Time Warner
  • Joe Roth, former chairman of 20th Century Fox, Caravan Pictures and the Walt Disney Studios, founder of Revolution Studios, co-founder of Morgan Creek Productions
  • Samuel Roxy Rothafel (1882–1936), former theatre owner and impresario
  • Tom Rothman (1954–), chairman of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
  • Haim Saban (1944–), Egypt-born Israeli-American media mogul, founder of Saban Entertainment and the Saban Capital Group, co-creator of Power Rangers
  • Josh Sapan (1951–), president and CEO of AMC Networks Inc.
  • David Sarnoff (1891–1971), Belarus-born founder of RKO Pictures and former general manager of RCA
  • James Schamus (1959–), co-founder of Good Machine (acquired by Universal in 2002), former CEO of Focus Features
  • Lou Scheimer (1928–2013), co-founder of Filmation
  • Joseph M. Schenck (1876–1961), co-founder of Twentieth Century Pictures and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (a.k.a. the Academy)
  • Leon Schlesinger (1884–1949), founder of Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.)
  • Reese Schonfeld (1931–2020), co-founder of CNN and pay-TV channel The Food Network
  • Josh Schwartz (1976–), co-founder of Fake Empire
  • Teddy Schwarzman (1979–), founder of Black Bear Pictures
  • Joseph Segel (1931–2019), founder of home shopping channel QVC and the Franklin Mint
  • David O. Selznick (1902–1965), founder of Selznick International Pictures
  • Neal Shapiro (1958–), president and CEO of WNET, former president of NBC News
  • Robert Shaye (1939–), founder of New Line Cinema
  • Sidney Sheinberg (1935–2019), former long-time executive at MCA Inc. and Universal Studios, founder of the Bubble Factory
  • Ben Sherwood (1964–), former co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of the Disney-ABC Television Group and ABC News
  • Alon Shtruzman, Israeli-American CEO of Keshet International
  • George Sidney (1916–2002), co-founder of Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc.
  • Joel Silver (1952–), founder of Silver Pictures and co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment
  • Ben Silverman (1970–), founder of Electus, former co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, chairman of entertainment production company Propagate
  • Fred Silverman (1937–2020), former president and CEO of NBC, founder of the Fred Silverman Company
  • Bryan Singer (1965–), founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions
  • Harry E. Sloan (1950–), former chairman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and the SBS Broadcasting Group
  • Jeff Smulyan (1947–), founder of Emmis Communications, and former owner of MLB's Seattle Mariners
  • Stacey Snider (1961–), former chairman of Universal Pictures, CEO of 20th Century Fox
  • Aaron Spelling (1923–2006), founder of Spelling Television Inc. (Beverly Hills, 90210) and co-founder of Spelling-Goldberg Productions
  • Mark Spiegler (1958/1959–), founder of Spiegler Girls, Inc.
  • Steven Spielberg (1946–), co-founder of DreamWorks and Amblin Entertainment
  • Ray Stark (1915–2004), founder of film production company Rastar (acquired by Columbia Pictures in 1974), co-founder of Seven Arts Productions
  • David Steiner, founder of Brooklyn-based Steiner Studios
  • Jay Sures (1966–), co-president of United Talent Agency
  • Larry Tanz, VP of Global Television at Netflix, former president and CEO of Vuguru and LivePlanet, co-founder of Agility Studios
  • Laurence Tisch (1923–2003), former CEO of CBS
  • Jeff Wachtel, president of Universal Cable Productions
  • Dana Walden (1964–), co-chair and co-CEO of Fox Broadcasting Company
  • Albert (1884–1967), Harry (1881–1951), Jack (1892–1978) and Sam Warner (1887–1927), founders of Warner Bros. (WB)
  • Lew Wasserman (1913–2002), former executive at MCA Inc.
  • Bob (1954–) and Harvey Weinstein (1952–), founders of Miramax Films (acquired by Disney in 1993) and the Weinstein Company (now Lantern Entertainment)
  • Jerry Weintraub (1937–2015), founder of the Weintraub Entertainment Group (WEG)
  • Tom Werner (1950–), co-founder of the Carsey-Werner Company and the Fenway Sports Group (owns MLB's Boston Red Sox, EPL's Liverpool F.C.)
  • Patrick Whitesell (1965–), media executive, co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor and the International Management Group (IMG)
  • Irwin Winkler (1931–), co-founder of Chartoff-Winkler Productions and Winkler Films
  • Mitchell Wolfson (1900–1983), co-founder of the Wolfson-Meyer Theater Company, and former Mayor of Miami Beach, Florida
  • Frank Yablans (1935–2014), president of Paramount Pictures
  • David Zaslav (1960–), president and CEO of Discovery, Inc., former executive at NBCUniversal
  • Strauss Zelnick (1957–), former chairman of CBS Corporation
  • Mike Zimring (1916–2011), senior agent at the William Morris Agency
  • Susan Zirinsky (1952–), president of CBS News
  • Jeff Zucker (1965–), chairman of WarnerMedia News & Sports, former CEO of NBCUniversal
  • Adolph Zukor (1873–1976), Austro-Hungarian-born film mogul, co-founder of Paramount Pictures

See also

  • Lists of Jewish Americans
      • in real estate
      • in retail