Career History

Chairman. CEO. Studio Chief. Executive. Producer.

"Taking a risk
SHOULD ALWAYS INCLUDE
being certain there’s enough water in the fire hydrant."

Studio Chief – Columbia Pictures

Peter Guber was recruited by Columbia Pictures while pursuing an MBA degree at New York University’s Graduate School of Business. Within three years, he became Studio Chief. During his tenure at the creative helm, Columbia released critically acclaimed box office hits such as Shampoo, The Last Detail, Tommy, The Way We Were, Taxi Driver and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

 

Co-Founder – Casablanca Records

Peter Guber resigned from Columbia and co-founded Casablanca Record and Filmworks with Neil Bogart. Their record operation included KISS, Donna Summer, Captain and Tennille, The Village People and Parliament with George Clinton. The company produced some of the most successful soundtracks of all time including Endless Love, Flashdance and the Academy Award winning Midnight Express.

Independent Producer

Peter Guber launched his career as an independent film producer with The Deep. His next film, Midnight Express, earned seven Academy Award nominations, including “Best Picture,” a Golden Globe for “Best Picture” and a place in film history, with the National Association of Theater Owners naming him “Producer of the Year.”

The Deep and Midnight Express Movies produced by Peter Guber

PolyGram Entertainment

Peter Guber founded PolyGram Entertainment where he was Chairman of the Board and CEO.

He established a major presence in motion pictures, television and music by producing his own personal box office hits that included Rain Man, Batman, The Color Purple, Gorillas in the Mist, Missing, The Witches of Eastwick, Flashdance, Tango & Cash, and An American Werewolf in London.

The films directly produced and executive produced by Peter Guber have earned more than $3 billion in worldwide revenue and more than 50 Academy Award nominations, including five times for “Best Picture.”

Sony Pictures

Peter Guber’s company was acquired by Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) where he became Chairman of the Board and CEO. During his tenure, SPE’s Motion Picture Group achieved over four years an industry-best domestic box office market share, which averaged seventeen percent. During the 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.

Sony Pictures and Loews Cineplex Logos

SPE’s motion picture business was propelled by an string of successes, which included City Slickers, Awakenings, Misery, Terminator 2, Boyz n the Hood, Basic Instinct, A League of Their Own, A Few Good Men, Sleepless in Seattle, In the Line of Fire, Groundhog Day, Cliffhanger, and Philadelphia.

Under Peter Guber’s leadership, SPE re-framed its entire Loews exhibition circuit and introduced the concept of an IMAX theater and films integrated into the building of the extraordinary large multi-plex theaters. Peter Guber acquired for Sony the Magic Johnson Theatres and began an ongoing twenty-year business relationship with Magic Johnson.

Mandalay Entertainment Logo

Mandalay & Beyond

After leaving Sony as CEO, Peter Guber formed Mandalay Entertainment Group, a multi-media venture in motion pictures and television. The company soon expanded into professional sports, sports entertainment, and digital media.