Peter Guber
Howard Peter Guber ( born March 2, 1942 in Newton, Massachusetts) is an American film producer.
Guber has over thirty years an influential person in the entertainment industry and is currently Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment. Rain Man, Batman, The Color Purple, 12 clock at night - Midnight Express, Gorillas in the Mist, The Witches of Eastwick, Missing and Flashdance are among the films that Guber personally produced or executive produced, and the world together more than 3 have recorded billions of U.S. dollars and received more than 50 Oscar nominations.
Career
Columbia Pictures
Guber began his career in 1968 at Columbia Pictures, while he worked at the Graduate School of Business, New York University on his MBA. Within three years, he worked his way up to the studio 's CEO. During his time at the head of Columbia had box-office successes with films such as Shampoo, Taxi Driver, Tommy and Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Casablanca Filmworks
Guber founded in 1975 his own production company, which he called simply Filmworks; he merged in 1976 with the founded by his longtime friend Neil Bogart Casablanca Records label for company Casablanca Record & Filmworks. The connection between the two companies came about through the fact that Guber of the company profits from a contract for five films that he had signed with Columbia, assured. In return, he received 20 % of the company shares. He was Chairman of the company and head of the division Casablanca Filmworks. Around the same time as the merger of PolyGram company had entered in Casablanca and had taken over 50 % of the shares of Neil Bogart.
His career as an independent film producer began in 1977 with The Deep, one of the biggest box office hits of all time for Columbia. His next film, Midnight Express ( 1978), received in 1979 seven Oscar nominations, including in the category " Best Film", and was awarded two Oscars, namely for Best Adapted Screenplay ( Oliver Stone) and Best Original Score ( Giorgio Moroder ). The film also won a Golden Globe for best film, in addition Guber was honored by the National Association of Theatre Owners Producer of the Year.
During this time, Guber also produced some television shows, including Mysteries of the Sea, a two-hour special for the ABC.
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and the Guber - Peters Company ( GBC)
Guber founded in 1979 the company PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, took over as PolyGram Casablanca Record & Filmworks and the Department Filmworks dissolved. He was Chairman of the Board and CEO and brought his new partner Jon Peters with the company. Peters and he was from May 1980 initially also a partner in the company Boardwalk Entertainment Corporation, the Neil Bogart had formed after his departure from Casablanca, but increased in the summer of 1980 again.
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment produced some commercially unsuccessful films like heroes of the road ( grossing in the U.S.: $ 2 million ), Endless Love (1981, grossing $ 15 million ), or escape on the highway, as well as missing persons (1982).
About Escape on Highway ( Original title: Pursuit of DB Cooper), whose plot revolved around a 1971 actually took place hijacking and the spectacular escape of the perpetrator with a parachute and $ 200,000 loot, wrote the magazine Variety: The film is undoubtedly an attempt by the security authorities, the Skyjacker to drive them out of his hiding place, he will, if he has seen this crap, certainly resurface to sue someone.
Guber sold his share to PolyGram in 1983 and co-founded the company with Jon Peters Guber - Peters Company ( GBC).
Sony Pictures
GPC 1988 merged with the production company Barris Industries, and on 6 September 1989, Barris Industries renamed Guber - Peters Entertainment Company. On 29 September 1989 GPEC was bought by Sony Corporation, and Guber has been Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Pictures Entertainment (now Sony Pictures Entertainment). While Gubers time in SPE the company built their lead on the half-hour comedy series. Among the shows included Seinfeld, Married with Children, Designing Women ( German title: man must not be) and The Nanny, also were Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune reactivated.