Craig Piligian (born August 25, 1957) is an American television producer, and the President and CEO of Pilgrim Films & Television. As an Executive Producer, he is best known for creating ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

'', ''

American Chopper ''American Chopper'' is an American reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. The series centers on Paul Teutul Sr. (frequently called ''Senior''), and his son Paul Teutul Jr. (also know ...

,'' and ''

Dirty Jobs ''Dirty Jobs'' is an American television series that originally aired on the Discovery Channel in which host Mike Rowe is shown performing difficult, strange, disgusting, or messy occupational duties alongside the job's current employees. The sho ...

'' series for

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

. In 2001, he won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

as co-executive producer of ''

Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...

''. In November 2003, Piligian began producing ''Dirty Jobs'', a series on the Discovery channel that focused on blue-collar jobs. The show ran for eight years and aired over 170 episodes. The show ended in 2012. In 2004, Piligian worked with

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

and

Lorenzo Fertitta Lorenzo Joseph Fertitta (born January 3, 1969) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is chairman of Fertitta Capital, director of Red Rock Resorts Inc, and former CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life and ...

to bring a reality show about mixed martial arts, called

, to television. The reality series followed sixteen fighters who lived in a house and competed for a

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

contract. In 2012, Piligian was ranked 18th on

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

's "50 Most Powerful List". In 2015, Lionsgate purchased a major stake in Piligian's Pilgrim Studios for $200 million. In March 2016, Piligian partnered with

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...

and

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...

to create '' The Runner'', an original series about mobile devices streaming on

go90 go90 was an American Internet television service and mobile app owned and operated by Verizon Communications. The service was positioned as a mobile-oriented "social entertainment platform" targeted primarily towards millennials, featuring a ...

. In 2018, Piligian worked with Roger Ross Williams to develop '' High on the Hog'', a docuseries depicting African American history through the lens of food, based on Dr. Jessica B. Harris’ book '' High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America.'' In April 2021, Piligian was named chair of Pilgrim Media Group and president. On January 18, 2025, at UFC 311, Piligian was officially announced as an inductee in the Contributor Wing of the 2025

UFC Hall of Fame The UFC Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors mixed martial artists and MMA personalities, established and maintained by the U.S.-based mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In a ...

Personal life

He is married to Lucinda Dickey; they have two children. In 2016, Piligian purchased a historical ranch property in Kansas for $5.325 million.

References

External links

*
Pilgrim Studios homepage
Living people Businesspeople from Michigan American television producers 1957 births {{US-tv-producer-stub