Robert Bruce Simonds Jr. (born 1964) is an American film producer, entrepreneur, and the founder & chairman of

STX Entertainment STX Entertainment is an American independent entertainment and media company. Founded in March 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds and TPG Growth managing partner Bill McGlashan, the studio produces film, television, and digital media projec ...

, which creates, produces, distributes, finances, and markets film (as STXfilms), television (as STXtelevision), digital media (as STXdigital), and live events as well as virtual reality (as STXsurreal). According to ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' in its first four years, Simonds more than tripled the company's valuation to an estimated US$3.5 billion.Wayne Ma and Julie Steinberg
"'Bad Moms' Movie Studio Plans Hong Kong IPO,"
''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', September 27, 2017.Anita Busch
"STX To Launch IPO On Hong Kong Stock Exchange In 2018,"
Deadline.com, September 27, 2017. In September 2017, it was reported that STX was close to an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investm ...

on the

Hong Kong Stock Exchange The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (, SEHK, also known as Hong Kong Stock Exchange) is a stock exchange based in Hong Kong. It is one of the largest stock exchanges in Asia and the List of major stock exchanges, 9th largest globally by market ...

(SEHK), and in April 2018, the company announced it had filed for an IPO.David Ng
"STX Entertainment files for planned IPO in Hong Kong,"
''Los Angeles Times'', April 26, 2018. In October 2018, it was announced that STX would not go through with the IPO, as political and market conditions had changed. Prior to working at STX, Simonds was an independent film producer whose over 30 films have generated more than $6 billion in worldwide box office revenue.
/ref> Simonds is reported to have a net worth of $800 million.

Early life and education

Simonds was born in Phoenix, the son of Robert Bruce Simonds Sr., a businessman. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

."Robert Simonds Jr., Anne Biondi"
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', September 19, 1999.

Producing

From 1990 to 2023, Simonds has produced, executive produced, or financed over 125 globally distributed star-driven films, generating over $11 billion in worldwide revenue. His credits include the

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...

films ''

Billy Madison ''Billy Madison'' is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Tamra Davis, written by Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds. The film stars Sandler in the title role, alongside Bradley Whitford, Bridgette Wilson, Darren McGav ...

'', ''

Happy Gilmore ''Happy Gilmore'' is a 1996 American sports comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, produced by Robert Simonds, and starring Adam Sandler in the title role, with Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen and Carl Weathers. The film follows the namesak ...

'', ''

The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells th ...

'', '' Big Daddy'' and ''

The Waterboy ''The Waterboy'' is a 1998 American sports comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It was written by Adam Sandler as well as Tim Herlihy and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. Sandler also stars as the title character while Kathy Ba ...

''; ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bes ...

'', and ''

The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the fil ...

'' which stars

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

. He also produced '' This Means War'' with

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning actress

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Reese Witherspoon, various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Aw ...

and Tom Hardy, '' The Gentlemen'' with

-winning actor

Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He achieved his breakthrough with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first su ...

, ''

The Upside ''The Upside'' is a 2017 American comedy drama film directed by Neil Burger, written by Jon Hartmere. It is a remake of the French 2011 film ''The Intouchables'', which was itself inspired by the lives of Abdel Sallou and Philippe Pozzo di Bor ...

'' with

-nominated actor

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...

, ''

Bad Moms ''Bad Moms'' is a 2016 American comedy film directed and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Jay Hernandez, Annie Mumolo, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Chri ...

'', ''

Molly's Game ''Molly's Game'' is a 2017 American biographical film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin (in his directorial debut), based on the 2014 memoir by Molly Bloom. It stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Str ...

'' with

-winning actress

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in projects with Feminism, feminist themes, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Jessica Chastain, various ...

, '' The Foreigner'', '' Hustlers'', ''

The Mauritanian ''The Mauritanian'' is a 2021 legal drama film based on the memoir of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held from 2002 to 2016 without charge in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, a United States military prison. The film was dire ...

'' with

-winning actress

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...

, ''

My Son My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Marke ...

'', '' Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre'', ''

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant ''Guy Ritchie's The Covenant'' (or simply ''The Covenant'') is a 2023 American action drama film co-written, produced and directed by Guy Ritchie. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim. Its plot follows John Kinley, a U.S. Army Gree ...

'' with

-nominated actor

Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal ( , ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor who has worked on screen and stage for over thirty years. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi ...

, ''

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

'' with

-nominated actor

Adam Driver Adam Douglas Driver (born November 19, 1983) is an American actor, recognized for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers. Driver made his film debut in ''J. Edgar'' (2011) and played supporting roles in ''Lincoln (film), Lincoln'' (2012), '' ...

and

-winning actress

Penelope Cruz Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and Asterodia. Penelope is known for he ...

, '' My Spy: The Eternal City'', ''

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

'', and '' Greenland: Migration''. Simonds has produced a number of highly-profitable

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

s including ''

Joe Dirt ''Joe Dirt'' is a 2001 American adventure comedy film, directed by Dennie Gordon (in her feature film directorial debut), starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Adam Beach, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly ...

'' and ''

Half Baked ''Half Baked'' is a 1998 American stoner film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams, and Guillermo Díaz. The film was directed by Tamra Davis, co-written by Chappelle and Neal Brennan and produced by Robert Simonds. ''Half ...

''.

STX Entertainment

Formation

In 2012, Simonds and Bill McGlashan, founder and managing partner of private equity firm

TPG Growth TPG Inc., previously known as Texas Pacific Group and TPG Capital, is an American private equity firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. TPG manages investment funds in growth capital, venture capital, public equity, and debt investments. The firm inv ...

, began conceptualizing and building a film, television and multimedia company that would make, market and distribute star-driven, commercial content to be distributed worldwide.Anita Busch
"Is This Hollywood’s Next Major Studio? Bob Simonds & TPG Growth’s Venture Fully Financed, JP Morgan Says; Hiring, Deals To Start In Earnest,"
''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...

'', March 13, 2014.Tad Friend
"The Mogul of the Middle,"
''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', January 11, 2016. In 2014,

was formally launched with financing led by TPG Growth, and the company later secured investments from Chinese private equity firm

Hony Capital Hony Capital is a Chinese private equity firm, owned by Legend Holdings. Legend Holdings provided Hony, a pioneer in China's private equity industry, with its start-up capital. Hony has about US$10 billion under management. Hony also invests in o ...

and other individuals including

Gigi Pritzker Gigi Pritzker (born 27 July 1962) is an American billionaire and film producer who is a member of the Pritzker family. Pritzker is co-founder of the film production and financing company Odd Lot Entertainment, producing several films including ' ...

and William "Beau" Wrigley, Jr. II.Anita Bush
"Is This Hollywood's Next Major Studio?"
''Deadline Hollywood'', March 13, 2014. Serving as chairman and CEO of STX, Simonds hired entertainment industry veterans to build his executive team including former Viacom Entertainment Group COO

Thomas B. McGrath Thomas Berard McGrath (born 1956) is an American media executive. He is the chairman of Crossroads Media, a company which invests in live and location-based entertainment on a global scale. He was formerly the Chairman of Crossroads Live, a glob ...

and former CEO of Crest Animation Noah Fogelson. Former

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

chairman Adam Fogelson and former

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

and

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

production and marketing chief Oren Aviv were also added to the team.

Discovery Communications Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media factual television conglomerate based in New York City. Established in 1982, the company operated a group of factual and lifestyle television brands, such as the namesake Discovery Cha ...

' former CFO Andrew Warren and former

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

and

Condé Nast Condé Nast () is a global mass media company founded in 1909 by Condé Nast (businessman), Condé Montrose Nast (1873–1942) and owned by Advance Publications. Its headquarters are located at One World Trade Center in the FiDi, Financial Dis ...

communications head Patricia Röckenwagner later also joined. The company has multiple divisions: film (STXfilms), which includes animation and family content; television (STXtelevision), which includes scripted and unscripted content; and digital media (STXdigital); along with an international partnership and distribution arm headquartered in London (STXinternational). In 2016, the company received additional investment from Chinese Internet company

Tencent Tencent Holdings Ltd. ( zh, s=腾讯, p=Téngxùn) is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology Conglomerate (company), conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimed ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

-based telecommunications company

PCCW PCCW Limited (formerly known as Pacific Century CyberWorks Limited) is a Hong Kong–based information and communication technology (ICT) and telecommunications company. The company is the major owner of telecommunications company HKT Limited, ...

, and

East West Bank East West Bank is an American bank that is the primary subsidiary of East West Bancorp. It is the largest publicly traded bank headquartered in Southern California. The company has been ranked the #1 performing U.S. bank with more than $10 billi ...

's chairman and CEO

Dominic Ng Dominic Ng (born 1959) is an American banker. He has been the CEO of Los Angeles–based East West Bank since 1992, and chairman and CEO since 1998, transforming it from a savings and loan association into an international banking company. Ng i ...

.Ryan Faughnder
"STX Entertainment secures funding from China's Tencent and PCCW,"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', August 11, 2016. In 2017, the world's largest international television and broadband company

Liberty Global Liberty Global Ltd. is a British-Dutch-American multinational telecommunications company domiciled in Bermuda, with headquarters in London, Amsterdam and Denver. Its respective legal names are Liberty Global Holdings Limited (UK), Liberty Glo ...

invested an undisclosed amount in the company. Funds from that round of financing will be used to continue to build STX Entertainment's TV division, further expand internationally and potentially make acquisitions. In March 2019, STX raised $700 million in new capital, in a round led by TPG Growth and Hony Capital, to help STX release more films, expand its TV business, and pursue acquisitions. STX Entertainment's Board of Directors is composed of investors and industry veterans including: Simonds, David Bonderman (founding partner of

TPG Capital TPG Inc., previously known as Texas Pacific Group and TPG Capital, is an American private equity firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. TPG manages investment funds in growth capital, venture capital, public equity, and debt investments. The firm in ...

), John Zhao (CEO of

), Gigi Pritzker (founder of

MWM Studios MWM (formerly known as Madison Wells Media) is an American diversified entertainment company. Founded by Gigi Pritzker and Clint Kisker in 2015, MWM produces film, television, live theater, podcasts, and interactive experiences. History Pritzk ...

), Janice Lee (managing director of PCCW Media Group), Tracy Cui (managing director of Hony Capital),

Frank Biondi Frank Joseph Biondi Jr. (January 9, 1945 – November 25, 2019) was an American businessman and entertainment executive, who held leadership roles at Viacom, Universal Pictures, and HBO. Early life and education Biondi was born in New York C ...

(former president and CEO of

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...

and former chairman and CEO of

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

; senior managing director of WaterView Advisors),

(chairman and CEO of

), Carmen Chang (chairman of

New Enterprise Associates New Enterprise Associates (NEA) is an American-based venture capital firm. NEA focuses investment stages ranging from seed stage through growth stage across an array of industry sectors. With over $25 billion in committed capital, NEA is one of t ...

), and Bruce Mann (chief programming officer of

STXfilms

When STX was launched the film division of the company focused its efforts on creating a new model. Rather than pursuing the traditional distribution process the company secured direct distribution agreements with North American theater chains

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

, Regal,

Cinemark Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (stylized as CineMark from 1998 until 2022 and in all caps since 2022) is an American movie theater chain that started operations in 1977 and since then it has operated theaters with hundreds of locations throughout the A ...

, Goodrich,

Marcus Theatres The Marcus Corporation is an American publicly held company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company operates two principal divisions: Marcus Theatres and Marcus Hotels and Resorts. History Marcus Corporation was founded on Novembe ...

, and

Carmike Cinemas Carmike Cinemas, Inc. was an American motion picture exhibitor headquartered in Columbus, Georgia. As of March 2016, the company had 276 theaters with 2,954 screens in 41 states, and was the fourth largest movie theater chain in the United State ...

. In early 2015, the company signed a multi-year television output agreement to release films exclusively to

Showtime Networks Showtime Networks, Inc. is a subsidiary of American media conglomerate Paramount Global under its networks division that oversees the company's premium cable television channels, including its flagship namesake service. Overview The compan ...

and its multiplex channels

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

TMC TMC may stand for: Companies and brands *Thinking Machines Corporation, a defunct supercomputer company *Toyota Motor Corporation, a Japanese automobile manufacturer *Toshiba Memory Corporation * Trans Mountain Corporation *Transportation Manageme ...

and

Flix Flix may refer to: __NOTOC__ Computing * Flix (programming language), a functional programming language * South Florida Internet Exchange (FL-IX) * Flix, a video encoding and publishing software from On2 Technologies Entertainment * Flix ( ...

, covering STX theatrical releases through 2019. In April 2015, the company entered a multi-year partnership with

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment LLC (UPHE) is the home video distribution division of Universal Pictures, an American film studio owned by NBCUniversal, the entertainment unit of Comcast. UPHE is the home video distributor for all of the ...

for Universal to handle marketing, sales and distribution services for Blu-ray, DVD and VOD platforms for STX theatrical titles in North America. That same month, STXfilms closed a three-year slate deal with

Huayi Brothers Huayi Brothers Media Corp. () is a Chinese multinational entertainment company that owns a film studio, a television production company, a talent agency, a record label, entertainment theme parks, and a movie theater chain founded in Beijing ...

, one of China's largest film studios, enabling the companies to co-produce and co-distribute 12 to 15 films annually. In 2015, STXfilms acquired its first film at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

, purchasing the worldwide rights to '' Hardcore Henry'' for $10 million USD. In January 2017, STXfilms signed a three-year marketing and distribution agreement with

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French filmmaker. He directed and produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), '' The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Associated with the '' Cinéma du look'' film movement, he h ...

's EuropaCorp Films USA to release their upcoming slate of films. STXfilms projects have included ''

''; ''

I Feel Pretty "I Feel Pretty" is a song written by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein from the 1957 musical ''West Side Story''. Production ''The New York Times'' explained that "Mr. Sondheim…has said he was never particularly fond of his lyrics in 'Wes ...

''; and ''

Gringo ''Gringo'' (, , ) (masculine) or ''gringa'' (feminine) is a term in Spanish and Portuguese for a foreigner. In Spanish, the term usually refers to English-speaking Anglo-Americans. There are differences in meaning depending on region and country ...

'' with

Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...

; '' The Gift'', written, co-produced and directed by

Joel Edgerton Joel Edgerton (born 23 June 1974) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is known for his portrayal of Will McGill on the first two seasons of the Australian drama series'' The Secret Life of Us'' (2001–02), and for playing Owen Lars in t ...

; ''

The Edge of Seventeen ''The Edge of Seventeen'' is a 2016 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, in her directorial debut. The film stars Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, and Haley Lu Richardson. The ...

''; '' The Foreigner'' starring

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

; and ''

Secret in Their Eyes ''Secret in Their Eyes'' is a 2015 thriller film written and directed by Billy Ray and a remake of the 2009 Argentine film of the same name, both based on the novel ''La pregunta de sus ojos'' by Eduardo Sacheri. A co-production between the U ...

'' starring

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

and

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles across various genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and three Golden Globe Award ...

; '' The Boy''; and ''

Free State of Jones Jones County is in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,246. Its county seats are Laurel and Ellisville. Jones County is part of the Laurel micropolitan area. History Less t ...

'' starring

. STXfilms announced ''

The Happytime Murders ''The Happytime Murders'' is a 2018 American adult puppet buddy cop crime comedy film directed by Brian Henson and written by Todd Berger from a story by Berger and Dee Austin Robertson. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Bill Barretta, Joel McHal ...

'' starring

Melissa McCarthy Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Melissa McCarthy, numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Award ...

and the film was released on August 24, 2018; a scrapped romantic comedy which was to be developed by and star

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime ...

; and '' Second Act'', a romantic comedy starring

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

and directed by

Peter Segal Peter Segal (born 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Segal has directed the comedic films '' Naked Gun : The Final Insult'' (1994), '' Tommy Boy'' (1995), '' My Fellow Americans'' (1996), '' The Nutty Profess ...

that came out December 21, 2018.

STXtelevision

In 2014, the television division’s first project was the 13-episode series '' State of Affairs'', starring

Katherine Heigl Katherine Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and model. She portrayed Izzie Stevens, Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role that b ...

and

Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...

, which was sold to

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

. In 2015, STXtelevision produced the NBC pilot ''Problem Child'', based on the 1990 film of the same name. In April 2016, the STXtelevision Chinese variety show ''

Number One Surprise ''Number One Surprise'' is a Chinese comedy variety show television series developed by Jason Goldberg and produced by STXtelevision and XG Entertainment. It premiered on Hunan TV, Mango TV and PPTV PPTV () is a Chinese video streaming web ...

'' premiered on

Hunan TV Hunan Television or Hunan TV () is a state-owned provincial satellite TV station launched on September 29, 1970. It is currently China's second-most-watched television channel, second to China Central Television's CCTV-1, although Hunan TV has oc ...

, and became the #1 show in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

with over 1 billion total views. In May 2017, STXtelevision announced it had acquired the first TV project from

Kevin Kwan Kevin Kwan (born ) is a Singaporean-born American novelist and writer of satirical novels ''Crazy Rich Asians'', '' China Rich Girlfriend'', and '' Rich People Problems''. His latest book, '' Lies and Weddings'', was released in June 2024. In ...

, author of ''

Crazy Rich Asians ''Crazy Rich Asians'' is a 2018 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, based on the 2013 novel by Kevin Kwan. The film stars Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Lis ...

''. In November 2017, STXtelevision announced ''

Valley of the Boom ''Valley of the Boom'' (stylized as ''Valley_of_the_BOOM'') is an American docudrama television miniseries created by Matthew Carnahan that premiered on January 13, 2019, on National Geographic. The series centers on the 1990s tech boom and bu ...

'', a docudrama about the 1990s tech boom from showrunner and director

Matthew Carnahan Matthew McNair Carnahan (born February 6, 1961) is an American producer, writer, and director. Career ''Valley of the Boom'', about the 1990s Silicon Valley technology boom and bust, is a six-part American docudrama television miniseries, cre ...

and executive producer

Arianna Huffington Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington (; , ; born July 15, 1950) is a Greek American author, syndicated columnist and businesswoman. She is a co-founder of ''HuffPost'', the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of fifteen books. She ha ...

, set to air on

NatGeo ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

. STXtelevision produced season 23 of ''

True Life ''True Life'' is an American Television documentary, documentary television series that aired on MTV from March 31, 1998 to June 21, 2017. Each episode follows a particular topic, such as heroin addiction as in the first episode – "Fatal Dose". ...

'', which aired on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

in 2017. In February 2018, Fox and STXtelevision announced it is developing an unscripted series based on STXfilms' ''

''. In October 2018, STXtv received a pilot order from

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

for ''The Edge of Seventeen'', based on the film of the same name released by STXfilms in 2016.

STXdigital

In August 2016, STXdigital acquired

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

(VR) studio Surreal, renaming it STXsurreal. Founded in 2015, in its first year Surreal produced over 70 immersive VR experiences. In June 2017, STXsurreal announced a partnership with media services agency Horizon Media to develop and produce VR and immersive content for the brand's new UNCVR unit. In 2018, STXsurreal announced a slate of original projects including ''The Limit'', a live-action, short-form series from

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...

and starring

Michelle Rodriguez Mayte Michelle Rodríguez (born July 12, 1978) is an American actress. She began her career in 2000, playing a troubled boxer in the independent sports drama film ''Girlfight'' (2000), where she won the Independent Spirit Awards, Independent S ...

; ''New Tricks'', directed and produced by

Ed Helms Edward Parker Helms (born January 24, 1974) is an American actor, musician and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sit ...

;Anita Busch
"STXSurreal Unveils Development Slate With Ed Helms, Dave Bautista, Peter Berg, And Kevin Smith’s ‘Jay And Silent Bob’,"
Deadline.com, April 4, 2018. and ''The Kiev Exchange'', a spinoff of STXfilms' ''

Mile 22 ''Mile 22'' is a 2018 American Spy film, espionage action thriller film directed by Peter Berg and written by Lea Carpenter, from a story by Carpenter and Graham Roland. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Iko Uwais, John Malkovich, Lauren Cohan, and R ...

''. In December 2017, it was announced that STXdigital acquired the exclusive Chinese distribution rights to

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' (''NYRE''), billed since 2008 as ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest'', is a New Year's Eve television special broadcast by American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The special broadcasts ...

from

Dick Clark Productions Dick Clark Productions, LLC (DCP, stylized in lowercase as dick clark productions or dcp) is an American multinational television production company founded by radio and TV host Dick Clark. The studio primarily produces Awards ceremony, award sh ...

(dcp), along with the Chinese distribution rights to the

2018 Golden Globes The 75th Golden Globe Awards honored film and American television of 2017, and was broadcast live on January 7, 2018, from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST by NBC. This Golden ...

broadcast from dcp and the

Hollywood Foreign Press Association The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) was a nonprofit organization of journalists and photographers who reported on the American entertainment industry for predominantly foreign media markets. It is best known for founding and conduc ...

. STXdigital and

partnered to broadcast both shows on

Tencent Video Tencent Video ( zh, s=腾讯视频, p=Téngxùn Shìpín, also called WeTV outside of China) is a Chinese video streaming website owned by Tencent, launched in April 2011. As of October 2022, Tencent Video has 120 million paid subscribers, maki ...

. In January 2018, the companies announced they would also co-produce a live Chinese-language Golden Globes red carpet pre-show, to air live with the telecast.

STXinternational

In April 2016, a dedicated international division (STXinternational) opened. Headquartered in London, the division is led by former

Film4 Film4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, dedicated to broadcasting films. The standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesa ...

head David Kosse. The division launched with a slate of six films that included

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in ''The Lo ...

's directorial debut '' Breathe'' (which opened the 2017

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...

), '' Home Again'' starring

, and '' Wind River'' starring

Jeremy Renner Jeremy Lee Renner (born January 7, 1971) is an American actor. He began his career by appearing in independent films such as ''Dahmer (film), Dahmer'' (2002) and ''Neo Ned'' (2005), then supporting roles in bigger films, such as ''S.W.A.T. (20 ...

and

Elizabeth Olsen Elizabeth Chase Olsen (born February 16, 1989) is an American actress. She gained worldwide recognition for her portrayal of Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise, including in '' Avengers: Age of Ult ...

. Additional titles on the STXinternational slate include

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

's ''

All the Money in the World All or ALL may refer to: عرص Biology and medicine * Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer * Anterolateral ligament, a ligament in the knee * ''All.'', taxonomic author abbreviation for Carlo Allioni (1728–1804), Italian physician and pro ...

'',

Morten Tyldum Morten Tyldum (; born 19 May 1967) is a Norwegian film director. He is best known in his native Norway for directing the thriller film '' Headhunters'' (2011), based on the novel by Jo Nesbø, and internationally for directing the historical dram ...

's ''The Marsh King's Daughter'', and Bart Layton's ''

American Animals ''American Animals'' is a 2018 docudrama heist film written and directed by Bart Layton. Starring Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, and Ann Dowd, it is an account of the Transylvania University book heist which took pl ...

''; and titles from the main STXfilms slate. In March 2019, John Friedberg was named president of STXinternational.

Accolades

In 2014, Simonds was featured as one of Hollywood's top dealmakers in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine's Dealmakers Impact Report for his work at STX. ''

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 ...

'' has named Simonds one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Entertainment in each of their annual rankings through 2018, since first publishing them in 2016. In 2017, ''Variety'' featured Simonds on their first annual Variety500: Entertainment Leaders and Icons list. He made the list again in 2018.

Personal life

While attending Yale Simonds dated actress

Jennifer Beals Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963) is an American actress. She made her film debut in ''My Bodyguard'' (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her performance as Alexandra Owens in ''Flashdance'' (1983), for which she won NAACP Image ...

. Simonds married Anne Biondi in 1999, and the couple live in Los Angeles with their son and four daughters. About 2010 Simonds bought a house at

Mulholland Estates Mulholland Estates is a guard gated community in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California, US. It is named after pioneering Los Angeles civil engineer William Mulholland. Although properties in the estate have a 90210 ZIP code and th ...

for $4.7 million.

Filmography

As producer

As executive producer

Television

As executive producer

References

External links

*
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Blue Ribbon Committee

Nuverra Environmental Solutions Board of Directors

''Q&A With William McGlashan and Robert Simonds'' Worth August/September 2014

National Academy of Sciences Water Sciences & Technology Board Members
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simonds, Robert Living people Businesspeople from Phoenix, Arizona Yale University alumni STX Entertainment American film studio executives Film producers from Arizona 1964 births Mass media people from Phoenix, Arizona