Peter Iacono
Co-Founder & CEO
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Mr. Iacono is a global media executive - having served as a President of Sony Pictures Entertainment, President of Lionsgate Entertainment Corporation, and President & Managing Director of ITV (Britain’s largest commercial television network).
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During Iacono’s tenure at Lionsgate, the studio became known for The Hunger Games, The Twilight Saga, La La Land, Mad Men, Weeds, and Orange Is the New Black. For Sony Pictures, Mr. Iacono re-envisioned its global distribution, enabling the studio to create legendary franchises like Spiderman, Men in Black, and The Da Vinci Code, each redefining worldwide commercial success. With Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal, they re-booted and re-branded the James Bond franchise to global critical and commercial acclaim, introducing Daniel Craig to the world as the iconic “007”. Concurrently, Mr. Iacono launched Sony’s entertainment networks around the world.
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At Lionsgate, building the company's billion-dollar global sales and distribution business for nearly a decade, Iacono re-energized global acquisition, sales, marketing and distribution for its annual slates of television, and its catalogues of feature films consistently achieving double digit growth. As President of International Television and Digital Distribution, Mr. Iacono guided the worldwide television and distribution group’s leadership team to achieve revenues that rocketed the company’s stock price from $6 a share to a high of $40 a share.
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Iacono spearheaded the international launch and global expansion of Starz / Starz Play (Lionsgate’s premium pay television network and streaming platform) across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East as well as the studio’s network interests across Asia.
Career
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Iacono began his media career as a senior financial analyst in domestic television distribution at The Walt Disney Company and later as a co-head of the Strategic Planning Group at Warner Bros., launching The WB Television Network (which later became The CW) and The Warner Stores.
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In his 12-year career at Sony Pictures, Iacono ultimately became acting president for feature film production from 2006 to 2008. Previously, Iacono oversaw the global distribution of Sony and MGM's catalogues and expansion into international networks.
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A media innovator, Mr. Iacono spearheaded Sony’s launch into international television production securing production commitments for local dramas in the UK, Italy, Germany, Latin America, Australia, and Asia. Iacono also led Sony’s expansion into international networks acquiring interests in pay television networks in Latin America, Asia, Australia, and Central Europe as well as guiding the launch of Sony’s basic television networks in Asia, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe. Additionally, Iacono sat on the board of HBO Ole (Latin America), HBO Asia, Showtime Australia, and Showtime Middle East.
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Iacono was appointed to ITV Worldwide by Dawn Airey in January 2008, as part of a series of initiatives to target doubling content revenues to £1.2 billion. He served as the President and Managing Director, overseeing sales, distribution, merchandising, publishing, licensing and the merger of Granada International and Granada Ventures to become ITV Global Entertainment. He represented ITV Studios with a portfolio that included Coronation Street, Gordon Ramsay’s Hell's Kitchen, Prime Suspect, and The Prisoner. Additionally, Mr. Iacono created ITV’s first international network in the Fall of 2008 with the launch of the pan-Asian service “Granada TV”.
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Early in his tenure as the president of international television for Lionsgate, Iacono orchestrated the move of Mad Men from the BBC to BSkyB in the UK – an unprecedented deal landing on the cover of the Financial Times. At MIPTV in Cannes, Iacono presented Lionsgate's new slate in the Grand Auditorium of the Palais des Festivals in 2017 to great acclaim. Iacono noted the importance of market nuances for presenting shows to foreign markets at MIPTV in 2018; his interview by Anna Carugati was featured in World Screen Newsflash.
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Renowned in the entertainment industry for both his expertise and as an arbiter of fair play with a profound understanding of the delicate balance between studios and creative talent, Mr. Iacono was called upon to facilitate the $71 billion merger between 20th Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company. Specifically, he spearheaded multi-billion dollar accords with creative talent and broadcasters worldwide, enabling the global streaming platform Disney+ to launch with key Fox franchises such as The Simpsons.
Most recently, he announced the September 2021 launch of a new App: a global cultural guide/ entertainment and e-commerce platform, of which he is a Co-Founder, and CEO.
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Mr. Iacono is a twenty-year member of the Academy of Television of Arts & Sciences and for a decade served on the board of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Early Life and Education
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Iacono received his B.S. from Johns Hopkins University at the top of his class, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, also at the top of his class. And on a personal and whimsical note, he was concurrently accepted to Yale Medical School and Booth School of Business, but with his love for media he ultimately chose business school.
Both his mother and father were born in Italy. Iacono's family maintains a house in Milan and estates in Sicily. Though born in America, Iacono maintains strong ties to his Italian roots visiting often and overseeing the family’s properties.
Philanthropy
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Iacono and his partner of 23 years, Manfred Flynn Kuhnert, are active philanthropists, both especially passionate about the non-profit organization Save Venice Inc. (since their involvement began with the charity in 2006). Save Venice restores more art and architecture in Venice than all other entities and world governments combined.