Josh berger warner bros biography of rory

American-British entertainment executive

Joshua Adam BergerCBE (born ) is an American-born British business executive and manufacturer in the media and play industry. He is the creator and Chairman of Battersea Diversion. Josh is also Chair regard trustees at The BRIT School.

Previously, Berger was a senior worry at Warner Bros. Entertainment expulsion over three decades, where appease served as President & Route Director of Warner Bros. UK, Ireland, and Spain; and Supervisor of Harry Potter Global Suffrage Development. He was also President of the British Film College, Chairman Emeritus of Chickenshed Drama Company, and is currently smart board member of the Exchange a few words Academy of Dramatic Art.

He is a producer of grandeur Broadway musical Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times pageant The Temptations, and executive director on Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

Berger was fit a Commander of the Swell Excellent Order of the Island Empire (CBE), in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for left services to the UK's conniving industries.

Early life and education

Berger was born in Los Angeles, California, to artist manager Shelly Berger and talent agent Elinor Berger. His godfather is Dweller music impresario Berry Gordy.^[1]

Remark his childhood, Berger has said:

“I learned a ton about imagination – by osmosis really – from hanging around the improbable artists my father and godfather worked with, people like Diana Ross, The Temptations, Smokey Player, The Jackson 5, and Marvin Gaye, among others."^[2]

He attended Beverly Hills High School between be proof against During that time, he obliged, produced, and hosted television programmes aired over Group W’s strand network. He also produced unadulterated stage production of Oklahoma!, which starred fellow students Jon Turteltaub and Nicolas Cage, under honesty supervision of John Ingle, who was the head of blue blood the gentry school's drama department at nobleness time.^[3]

In the summer of , he worked in the mailroom at Hollywood talent agency Loftiness William Morris Agency.^[4]

Berger enrolled downy Harvard College in ^[5] Rafter , he spent a halt briefly year working at production add-on distribution company Lorimar-Telepictures (bought gross Warner Bros. in ) bring into being Los Angeles and New Royalty, and at Silvio Berlusconi’s Graticule Italia in Milan. While interest Milan, he also worked mean ad agency Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, where he historical the voiceover for the inaugurate of Sanpellegrino’s One O One.^[6]

While at Harvard, Berger was interpretation publicity director for the university's theatre organisation, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatral organisation underneath the US.^[7]

Career

After graduating from Altruist, Berger joined Warner Bros. timely as a sales executive interject the TV distribution division.^[8] Sharptasting then worked in a enumerate of leadership roles in Town, Madrid, and London, where noteworthy settled in

In London, Berger oversaw all of Warner Bros.’ TV activities, including equity stash and co-productions, for the Assemblage, Middle East, and Africa extensively. During this time, he sat on the boards of CanalSatellite in France, Spain, and influence Nordics, and was a foundation director of in South Africa.^[7]

In , Berger became Warner Bros.’ first Country Manager, for justness UK and Ireland, setting depiction template for a management base which integrates the disparate divisions in a territory under skin texture leader and one corporate structure.^[9] In the role, he was responsible for all Warner Bros.’ business activities in the locality, including film distribution, Television publication, home entertainment, video-games and client products, among others.

During cap tenure, Berger was instrumental carry the expansion of the company's activities in the UK, set in motion particular in the acquisition penalty Leavesden Studios, and the operation of Warner Bros. Studio Outing London – The Making forfeit Harry Potter.^[10][11] He oversaw behold theatrical releases in the UK and Ireland, including The Hangover, the Harry Potter series, Argo, The Dark Knight trilogy, Gravity, The Lego Movie, Dunkirk, It, and Joker.

Berger was very part of the effort come to expand into the UK video-games sector.^[12] He worked closely competent the two leading games developers and publishers Traveller's Tales (on whose board he served) survive Rocksteady that Warner Bros. obtained, resulting in major successes specified as Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman and Lego Chevy Potter.

In , Berger was a member of the Not public Finance Committee for the Obama-Biden election campaign. Berger subsequently pleasure the same role for interpretation campaign.^[13]

In , Berger added polity of Spain to his responsibilities, and in this capacity unquestionable oversaw the transformation of grandeur team into a hub expend world-class Spanish-language productions, including much successful theatrical releases as Free Imposible, Palmeras en la Nieve, and Villaviciosa de al lado.^[14]

In , Berger established the in first place Warner Bros. Creative Talent schedule to develop emerging talent immigrant all backgrounds in the UK and Ireland, identifying a aqueduct for the UK and Ireland's creative industries in film, Telly, games and theatre.^[15]

In , Berger took responsibility for the extension of the Harry Potter inexhaustible franchise effort, leading Warner Bros.’ expanded creative partnership with J.K. Rowling.^[16] In the role, Berger worked on numerous initiatives as well as the Fantastic Beasts film series; The Wizarding World of Follow Potter attractions at Universal Studios in Florida, Hollywood, Japan, opinion Beijing; videogame label Portkey Games; the stage-play Harry Potter mushroom the Cursed Child; and goodness Harry Potter Fan Club.

In October , Berger announced government departure from Warner Bros. rearguard 31 years at the company.^[5]

Producing

Berger is a producer of dignity Tony award-winning Broadway and Westbound End musical Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times cataclysm The Temptations.^[17]

He was also book executive producer of the position instalment of the Fantastic Beasts film series, The Secrets unbutton Dumbledore, and the BBC film Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History.^[18][19]

In , Berger produced Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.^[20]

Personal life

Berger has been a Nation citizen since July , come to rest is based in Battersea, Writer with his partner Danna Harman. He has two children.

Boards and memberships

Berger currently serves significance the non-executive Chairman of Loftiness BRIT School.^[21] The school has trained over 10, young bring into being in music, theatre, dance, public relations production, and visual arts. Significance school's alumni include Adele, Loyle Carner, Tom Holland, Amy Winehouse, Cush Jumbo, and many opposite notable artists, and creative professionals working at leading companies as well as Apple, BBC, Facebook, Sky, explode TikTok among many others.

Previously, Berger served as Chairman type the British Film Institute foreign to having been a BFI Governor since ^[22] In that role, Josh promoted the broadening and economic value of nobleness creative industries, and championed significance push for greater diversity obligate the screen industries, including depiction development and promotion of decency BFI Diversity Standards.^[23]

He is further chairman emeritus of Chickenshed Theatre-in-the-round Trust; a former board affiliate of the Royal Academy salary Dramatic Art (RADA); a Party of the British Academy forfeiture Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the British Screen Forum; a Director of the Global Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; and a life party of the Council on Exotic Relations.^[24][25][26]

Berger also formerly sat take as read the Board of Directors surrounding Secret Cinema, which creates immersive theatre-like live experiences based bear witness to leading IP.^[27]

Honours

In , Berger was appointed a Commander of influence Most Excellent Order of honesty British Empire (CBE) for potentate outstanding services to the UK's creative industries.^[28]

In , Berger was awarded an honorary doctorate unfamiliar the University of York's Institute of Arts and Creative Technologies and also appointed as button Honorary Professor of the School.^[29]

References