Alan F. Horn

Last updated
Alan F. Horn
AlanHorn.jpg
Born
Alan Frederick Horn

(1943-02-28) February 28, 1943 (age 81)
Alma mater Union College
Harvard University
OccupationFilm executive
Years active1973present
Employer(s) Warner Bros. (1999–2012; 2022–present)
Walt Disney Studios (2012–2021)
TitleChairman, Chief Creative Officer
SpouseCindy Harrell
Children2, including Cody

Alan Frederick Horn (born February 28, 1943) is an American entertainment industry executive. [1] Horn became president and COO of Warner Bros. from 1999 to 2012. Horn next served as the chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 2012 to 2020. [2] During his tenure at Disney, Horn also served as the chief creative officer from 2019 to 2021. [3] [4] Horn agreed to depart from Disney, effective December 31, 2021. [3]

Contents

In July 2022, Horn rejoined Warner Bros., having assumed a new position as a consultant with Warner Bros. Discovery. [5]

Personal life

Horn was raised on Long Island, New York, in Riverhead. [6] [7] [8] He graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1964. In 1971, he received an MBA from Harvard Business School. [9] [10] He was a captain in the United States Air Force. [11]

Horn currently lives in the East Gate Bel Air section of Los Angeles, California, [12] with his wife, Cindy Harrell, a former model. [13] [14] They have two daughters, actress Cody, and Cassidy.

Career

Horn worked at Norman Lear's television production companies, Tandem Productions and Embassy Communications, the latter of which he was chairman before becoming president of 20th Century Fox in October 1986 soon after it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch. [15] He was one of the founders of Castle Rock Entertainment in 1987. [16] There, he oversaw films including A Few Good Men (1992), The Green Mile (1999), When Harry Met Sally (1989), and the TV sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998). [11]

Horn became president and COO of Warner Bros. in 1999, where he ran the studio in partnership with chairman and CEO Barry Meyer for 12 years. Under Horn's leadership, Warner Bros. had many hits, including the Harry Potter series (2001–2011) and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012). He was also the executive producer on all three films in The Hobbit Trilogy . [11] At age 68, Horn was forced to retire as president and COO of Warner Bros., at the behest of Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Bewkes who wanted to groom younger talent to take over at the studio, with Meyer relinquishing his role as studio CEO in March 2013 to be succeeded by Kevin Tsujihara.

In 2012, at the urging of The Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger, Horn was lured out of retirement to become the chairman of Walt Disney Studios, replacing Rich Ross who had been dismissed from the position after having conflicts with Pixar executives. Horn established a successful working relationship with Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios which operated with great autonomy under Disney's overall ownership, while also overseeing strong box office releases from Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios. [17]

In 2017, he said of his past professional success: [18]

I have this ... theory that whoever is working in a job deserves to stay ... unless they prove that they don't deserve to be in the job.

On May 1, 2019, Horn was given the added title of chief creative officer (CCO) of Walt Disney Studios. [4] In December 2020, it was announced that effective January 1, 2021, Alan Bergman would become the new chairman of the Walt Disney Studios while Horn would remain as the studios' chief creative officer. [2]

In October 2021, it was announced that Horn would be retiring for a second time at the end of the year, and his position would likely not be filled. [19]

In July 2022, it was reported that Horn would assume a new position with Warner Bros. Discovery. Starting August 1, 2022, Horn began serving as a business consultant during its transitionary period following the acquisition of WarnerMedia by Discovery, Inc. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Walt Disney Company</span> American multinational mass media company

The Walt Disney Company is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Oliver Disney as Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; it also operated under the names Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions before changing it to its current name in 1986. In 1928, Disney established itself as a leader in the animation industry with the short film Steamboat Willie. The film used synchronized sound to become the first post-produced sound cartoon, and popularized Mickey Mouse, who became Disney's mascot and corporate icon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WarnerMedia</span> American media conglomerate (1990–2022)

Warner Media, LLC was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City.

Modern animation in the United States from the late 1980s to 2004 is frequently referred to as the renaissance age of American animation. During this period, many large American entertainment companies reformed and reinvigorated their animation departments, following the dark age, and the United States had an influence on global and worldwide animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Eisner</span> American business executive (born 1942)

Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film studio Paramount Pictures from 1976 to 1984, and had brief stints at the major television networks NBC, CBS, and ABC.

The Walt Disney Studios is a major division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of The Walt Disney Company best known for housing its multifaceted film studio divisions. Founded on October 16, 1923, and based mainly at the namesake studio lot in Burbank, California, it is the seventh-oldest global film studio and the fifth-oldest in the United States, a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and one of the "Big Five" major film studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Iger</span> American business executive (born 1951)

Robert Alan Iger is an American media executive who is chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously was the president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) between 1994 and 1995 and president and chief operating officer (COO) of Capital Cities/ABC, from 1995 until its acquisition by Disney in 1996. Iger was named president of Disney in 2000 and succeeded Michael Eisner as CEO in 2005, until his contract expired in 2020. He then was executive chairman until his formal retirement from the company on December 31, 2021. After his exit from the company, Iger continued as an advisor to his successor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disneytoon Studios</span> Former American animation studio

Disneytoon Studios (DTS), originally named Disney MovieToons and also formerly Walt Disney Video Premieres, was an American animation studio which created direct-to-video and occasional theatrical animated feature films. The studio was a division of Walt Disney Animation Studios, with both being part of The Walt Disney Studios, itself a division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio produced 47 feature films, beginning with DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp in 1990. Its final feature film was Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast in 2015.

The title Chief Creative Officer (CCO) typically describes the highest-ranking position of a creative team within a media company. Depending on the type of company, this position may be responsible for the overall look and feel of marketing, media, and branding associated with the organization. The CCO may also be charged with managing, developing, and leading one or multiple teams of creative directors, art directors, designers, and copywriters. They may also have charge over long-term planning related to intellectual property owned by the company, as in the case of Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios, DC Comics/DC Studios, or the WWE.

Threshold Entertainment Group, also known as Threshold Entertainment, is an intellectual property company. Its animation subsidiary, Threshold Animation Studios, produces films. Larry Kasanoff is the company's chief executive officer (CEO) after previously serving as president for Lightstorm Entertainment, a company he co-founded with entrepreneur and filmmaker James Cameron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas O. Staggs</span> American business executive (born 1961)

Thomas Owen Staggs is an American business executive and investor. He is currently one of the co-founders and co-CEOs of Candle Media. He formerly worked at The Walt Disney Company for nearly 27 years, beginning in 1990, working in finance and later becoming the chief financial officer (CFO), then as chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide and finally as chief operating officer (COO). He also holds directorships on various company boards, including Spotify.

Toby Emmerich, is an American producer, film executive, and screenwriter. He formerly served as the chairman of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

William M. Mechanic is an American film producer. He is the chairman and CEO of Pandemonium Films.

Rich Ross is the former Group President of Discovery Channel and Science Channel. Earlier in his tenure at Discovery he also oversaw Animal Planet and Velocity. Previously he was the Chief Executive Officer of Shine America, responsible for commercial strategy of the Shine Group in the United States. He was also the president of entertainment at Disney Channel, and chairman of Walt Disney Studios. When Ross was named Chairman of Walt Disney Studios in 2009, he became the first openly gay studio chief.

Kevin A. Mayer is an American business executive. He is currently the co-founder and co-CEO of Candle Media. He was briefly CEO of TikTok, and COO of its parent company ByteDance. Prior to joining TikTok, he was a senior executive at Disney for more than 15 years, including as head of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International.

Diane Whelan Nelson is an American business executive who was president of DC Entertainment from 2009 to 2018, and president and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment from 2013 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DC Studios</span> American entertainment company

DC Studios, formerly known as DC Films, is an American film and television production company that is a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The studio has been led by filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran as its co-chairmen and co-CEOs since November 2022. It is responsible for the production of live-action and animated films and television series based on characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Dana Walden is an American businesswoman and the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. She currently serves as a member of the President's Export Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Chapek</span> American businessman (born 1959)

Robert Alan Chapek is an American businessman and former media executive who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from 2020 to 2022. He joined Masimo's board of directors in 2024.

Disney Entertainment is one of the three major divisions of The Walt Disney Company created on February 8, 2023. It consists of the company's entertainment media and content businesses, including its motion picture film studios, television divisions and streaming services.

References

  1. Friedman, Roger (April 18, 2012). "Alan Horn, Former Warner Bros. Chief, To Run Disney". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 2, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  2. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 21, 2020). "Alan Bergman Elevates To Disney Studios Content Chairman; Alan Horn Staying On As Chief Creative Officer". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Lang, Brent (October 11, 2021). "Alan Horn Retiring as Disney Studios Chief Creative Officer". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  4. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 1, 2019). "Alan Bergman Promoted To Disney Studio Co-Chairman; Alan Horn Expands Role As Disney Chief Creative Officer". Deadline. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Weprin, Alex; McClintock, Pamela (July 28, 2022). "Alan Horn to Help Shape Warner Bros. Film Studio During Transition". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  6. "Hillary Clinton Raises Record $2.1 Million at Event Hosted by Jewish Hollywood Moguls". Algemeiner Journal. October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  7. Brook, Vincent (December 15, 2016). From Shtetl to Stardom: Jews and Hollywood: Chapter 1: Still an Empire of Their Own: How Jews Remain Atop a Reinvented Hollywood. Purdue University Press. p. 15. ISBN   9781557537638.
  8. "Alan Horn Archives". Riverhead News Review. August 31, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  9. "Students in Schenectady spellbound by Harry Potter's wand". Union.edu. November 20, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  10. "Alan Horn (MBA 1971) - Alumni". Harvard Business School. February 5, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 "Alan F. Horn". The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  12. The Huffington Post FundRace 2008 Contributions map Archived November 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  13. Fiamma Sanò (April 27, 2010). "Cody Horn". Vogue.it. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  14. Vilanova, John (May 23, 2013). "#Hamptons35 Flashback: Cindy Harrell Horn, Circa 1982". Hamptons Magazine.
  15. Galbraith, Jane (May 21, 1986). "New Fox Focus On In-House Pix, Planning $100-Mil Public Offering". Variety . p. 4.
  16. "Warner Bros. studio chief Alan Horn to deliver 2010 Commencement address". Union College. February 23, 2010. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  17. Rainey, James (April 11, 2016). "Alan Horn: Disney Chairman Guides Studio to Hits of the Future". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  18. Galloway, Stephen (August 1, 2017). "Alan Horn". The Hollywood Masters. Season 1. Episode 7. Event occurs at 35 minutes. Netflix.
  19. Barnes, Brooks (October 11, 2021). "Alan Horn, a top creative executive, is the latest high-ranking Disney departure". The New York Times.