Randy Lennox

Last updated

Randy Lennox
OC
Randy Lennox 2020.jpg
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Music and Media Executive, Producer
Board member of Banff World Media Festival, Music Canada, Canada's Walk of Fame, Roy Thompson Hall, Massey Hall, Smilezone Foundation

Randy Lennox OC is a Canadian music and media executive and is the founder and CEO of LOFT Entertainment. [1] He previously served as president and CEO Universal Music Canada and president of Bell Media, Canada's largest music label and media company respectively.

Contents

At Universal, Lennox helped discover and develop many internationally renowned Canadian artists including The Weeknd, Drake, Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber, Nelly Furtado, Shania Twain and The Tragically Hip. [2]

At Bell Media he oversaw original content for television and film production as well as expansion into new markets including musical stage productions. He also rebranded and relaunched Crave as a stand-alone streaming platform. [3]

He is the talent chair and executive producer of Canada's Walk of Fame and served as chair of the Massey & Roy Thomson Hall's Board. [4] In January 2019, he was named the chair of the board for the Banff World Media Festival. [5]

Lennox has been featured 4 times on Toronto Life Magazine Top most influential list. He was awarded the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2017 Juno Awards. He has been described by U2's Bono as a "music maven turned telecommunications mogul," and "a man without whom American and Canadian music would certainly not be the same" by Gene Simmons of Kiss. [6]

In June 2024 it was announced in Billboard Magazine that Lennox's LOFT Entertainment, in partnership with US-based sports & real estate company Oak View Group, was buying Canadian Music Week. [1]

On December 18, 2024, Lennox was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. [7]

Career

Universal Music Canada

While at Universal, Lennox produced Big Shiny Tunes, the #1 best selling album series in Canadian history [8] [9] and Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music, a Canadian-focused compilation to celebrate the Juno Award's 25th Anniversary and the first-ever Canadian box-set to be certified diamond for sales of over one million copies. [10]

In 1998, Universal Music Canada merged with Polygram Canada and at age 36 Lennox appointed as company's president, [11] [12] [6] and then in 2001, president and CEO. [13] [14] Under Lennox, Universal Music Canada developed many Canadian artists like Justin Bieber, Drake, Sam Roberts, Alessia Cara, The Tenors, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Nelly Furtado, The Tragically Hip, Shania Twain, Diana Krall and Bryan Adams. [2]

While Lennox was CEO, Universal Music Canada was named Music Company of the Year for 16 consecutive years at Canadian Music Week. [15]

Bell Media

In 2015, Lennox joined Bell Media as President, Broadcasting with a five-year mandate to produce and secure exclusive rights to the premium international content while exporting such content to other markets. [16] [17] [18] New markets included musicals with Bat Out of Hell a rock opera based on the Meat Loaf album that ran in London, Toronto and New York, [19] a reality tv competition series with The Launch, and the TV adaptation of web-comedy Letterkenny as well as numerous music-focused documentaries.

Lennox also signed partnerships with iHeartMedia and the Just For Laughs comedy festival, [20] Lennox bolstered Bell Media's library with international partners including Lionsgate, Pinewood Studios, Starz, [21] Vice Media, [22] TIFF, Netflix, [23] BNN Bloomberg, [24] Jeffrey Katzenberg, [25] HBO [26] and HBO Max. [27] He also formed partnerships with internet radio broadcaster iHeartMedia and the Just For Laughs comedy festival. [20]

In 2017, Lennox was appointed overall president of Bell Media [28] and took responsibility for "strategy and operations for conventional, pay and specialty television, radio, digital media, out-of-home advertising and special projects." [29]

In 2018, Lennox rebranded and relaunched CraveTV service as a stand-alone streaming platform simply titled Crave, HBO Max's first international launch partner. In interviews Lennox has described a responsibility to meet customer expectations, [30] and his plan to attract new subscribers with exclusive world-class original content by producing it in house and patterning internationally. [31] The service would grow to nearly 3 million subscribers over the next two years. [26]

In 2019 he led Bell Media's majority acquisition and subsequent expansion of Toronto's Pinewood Studios. This deal created an additional 200,000-square feet worth of production space for Pinewood [32] and Toronto's $2 billion film and television industry. [33]

In a pair of 2021 interviews with Playback Magazine [34] and FYI Music News, [35] Lennox reflected on his tenure at Bell media and revealed that his love for documentary and TV productions had grown to match his love for music and he would be continuing to produce all three working independently.

LOFT Entertainment

In 2023, Lennox co-founded of LOFT Entertainment Inc, a Music Management and Television Content Company [1] to produce documentaries, films, TV shows and music, drawing from his longstanding relationships in the entertainment industry.

In 2024, in partnership with Denver-based sports entertainment venue developer Oak View Group, Lennox acquired Canadian Music Week [1] in order to "expand programming, enhance venues and offer unique engagement opportunities for artists and fans." [36]

Charitable Fundraising

Throughout his career, Lennox repeatedly created deals as fundraisers for charitable organizations.

YearTitleAmount RaisedCharity / CauseNotes & References
1996 Oh What A Feeling $8.2 millionMusiCounts and War Child Sold 250,000 units in its initial limited 75 day release window [37] [38] [39]
2010 Young Artists for Haiti >$2 million 2010 Haiti earthquake disaster reliefLennox organized the supergroup including Drake, Justin Bieber, Nelly Furtado and Avril Lavigne that recorded a cover of K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" [40] [41] [42]
2020 Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble $8.6 million Food Banks Canada Largest broadcasting event in Canadian history, a coalition of 100 broadcast partners saw all competing Canadian companies working together to raise disaster response funds for the 2020 covid 19 pandemic in the form of a 90 minute commercial free event. The special was assembled in just 12 days, with participants filming their own segments at home and final mastering and mixing being done the day before broadcast. [43] [44] [45]
2023 Feel Out Loud Kids Help Phone Partnered with 50 Canadian artists to create and produce What I wouldn’t do: North Star Calling as part of mental health awareness campaign. [46]

Lennox is also a director of the Smilezone Foundation, an organization that donates play zones to hospitals and paediatric care facilities, and sits on the board of CARAS MusiCounts. [47] [48]

Credits & Awards

To date as producer Lennox has won 8 Canadian Screen Awards, 2 Juno Awards, and an Emmy Award.

Albums & Singles

YearTitlePartnersNotes
1996 Oh What A Feeling Canadian Record Labels, Artists & Juno Awards The first-ever Canadian box-set to be certified diamond for sales of over one million copies. [10]
1996-2009 Big Shiny Tunes Canadian ArtistsThe #1 best selling album series in Canadian history [8] [9]
2010 Wavin' Flag Bob Ezrin and Gary Slaight Raised over $2m for 2010 Haiti earthquake as part of supergroup and won a Juno Award for "Single of the Year" for producing Wavin' Flag [49]

TV & Film

YearTitlePartnersNotes
2016The Launch Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Records Co-created and produced along with Insight Productions the original reality music competition franchise, The Launch , a new format that was picked up by Sony Pictures Television for international distribution. [50] [51]
2016 Frontier Jason Momoa, Netflix
2017 Cardinal Based on Cardinal book series by Giles Blunt
2019 Jann Canadian Singer-Songwriter Jann Arden Was most watched Canadian series of 2019 and comedy of the year. [52] [53] In 2020 Hulu acquired US distribution rights. [54]
2019 The Song Of Names Clive Owen & Robert Lantos [55]
2020 Canada’s Drag Race
2020 Transplant
2023This is PopNetflix
2023Rock & Roll MachineTriumph

Documentary

YearTitlePartner / SubjectNotes
2017 Long Time Running Tragically Hip Won 2018 Directors Guild Of Canada Award, Excellence in Directing [56]
2017Home Town Neil Young Neil Young performs his first ever concert at Coronation Hall in his hometown of Omemee, Ontario. The special invite-only event took place in December 2017, and was in attendance by about 225 people.
2019 Once Were Brothers Robbie Robertson Co-produced with Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer. Was the first ever opening of TIFF 2019 by a Canadian documentary [57]

Won 2020 Best of the Fest, Palm Springs International Film Festival [58]

2019 David Foster: Off the Record . David Foster Won 2020 Best of the Fest, Palm Springs International Film [59]
2020Black and White Oscar Peterson Won 2022 Canadian Screen Award, Best Direction, Documentary Program [60]
2022Carry It On Buffy Sainte Marie Won 2023 Emmy for International Arts [58]

Won 2022 Directors Guild of Canada, Excellence in Documentary [61]

Other

YearAwardInstitution / PublicationNotes
2002Most Influential Canadians Maclean's Magazine [62]
2010Induction into Hall of Fame Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame Part of Canadian Music Week [63] [64]
2014Label Executive of the YearWorldwide Radio Summit [65]
201550 Most Influential Toronto Life [66]
2017 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award 2017 Juno Awards In recognition of his contribution to the growth and development of the Canadian music industry [67]
2017Media Executive of the Year Playback Magazine [68]
201950 Most Influential Toronto Life Magazine Fourth time featured on the list [69] [70]

Related Research Articles

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