Tony Vinciquerra

American film executive and CEO

Tony Vinciquerra

Born|

Anthony Vinciquerra

(1954-08-30) 30 August 1954 (age 68)

Albany, New York, US[1]

Alma mater| University at Albany
Occupation| Chairman and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Spouse(s)| Toni Knight
(m. 2003)

Anthony "Tony" Vinciquerra (born August 30, 1954) is an American film executive who is the current Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Early life and education
* 2 Career
* 2.1 Jeopardy! host replacement
* 3 Personal life
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Early life and education[edit]

Vinciquerra was born in Albany, New York, and grew up with three sisters in a three bedroom apartment. He performed various odd jobs in his youth, and began working in radio ad sales in college. After graduating from State University of New York, Albany in 1977, he moved into television ad sales and eventually was named COO of Hearst-Argyle Television in New York in 1999.

## Career[edit]

Vinciquerra climbed through the ranks of television broadcasting ad sales. He served as Chairman of Fox Networks Group, which included Fox Cable Networks, Fox Broadcasting, and Fox International Channels,[3] from 2001 to 2011. He then spent time as an entertainment consultant and advisor at TPG Capital.

In May, 2017, it was announced that Vinciquerra would be filling the role of CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, left vacant by Michael Lynton, after he announced his departure for Snap, Inc. Vinciquerra was hired by Sony Corporation CEO Kazuo Hirai.[4] He is credited with reversing a downward trend of film box office performances, as well as strengthening the television division.

### Jeopardy! host replacement[edit]

In his role overseeing Sony Pictures Television, Vinciquerra was involved in the hirings of Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik as co-moderators of the television quiz show Jeopardy! in 2021 after the death of longtime host Alex Trebek.[5][6] Before any of his episodes aired, Richards stepped down from his position after several insensitive comments made on his podcast emerged.[7][8] Vinciquerra and Ravi Ahuja, chairman of Sony Pictures' global television division, managed the resumed search for the permanent host of the daily syndicated version.[9] The renewed effort concluded in July 2022 with deals for Bialik and Ken Jennings as the show's rotating co-hosts.[10] Reactions to the decision were mixed, owing to the majority of fans' preference for Jennings.[11][12]

## Personal life[edit]

In 2001, Vinciquerra moved to Los Angeles and met his wife, Toni Knight, an advertising executive who now owns her own firm.[13]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Bread-and-butter guy". 18 March 2002.
2. ^ Lang, Brent (11 May 2017). "Tony Vinciquerra Named Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO". Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
3. ^ Lewis, Hilary. "Chernin Fallout Sparks News Corp. Shakeup". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
4. ^ Barnes, Brooks (11 May 2017). "Sony Pictures, Shifting Toward TV, Names Tony Vinciquerra Its C.E.O." New York Times. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
5. ^ Grynbaum, Michael; Sperling, Nicole (14 Aug 2021). "'Like Choosing a Pope': How Succession Got Messy at 'Jeopardy!'". New York Times. Retrieved 19 Aug 2021.
6. ^ Darwish, Meaghan (16 Aug 2021). "How Involved Was Mike Richards in Choosing a 'Jeopardy!' Host?". TV Insider. Retrieved 19 Aug 2021.
7. ^ Grynbaum, Michael; Sperling, Nicole (20 Aug 2021). "The new 'Jeopardy!' host, Mike Richards, quits". New York Times. Retrieved 20 Aug 2021.
8. ^ Stelter, Brian (20 Aug 2021). "Mike Richards has stepped down as the host of 'Jeopardy!'". CNN Business. Retrieved 20 Aug 2021.
9. ^ Darcy, Oliver; Stelter, Brian (23 Aug 2021). "Mayim Bialik to be first guest host of 'Jeopardy!' following Mike Richards' departure". CNN Business. Retrieved 26 Aug 2021.
10. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (27 Jul 2022). "Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings Officially Set as Permanent 'Jeopardy!' Hosts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 Jul 2022.
11. ^ Elgenaidi, Deena (26 Jul 2022). "Jeopardy! Fans React to Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings Hosting News: 'This is Stupid'". Primetimer. Retrieved 28 Jul 2022.
12. ^ Holbrook, Damian (20 Apr 2022). "'Jeopardy!': Why Ken Jennings Deserves to Be the Permanent Host". TV Insider. Retrieved 28 Jul 2022.
13. ^ James, Meg (23 March 2009). "Low-profile News Corp. executive Tony Vinciquerra given starring role". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 May 2017.

## External links[edit]

* Anthony Vinciquerra at IMDb

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