Chernin Entertainment

Chernin Entertainment is an American film and television production company owned by The North Road Company that is based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on February 24, 2009 by producer and former media executive Peter Chernin, who is chairman and chief executive officer of the company. Jenno Topping is the president of film and television, with David Ready as executive vice president of film and TV. Kristen Campo is executive vice president of television.[1] Twenty-seven films have been produced by the company, most of them with 20th Century Fox (now known as 20th Century Studios).

History

Chernin Entertainment was founded by Peter Chernin after he stepped down as president of Fox's then-parent company News Corporation in 2009. The firm's first film was Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011.[2] Chernin Entertainment's five-year first-look deal for the film and television was signed with 20th Century Fox and 20th Century Fox Television in 2009.[3]

In March 2011, after leaving Maguire Entertainment, Jenno Topping joined the company as executive Vice President of film division,[4] and then in February 2013 she was promoted to President of films, vacated by .[5][6] David Ready was hired as Senior VP to report to Topping.[5] In June 2015, the company's TV division's president Katherine Pope left the company, while Topping was promoted to President of Film and Television.[7] In August 2015, Dante Di Loreto was hired and appointed as President of Television at the company, reporting to Topping. Kristen Campo joined the company in 2016 to run television after Di Loreto's departure.[8]

In November 2014, the company signed an extension of the first-look deal with 20th Century Fox for film at a less lucrative terms. With only one hit TV show, New Girl, the TV pact was being shopped around.[3] In June 2015, Chernin signed its television production deal for two years with NBCUniversal, in which Chernin would develop and produce projects for NBC though Universal Television.[9] That deal was followed with one with Endeavor Content for a scripted drama pact in 2017.[2]

On January 17, 2020, 20th Century Studios, now under the operation of Walt Disney Studios, ended its production deal with Chernin Entertainment, which had about four years remaining. The move was cited to Disney's preference of self-financing its films, and the studio's mandate of having 20th Century refocus on its franchises. Chernin will continue to work with Disney and 20th Century on the Planet of the Apes franchise and about 9 other films with the studio, while taking 70 out of 80 films in development in the split.[2] On April 7, Chernin made a multi-year first-look deal with Netflix to make films.[10]

In September 2020, Chernin Entertainment signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Spotify to allow the former to adapt films and TV shows from Spotify's original podcast catalog.[11][12][13]

In February 2021, Chernin Entertainment announced that it had launched a non-scripted documentary production studio that could produce documentaries both inside and outside the sports genre named Words + Pictures with former ESPN content chief Connor Schell who became the chief executive officer of the new unscripted programme company with Chernin Entertainment's president Jenno Tapping overseeing the company's relationship with them.[14][15][16]

On October 27, 2021, Nancy Utley, former veteran of Searchlight Pictures had started Lake Ellyn Entertainment, with a first-look affiliate deal at the studio, and Netflix.[17]

In April 2022, Chernin Entertainment announced that they hired former chairman and CEO of Red Arrow Studios and the president of Westbrook International Jan Frouman in an unspecified role as Chernin Entertainment announced that they were going to expand their film and television operations with them eyeing the acquisition of German production and distribution company Red Arrow Studios from ProSiebenSat.1 Media.[18]

In July 2022, Chernin Entertainment's president & founder and founder of the former's parent The Chernin Group, Peter Chernin, had depatured Chernin Entertainment's latter parent and announced that he had taken his film & television production company Chernin Entertainment & its unscripted production studio Words + Pictures to establish a global independent and production content studio that entitled, The North Road Company, as the two subsidiaries became part of his new company as labels, while the new global company had acquired the US assets of German entertainment & international distribution company Red Arrow Studios from ProSiebenSat.1 Media (which were Kinetic Content, Left/Right Productions, Half Yard Productions, Dorsey Pictures and 44 Blue Productions) and the remaining 50% stake in unscripted documentary production company Words + Pictures with Peter Chernin became CEO & chairman of the new company with Chernin Entertainment president of scripted, Jenno Topping, retained her role president of The North Road Company's scripted studio Chernin Entertainment and started overseeing The North Road Company's scripted film and television operations as president of scripted alongside Words + Pictures' founder, Connor Schell, who had continued running the unscripted production company under North Road and would assume The North Road Company's unscripted operations as head of unscripted. The new global content studio had also established its international division based in London, England, named North Road International, as Jan Frouman (who joined Chernin Entertainment three months prior back in April of that year) became The North Road Company's president as former AMC Networks executive Kirstin Jones joined The North Road Company and became the global studio's president of international film & television and the two would run North Road's new international division with their international office being based in London, England.[19][20][21][22]

In June 2023, The North Road Company announced that they had acquired Istanbul and LA-based Turkish/American film & television drama production company Karga Seven Pictures, marking The North Road Company's first international acquisition and their first international expansion along with their expansion of their international operations into Turkey and reunited Karga Seven Pictures with Red Arrow's former American unscripted production subsidiaries (which were Kinetic Content, Left/Right Productions, Half Yard Productions, Dorsey Pictures, and 44 Blue Productions that North Road acquired a year prior in 2022), with Karga Seven Pictures co-founders & producers Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin and Kelly McPherson continued leading of the acquired Turkish/American production company with Sarah Wetherbee and Emre Sahin becoming global CEOs and Ömer Müjdat Özgüner was hired by Karga Seven Pictures and became the new CEO of the company.[23][24][25]

In November 2023, Chernin Entertainment's parent company The North Road Company had announced that they had acquired a majority stake in Los Angeles-based production company Two One Five Entertainment which was led by the co-founders of the hip hop band The Roots Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson with The North Road Company financing Two One Five Entertainment's future film and television projects along with North Road expanding Two One Five into the scripted business.[26][27][28]

In November 2023, The North Road Company announced that it had acquired documentary production company Little Room Films, expanding The North Road Company's operations and would be placed under North Road's unscripted production arm Words + Pictures with the former's founder & director Jason Hehir continued remaining the president of Little Room Films under North Road's unsciprted production unit Words + Pictures.[29][30]

In January 2025, The North Road Company announced their entry into the Latin American production business by acquiring Mexican television production company Perro Azul, marking North Road's second international production studio acquisition and its first entry into Latin America since their acquisition of Turkish/American drama television studio Karga Seven Pictures two years prior in June 2023 as Mexican television production studio Perro Azul became a subaidiary of The North Road Company with Perro Azul's founders Alexis Fridman and Juan Uruchurtu continued leadering the acquired Mexican production company under North Road.[31] Most recently, the company signed a film deal with Apple TV+.[32]

In January 2026, French media conglomerate Mediawan entered advanced talks to acquire Chernin Entertainment's global entertainment & production content studio & parent The North Road Company including its scripted entertainment production arm Chernin Entertainment, alongside North Road's international division North Road International, minority investment stakes in Omaha Productions and Two One Five Entertainment, Turkish/American drama production company Karga Seven Pictures, Mexican scripted television studio Perro Azul and its unscripted production operations which were Words + Pictures (including its subsidiary Little Room Films), Kinetic Content and 44 Blue Productions from its founder Peter Chernin that would expand Mediawan's American production operations.[33][34] A week later on the 30th in that same month, Mediawan confirmed that they had acquired Chernin Entertainment's global entertainment production & distribution parent The North Road Company alongside its scripted entertainment production arm Chernin Entertainment, including North Road's international distribution arm North Road International, their minorty stakes in Omaha Productions and Two One Five Entertainment, Turkish/American drama production company Karga Seven Pictures, Mexican scripted television studio Perro Azul and its unscripted production operations which were Words + Pictures (alongside its subsidiary Little Room Films), Kinetic Content and 44 Blue Productions from its founder Peter Chernin, the acquisition of The North Road Company had gained Mediawan access to the Mexican & Turkish film & television production activities and expanding its American production operations with North Road became Mediawan's American production subsidiary whilst the latter's founder Peter Chernin joined Mediawan's board and continued leading North Road as non-executive chairman under Mediawan, Chernin Entertainment had also became part of Mediawan as a subsidiary.[35][36]

Production

Chernin Entertainment produces for television and film.

The company's first feature film Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was released in August 2011[2] and has grossed more than $480 million at the worldwide box office.[37][38] It has also produced Parental Guidance, a comedy starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, which was released in December 2012,[39] the sci-fi thriller from Joseph Kosinski, Oblivion, starring Tom Cruise,[40] and The Heat, starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.[41]

Films

Television