Peter Guber has been an entertainment industry force for over 40 years. After receiving his Bachelor of Law, Master of Law, and Juris Doctorate degrees and admission to the New York and California Bars, he was recruited by Columbia Pictures in 1968 while pursuing an MBA degree at New York University’s Graduate School of Business. Within three years, he became Columbia’s studio chief. During his creative tenure, Columbia surged to record-breaking profits on the strength of critically acclaimed box office hits such as “Taxi Driver,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “Shampoo.”

In 1975, Guber co-founded Casablanca Record and Filmworks with Neil Bogart. Their record label included superstars such as KISS, Donna Summer, Captain and Tenille, The Village People, and Parliament with George Clinton. The record company also put out some of the most successful soundtracks of all time, including the Academy Award-winning “Midnight Express,” Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross’ “Endless Love,” and “Flashdance,” which sold more than 14 million albums.

Guber launched his career as an independent film producer with “The Deep,” which became one of Columbia’s top box office successes. His next film, “Midnight Express,” earned seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, a Golden Globe for Best Picture, and the National Association of Theater Owners naming Guber Producer of the Year.

In 1979, Guber founded Polygram Entertainment where he was chairman of the board and CEO. He sold his interest in Polygram in 1983 and formed the Guber-Peters Entertainment Co. (GPEC), which established a significant presence in motion pictures, television, and music. The films Guber directly produced and executive produced have earned more than $3 million in worldwide revenue and over 50 Academy Award nominations. For example, “Rain Man” won an Oscar for Best Picture, and “Batman” was one of the highest-grossing films from all sources in movie history.

GPEC became a public company with the acquisition of Barris Industries in 1988, and a year later, it was acquired by Sony Pictures Entertainment, with Guber serving as chairman of the board and CEO. During his tenure, the company produced and distributed many prime-time, half-hour comedy television series, including “Married with Children,” “Designing Women,” “Seinfeld,” “Mad About You” and “The Nanny.” Sony Pictures also revitalized two of the largest and most successful game shows, “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy.” Sony also dominated daytime TV with the success of soap operas like “The Young and the Restless” and “Days of Our Lives.”

Under Guber’s leadership, Sony Pictures introduced the concept of IMAX theater and films, introduced Sony’s state-of-the-art SDDS sound system, and began an ongoing 20-year business relationship with Magic Johnson after acquiring his Magic Johnson Theatres. Guber’s tenure also included leading all competitors with a remarkable 120 Academy Award nominations over four years, the highest four-year total ever for a single company. Blockbuster movie hits during this time included, “Misery,” “Terminator 2,” “Boyz ‘n the Hood,” “Basic Instinct,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” and “Groundhog Day.”

After leaving Sony as CEO in 1995, Guber formed Mandalay Entertainment Group as a multimedia joint venture with Sony in motion pictures and television. Mandalay Entertainment Group later added professional sports, sports entertainment, and digital media as business enterprises.

Mandalay Pictures, a division of Mandalay Entertainment Group, produces motion pictures for the global marketplace. The company’s rich history of filmed entertainment includes box office hits “Donnie Brasco,” “Les Miserables,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” and “Sleepy Hollow.” Mandalay’s “The Kids Are All Right” won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Mandalay 2023 productions include the box office hit “Air,” with Guber as a producer. Upcoming films include Tyler Perry’s “6888” and Spike Lee’s “High/Low.”

Guber and Mandalay Sports produced “The Last Dance” on ESPN, a 10-part documentary series chronicling Michael Jorden and the 1990s Chicago Bulls. The series earned critical acclaim and high ratings and won an Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Series. Guber won the Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer.

Guber is the operating owner and executive chairman of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, guiding them to multiple championships and Sports Teams of the Year in 2014 and 2022. Steph Curry has been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player and won the ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete. Steve Kerr has been named the NBA Coach of the Year. The team has enjoyed many record-breaking seasons, winning three NBA Championships and Franchise of the Decade in 2019.

Guber is an owner of the 2020 MLB World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2012, he partnered with Magic Johnson and the Guggenheim Baseball Management Group to purchase the storied Major League Baseball franchise. Under their ownership, the franchise has won the National League West Championship seven times. In 2020, the Dodgers captured the ultimate prize in baseball, bringing the Commissioner’s Trophy back to LA for the first time in 32 years. During the 2024 season, the Dodgers are at the top of the league led by superstar Shohei Ohtai.

In 2014, Guber became the owner and executive chairman of Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club. The ownership group includes Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm, and Tony Robbins. The club became the fifth expansion team in MLS history to guarantee postseason play in its first season. LAFC has set many records and is having a stellar 2024 season.

Guber serves as co-executive chairman of aXiomatic, a broad-based esports and gaming company whose investor group includes Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tony Robbins, and Steve Case. In July 2017, the Walt Disney Company announced an equity investment in the company. In 2018, aXiomatic led a $1.25 billion investment round in game developer Epic Games, creator of the popular Fortnite game. In 2019, aXiomatic led a $245 million strategic investment for Niantic Inc., the world’s most successful and profitable augmented reality company. Niantic launched Pokemon Go, which became a global phenomenon overnight. By 2019, Pokemon Go’s gross revenue had surpassed $3 billion.

Guber has been a professor at UCLA for over 40 years, teaching courses on leadership, digital media, sports entertainment, and business storytelling at the School of Theater, Film & Television, and the Anderson School of Management. In 2017, he was appointed to the University of California Board of Regents by then-California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. During his 12-year term, he oversees all university affairs, providing guidance and perspective on important issues facing public higher education in California.

Guber is also a best-selling book author. In 2011, his third book, “Tell To Win – Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story,” became an instant No. 1 best seller in the “New York Times,” “USA Today,” and Amazon.com. Fortune Magazine chose the book as one of their “5 Business Books You Can Really Use.” Hudson Booksellers, retail bookstores in airports throughout North America, picked the book as one of the “5 Best Business Books of the Year.” The book is in its 18th printing.

Read Peter’s Full Bio