Frank Biondi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frank Joseph Biondi Jr. January 9, 1945 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 25, 2019 (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Princeton University (A.B.) Harvard Business School (M.B.A.) |
Frank Joseph Biondi Jr. (January 9, 1945 – November 25, 2019) was an American businessman and entertainment executive, who held leadership roles at Viacom, Universal Pictures, and HBO.[1]
Biondi was born in New York City, to Virginia Willis and Frank Biondi Sr., and was raised in Livingston, New Jersey.[2] His father was a former executive at Bell Telephone Company. Biondi graduated from Livingston High School in 1964 and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1994.[3] He graduated with an A.B. in psychology from Princeton University in 1966 after completing an 81-page long senior thesis titled "The Use of a Biographical Inventory for Junior Executive Recruitment in a Large Retail Firm."[4] He later received a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.[5]
In 1968, Biondi got his start as a financial analyst and investment banker on Wall Street for Cogan, Berlind, Weill & Levitt.[1][6] There, he met Clarence B. Jones, who recommended him for a consulting job at TelePrompTer Corporation, one of the largest cable companies at the time.[6] However, TelePrompTer had defrauded its investors by misrepresenting their cash flow.[7][8] In response, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission placed a trade block on their stock for around 100 days, which tanked its valuation.[6] Biondi was let go as a result of corporate restructuring. He later found employment with the nonprofit, Children’s Television Workshop (CTW), who produced Sesame Street and The Electric Company, in 1974.[5][6] After a tumultuous time at TelePrompTer, he cites the relatively "nice, safe" environment of a non-profit as the reason he chose the job at CTW.[1]
Michael J. Fuchs recruited Biondi to HBO in 1978 as head of co-productions.[5] Biondi initially expressed disinterest in joining and rejected their initial offer.[5] He later became the president and CEO in 1983.[5] Fuchs replaced him as HBO CEO the following year.[9]
In 1985, Biondi went on to serve as external vice president for Coca-Cola's entertainment business sector.[10] In 1986, Coca-Cola consolidated its television companies — Columbia Pictures Television, Embassy Communications, and Merv Griffin Enterprises — into Coca-Cola Television, and Biondi was tapped to serve as its CEO.[10] Coca-Cola Television was eventually spun off and sold to TriStar Pictures in 1987.[11] TriStar subsequently renamed itself Columbia Pictures and its founder, Victor Kaufman, continued his role as CEO of the merged company.[11]
Biondi was the president and CEO of Viacom from 1987 to 1996[5] and the chairman and CEO of Universal Pictures from 1996 to 1998.[12]
Afterwards, he co-founded the media and technology focused investment firm WaterView Advisors in 1999.[9]
Biondi was an avid tennis player and helped finance the creation of the Tennis Channel with fellow former Viacom CEOs Philippe Dauman and Thomas E. Dooley in 2001.[13] Together they are known as the "Viacom mafia".[13] At his summer residence in Martha's Vineyard, he was a board member for the Vineyard Family Tennis Foundation.[14]
In the later part of his life, Biondi was a director of RealD, Amgen, Cablevision, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, Hasbro, Yahoo!, Viasat, and Seagate.[15]
Biondi met Carol Oughton while working at the TelePrompTer Corporation.[6] In 1974, the couple wed and together, they had two daughters, Anne Biondi Simonds and Jane Biondi Munna. His son-in-law is film producer Robert Simonds.[16]
Biondi died from bladder cancer at his home in Los Angeles on November 25, 2019. He was 74 years old.[9]