Jeffrey Katzenberg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jeffrey Katzenberg
Katzenberg in 2022
Born	(1950-12-21) December 21, 1950 (age 74) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Media proprietor film producer
Years active	1979–present
Organization	WndrCo
Notable work	Who Framed Roger Rabbit The Little Mermaid Beauty and the Beast Aladdin The Lion King American Beauty The Prince of Egypt Shrek Kung Fu Panda How to Train Your Dragon
Title	Co-founder of Hollywood Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks Animation and WndrCo Former CEO of DreamWorks Animation and DreamWorks Records Founder of Quibi
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Marilyn Siegel ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	2
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Jeffrey Katzenberg (/ˈkætsənbɜːrɡ/ kat-SƏN-burg; born December 21, 1950) is an American businessman who has worked a lot in movies and TV. He is known for being a film producer and for owning parts of media companies.

He was in charge of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994. There, he helped create many popular movies. After leaving Disney, he helped start DreamWorks SKG in 1994. At DreamWorks, he was the main boss for animated movies like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon. He left that role in 2016.

Since then, he started a company called WndrCo in 2017. This company invests in digital media projects. In 2020, he launched Quibi, a mobile video platform that showed short videos. Quibi closed down after a few months. Katzenberg has also been very involved in politics, helping to raise money for the Democratic Party.

Early Life and First Jobs

Jeffrey Katzenberg was born in New York City on December 21, 1950. His mother was an artist, and his father was a stockbroker. He went to the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and finished in 1969.

When he was just 14, Katzenberg volunteered for John Lindsay's campaign to become the mayor of New York. He was very eager and attended many meetings. He went to New York University for one year but then left to work full-time for Lindsay's campaign.

Building a Career in Hollywood

Starting at Paramount Pictures

Katzenberg began his career helping producer David V. Picker. In 1974, he became an assistant to Barry Diller, who was the boss of Paramount Pictures. Diller moved Katzenberg to different jobs within the studio. One of his first big tasks was helping to bring back the Star Trek movies, which led to Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

He kept working his way up and became the president of production at Paramount. In this role, he helped make movies like 48 Hrs., Terms of Endearment, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Leading The Walt Disney Studios

In 1984, Michael Eisner became the CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Eisner asked Katzenberg to join him as the chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. As the head of the studio, Katzenberg was in charge of all movies, TV shows, and home video releases.

At that time, Disney's movie studio was not doing very well. Katzenberg helped turn it around. He focused on making comedies for adults through Disney's Touchstone Pictures label. These movies included Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Three Men and a Baby, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, and Pretty Woman. By 1987, Disney became the top movie studio. Katzenberg also started Hollywood Pictures and helped Disney buy Miramax Films in 1993.

Katzenberg also worked to improve Disney's animation department. Under his leadership, Disney Animation created many popular and successful animated films. These movies are now known as part of the "Disney Renaissance." Some of these include The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). Beauty and the Beast was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, which was a big deal for an animated film. Katzenberg also helped make a deal with Pixar to create 3D computer-animated movies, which led to Toy Story.

After a while, Katzenberg had disagreements with other leaders at Disney, including Michael Eisner. These disagreements led to Katzenberg leaving Disney in October 1994. He later settled a disagreement about money he believed he was owed from the company.

Starting DreamWorks SKG

Katzenberg at the 34th Annie Awards

Later in 1994, Katzenberg teamed up with famous director Steven Spielberg and music executive David Geffen to create DreamWorks SKG. Katzenberg was mainly in charge of the animation side of the company.

He was a producer or executive producer for many DreamWorks animated films. These included The Prince of Egypt (1998), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Chicken Run (2000), and the very successful Shrek (2001). Other films he worked on were Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), Shrek 2 (2004), and Shark Tale (2004).

After Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas did not do well, Katzenberg decided that DreamWorks Animation should focus only on computer-generated animation. Since then, most of DreamWorks' animated movies have been very successful, winning many awards.

DreamWorks Animation Becomes Its Own Company

In 2004, DreamWorks Animation became a separate company, with Katzenberg as its CEO. This allowed the animation studio to operate independently.

Katzenberg was a big supporter of making movies in digital 3D. He called it "the greatest advance in the film industry since the arrival of color in the 1930s." He made sure that all new DreamWorks Animation movies would be in 3D.

In 2016, NBCUniversal bought DreamWorks Animation. Katzenberg then left his role as CEO.

WndrCo and Quibi

In 2017, Katzenberg started a new company called WndrCo. This company invests in new digital media and technology projects.

In 2018, Katzenberg announced his new video streaming service, Quibi. He created it with Meg Whitman, a former CEO of eBay. Quibi was designed for smartphones and offered short, original videos. Big companies like Disney and Sony invested in it.

However, Quibi closed down in late 2020, after only about six months. Katzenberg explained that changes in how people watched videos during the coronavirus pandemic affected Quibi's success. He was able to return some money to the investors.

Political Involvement

United States President Barack Obama presenting the 2013 National Medal of Arts to Katzenberg

Jeffrey Katzenberg has been a strong supporter of Democratic politicians for many years. He was an early supporter of Barack Obama and helped raise a lot of money for his presidential campaigns. He was known as a key person connecting Hollywood with the Obama administration.

For example, in 2012, Katzenberg organized a fundraiser for Obama's campaign at George Clooney's home. This event raised a lot of money for the campaign.

In 2023, Katzenberg was named one of the national co-chairs for Joe Biden's 2024 campaign to be re-elected as president. He promised to provide significant financial support. After Biden decided not to run again, Katzenberg became a co-chair for Kamala Harris's 2024 presidential campaign.

In 2018, Katzenberg promised $500,000 to the March for Our Lives, a demonstration supporting gun control. He also donated a large amount to Karen Bass's campaign for mayor of Los Angeles in 2022.

Awards and Recognition

In 2008, Katzenberg received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Ringling College of Art and Design.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Katzenberg the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2012. This award recognized his efforts in raising money for education, art, and health causes, especially those helping the movie industry. The next year, President Obama gave Katzenberg the National Medal of Arts.

At the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Katzenberg received an honorary Palme d'Or, which is the festival's highest award.

Personal Life

Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg in 2010

Jeffrey Katzenberg married Marilyn Siegel, a kindergarten teacher, in 1975. They have twin children, Laura and David, who were born in 1983. Their son, David, is a television producer and director.

Katzenberg and his wife are very active in charity work. They have donated millions of dollars to support education and arts. For example, they donated to Boston University and the University of Southern California to create centers for animation and general studies.

Katzenberg is also on the board of directors for many organizations. These include the Motion Picture & Television Fund, Geffen Playhouse, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In 2008, he started the DreamWorks Animation Academy to help students in inner-city areas learn about digital media.

In January 2025, Katzenberg and his wife donated $5 million to the Motion Picture & Television Fund to help with relief efforts during the Southern California wildfires.

Filmography

Films

Television

See also

In Spanish: Jeffrey Katzenberg para niños