Tom McGrath | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas Berard McGrath 1956 (age 68–69) |
| Occupation | CEO of Crossroads Live |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Notable awards | Tony Award,Drama Desk Award,Olivier Award |
| Website | |
| www | |
Thomas Berard McGrath (born 1956) is an American media executive. He is the chairman of Crossroads Media, a company which invests in live and location-based entertainment on a global scale. He was formerly the Chairman ofCrossroads Live, a global distributor of theatrical entertainment. Previously, the president and COO ofSTX Entertainment; executive chairman ofKey Brand Entertainment, a producer and distributor of live theatre in the United States and parent company ofBroadway.com; president andCOO ofAct III Communications; and executive vice president and COO ofViacom Entertainment Group.[1][2] He is a nine-timeTony Award-winning producer,[3] member of theNational Recording Academy, and board member of theInternational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.[4] He also serves as trustee ofNew England Conservatory of Music[5] andAmerican Repertory Theater atHarvard.[6]
McGrath was born and raised inWashington, DC.[7] He received his B.A. fromHarvard University in 1976, where he was music director forHasty Pudding Theatricals and conductor for theHarvard University Band. He earned his M.B.A. fromHarvard Business School in 1980.[8][9] While at business school, he wrote a thesis on the potential of home video distribution for film distribution.[10]
McGrath began his career in entertainment atColumbia Pictures Industries in 1980. While at Columbia, McGrath established RCA Columbia Home Video and served as senior vice president of corporate development forCoca-Cola, following its acquisition of Columbia in 1982.[11] McGrath also engineered the creation ofTriStar Pictures through the conglomeration of Columbia,HBO andCBS. He led the acquisitions ofEmbassy Communications from TV producerNorman Lear andMerv Griffin Productions, producers ofWheel of Fortune andJeopardy!.[12][13]
After serving two years as senior vice president,[14] McGrath was named president and COO of Norman Lear's entertainment companyAct III Communications in December 1987.[15] He filled that role until 1990.[10] While at Act III, McGrath expanded its broadcast, publishing, and exhibition operations, worked on television station acquisitions, and financed multiple films, includingStand By Me,The Princess Bride, andFried Green Tomatoes.[13]
In the 1990s, McGrath was named President International ofTime Warner International Broadcasting.[12] At Time Warner, he createdClassic FM, a national radio network in the UK;n-tv, a German-language national cable news channel; andVIVA, a national German music video channel.[16]
McGrath ledViacom's acquisition ofParamount Pictures in the 1990s.[12] He joined Viacom in 1994 as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Viacom Entertainment Group, where he served until 2004.[10] While at Viacom, McGrath was involved in several musical adaptations of Paramount films, includingWhite Christmas,Footloose andSaturday Night Fever.[17] In February 2002, McGrath was named President of Paramount Enterprises, Viacom's division for non-studio entertainment properties, includingParamount Parks, Canadian cinema chainFamous Players, andUnited Cinemas International.[18]
From 2008 to 2013, McGrath served as chairman ofKey Brand Entertainment, later renamed TheJohn Gore Organization.[8][19] McGrath led the company's acquisition ofLive Nation's theater division in 2008, which includedBroadway.com, its group ticket sales division Theatre Direct, and its promotional branchBroadway Across America.[12][19][20] Through Broadway Across America, McGrath produced several Broadway shows, including the revivals ofPromises, Promises (2009),[21]Hair (2009),[22] andHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2011).[23] In 2013, McGrath joined with Broadway producerKevin McCollum and film producerJohn Davis on a development deal with20th Century Fox, in which they would choose Fox film properties from its library to be adapted into theater productions.[17] Initial projects includeMrs. Doubtfire andThe Devil Wears Prada.[24] McGrath has received nineTony Awards.[25]
McGrath serves as the Chairman of Crossroads Media,[26][27] a private equity firm that acquires music publishing catalogues.[28] Working withSpectrum Equity Investors, he led the acquisitions of independent music publishing companies, includingBug Music in 2006[26][29][30] and Windswept Holdings in 2007.[28] McGrath served as chairman of Bug Music[27] through its sale toBMG in 2011.[26]
McGrath was the chief operating officer of media companySTX Entertainment from its formation in 2014 until May 2019.[31][32] The company specializes in financing, developing, producing, and distributing midtier-budget star-driven films.[33] STX has produced and distributed such films asThe Gift,Bad Moms,The Edge of Seventeen,The Foreigner, andMolly's Game.
In April 2018, STX filed for an initial public offering on theHong Kong Stock Exchange.[34] This was originally reported in 2017 with an estimated market value as high as $3.5bn±.[35][36]
McGrath was the CEO of Crossroads Live, which produces and tours Broadway musicals in international markets.[4] Crossroads Live invests in multiple live entertainment ventures, including festivals, immersive attractions, musical theatre production and touring, and financial transactions with live entertainment companies and assets. The company also spans across film, television, music, and theme park industries. In 2019, Crossroads Live acquiredDavid Ian Productions, and, in December 2020, the company also acquired the Gordon Frost Organization.[37][38] Most recently, Crossroads Live producedMrs. Doubtfire,Company andAlmost Famous the Musical.[39]
In 2024 McGrath partnered with Michael Barra to form ILP Theatrical in association with International Literary Properties.[40] ILP Theatrical provides liquidity for authors of theatrical properties, plays and musicals, including acquisitions, partnerships and administration. Among the initial transactions are the acquisition of the play "Arsenic and Old Lace" and other works by Joseph Kesselring, and the literary works of Langston Hughes.[41]
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