Robert Bruce Simonds Jr. (born 1962) is an American film producer, entrepreneur, and the founder & chairman ofSTX Entertainment, which creates, produces, distributes, finances, and markets film (as STXfilms), television (as STXtelevision), digital media (as STXdigital), and live events as well as virtual reality (as STXsurreal).^[1] According toThe Wall Street Journal in its first four years, Simonds more than tripled the company's valuation to an estimated US$3.5 billion.^[2][3] In September 2017, it was reported that STX was close to aninitial public offering on theHong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK),^[2] and in April 2018, the company announced it had filed for an IPO.^[4] In October 2018, it was announced that STX would not go through with the IPO, as political and market conditions had changed.^[5] Prior to working at STX, Simonds was an independent film producer whose over 30 films have generated more than $6 billion in worldwide box office revenue.^[6] Simonds is reported to have a net worth of $800 million.^[7]

Robert Simonds
Simonds at the premiere of Yours, Mine & Ours in 2005
Born	1962 (age 62–63) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Alma mater	Yale University
Occupation(s)	Film producer Chairman, STX Entertainment
Years active	1990–present
Known for	The Wedding Singer (1998) Big Daddy (1999) Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) The Upside (2017)
Spouse	Anne Biondi ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	5

Simonds was born inPhoenix the son of Robert Bruce Simonds Sr., a businessman. He graduated fromYale University.^[8]

From 1990 to 2023, Simonds has produced, executive produced, or financed over 125 globally distributed star-driven films, generating over $11 billion in worldwide revenue.^[9] His credits include theAdam Sandler filmsBilly Madison,Happy Gilmore,The Wedding Singer,Big Daddy andThe Waterboy;Cheaper by the Dozen, andThe Pink Panther which starsSteve Martin. He also producedThis Means War withAcademy Award-winning actressReese Witherspoon andTom Hardy,The Gentlemen withAcademy Award-winning actorMatthew McConaughey,The Upside withAcademy Award-nominated actorBryan Cranston,Bad Moms,Molly's Game withAcademy Award-winning actressJessica Chastain,The Foreigner,Hustlers,The Mauritanian withAcademy Award-winning actressJodie Foster,My Son,Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre,Guy Ritchie's The Covenant withAcademy Award-nominated actorJake Gyllenhaal,Ferrari withAcademy Award-nominated actorAdam Driver andAcademy Award-winning actressPenelope Cruz,My Spy: The Eternal City,Greenland, andGreenland: Migration.^[10] Simonds has produced a number of highly-profitablecult films includingJoe Dirt andHalf Baked.^[1][6][11]

In 2012, Simonds andBill McGlashan, founder and managing partner of private equity firmTPG Growth, began conceptualizing and building a film, television and multimedia company that would make, market and distribute star-driven, commercial content to be distributed worldwide.^[12][13] In 2014,STX Entertainment was formally launched with financing led by TPG Growth, and the company later secured investments from Chinese private equity firmHony Capital and other individuals includingGigi Pritzker and William "Beau" Wrigley, Jr. II.^[1]

Serving as chairman and CEO of STX, Simonds hired entertainment industry veterans to build his executive team including formerViacom Entertainment Group COOThomas B. McGrath^[14] and former CEO ofCrest Animation Noah Fogelson.^[14] FormerUniversal Pictures chairman Adam Fogelson^[15] and formerDisney andFox production and marketing chief Oren Aviv were also added to the team.^[16]Discovery Communications' former CFO Andrew Warren^[17] and formerParamount Pictures andCondé Nast communications head Patricia Röckenwagner later also joined.^[18]

The company has multiple divisions: film (STXfilms), which includes animation and family content; television (STXtelevision), which includes scripted and unscripted content; and digital media (STXdigital); along with an international partnership and distribution arm headquartered in London (STXinternational).

In 2016, the company received additional investment from Chinese Internet companyTencent andHong Kong-based telecommunications companyPCCW, andEast West Bank's chairman and CEODominic Ng.^[19] In 2017, the world's largest international television and broadband companyLiberty Global invested an undisclosed amount in the company.^[20] Funds from that round of financing will be used to continue to build STX Entertainment's TV division, further expand internationally and potentially make acquisitions.^[2] In March 2019, STX raised $700 million in new capital, in a round led by TPG Growth and Hony Capital, to help STX release more films, expand its TV business, and pursue acquisitions.^[21]

STX Entertainment's Board of Directors is composed of investors and industry veterans including: Simonds, David Bonderman (founding partner ofTPG Capital), John Zhao (CEO ofHony Capital), Gigi Pritzker (founder ofMWM Studios), Janice Lee (managing director of PCCW Media Group), Tracy Cui (managing director of Hony Capital),Frank Biondi (former president and CEO ofViacom and former chairman and CEO ofUniversal Studios; senior managing director of WaterView Advisors),Dominic Ng (chairman and CEO ofEast West Bank), Carmen Chang (chairman ofNew Enterprise Associates), and Bruce Mann (chief programming officer ofLiberty Global).

When STX was launched the film division of the company focused its efforts on creating a new model. Rather than pursuing the traditional distribution process the company secured direct distribution agreements with North American theater chainsAMC,Regal,Cinemark,Goodrich,Marcus Theatres, andCarmike Cinemas.^[22] In early 2015, the company signed a multi-year television output agreement to release films exclusively toShowtime Networks and its multiplex channelsShowtime,TMC andFlix, covering STX theatrical releases through 2019.^[23] In April 2015, the company entered a multi-year partnership withUniversal Studios Home Entertainment for Universal to handle marketing, sales and distribution services for Blu-ray, DVD and VOD platforms for STX theatrical titles in North America.^[24] That same month, STXfilms closed a three-year slate deal withHuayi Brothers, one of China's largest film studios, enabling the companies to co-produce and co-distribute 12 to 15 films annually.^[25] In 2015, STXfilms acquired its first film at theToronto International Film Festival, purchasing the worldwide rights toHardcore Henry for $10 million USD.^[26] In January 2017, STXfilms signed a three-year marketing and distribution agreement withLuc Besson'sEuropaCorp Films USA to release their upcoming slate of films.^[27]

STXfilms projects have includedBad Moms;^[28]Molly's Game;^[29]I Feel Pretty;^[30] andGringo withAmazon Studios;^[31]The Gift, written, co-produced and directed byJoel Edgerton;^[32]The Edge of Seventeen;^[33]The Foreigner starringJackie Chan;^[34] andSecret in Their Eyes starringNicole Kidman andJulia Roberts;^[35]The Boy;^[36] andFree State of Jones starringMatthew McConaughey.^[37] STXfilms announcedThe Happytime Murders starringMelissa McCarthy and the film was released on August 24, 2018;^[38] a scrapped romantic comedy which was to be developed by and starAnne Hathaway;^[39] andSecond Act, a romantic comedy starringJennifer Lopez and directed byPeter Segal that came out December 21, 2018.^[40]

In 2014, the television division’s first project was the 13-episode seriesState of Affairs, starringKatherine Heigl andAlfre Woodard, which was sold toNBC.^[41][42] In 2015, STXtelevision produced the NBC pilotProblem Child, based onthe 1990 film of the same name.^[43] In April 2016, the STXtelevision Chinese variety showNumber One Surprise premiered onHunan TV, and became the #1 show inChina with over 1 billion total views.^[44][45] In May 2017, STXtelevision announced it had acquired the first TV project fromKevin Kwan, author ofCrazy Rich Asians.^[46] In November 2017, STXtelevision announcedValley of the Boom, a docudrama about the 1990s tech boom from showrunner and directorMatthew Carnahan and executive producerArianna Huffington, set to air onNatGeo.^[47] STXtelevision produced season 23 ofTrue Life, which aired onMTV in 2017. In February 2018, Fox and STXtelevision announced it is developing an unscripted series based on STXfilms'Bad Moms.^[48] In October 2018, STXtv received a pilot order fromYouTube forThe Edge of Seventeen, based on thefilm of the same name released by STXfilms in 2016.^[49]

In August 2016, STXdigital acquiredvirtual reality (VR) studio Surreal, renaming it STXsurreal. Founded in 2015, in its first year Surreal produced over 70 immersive VR experiences.^[50] In June 2017, STXsurreal announced a partnership with media services agency Horizon Media to develop and produce VR and immersive content for the brand's new UNCVR unit.^[51] In 2018, STXsurreal announced a slate of original projects includingThe Limit, a live-action, short-form series fromRobert Rodriguez and starringMichelle Rodriguez;^[52]New Tricks, directed and produced byEd Helms;^[53] andThe Kiev Exchange, a spinoff of STXfilms'Mile 22.^[53] In December 2017, it was announced that STXdigital acquired the exclusive Chinese distribution rights toDick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve fromDick Clark Productions (dcp), along with the Chinese distribution rights to the2018 Golden Globes broadcast from dcp and theHollywood Foreign Press Association.^[54] STXdigital andTencent partnered to broadcast both shows onTencent Video.^[55] In January 2018, the companies announced they would also co-produce a live Chinese-language Golden Globes red carpet pre-show, to air live with the telecast.^[56]

In April 2016, a dedicated international division (STXinternational) opened. Headquartered in London, the division is led by formerFilm4 headDavid Kosse.^[57] The division launched with a slate of six films that includedAndy Serkis's directorial debutBreathe (which opened the 2017London Film Festival),^[58]Home Again starringReese Witherspoon, andWind River starringJeremy Renner andElizabeth Olsen.^[59] Additional titles on the STXinternational slate includeRidley Scott'sAll the Money in the World,Morten Tyldum'sThe Marsh King's Daughter, and Bart Layton'sAmerican Animals; and titles from the main STXfilms slate.^[60] In March 2019, John Friedberg was named president of STXinternational.^[61]

In 2014, Simonds was featured as one of Hollywood's top dealmakers inVariety magazine's Dealmakers Impact Report for his work at STX.^[62]The Hollywood Reporter has named Simonds one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Entertainment in each of their annual rankings through 2018, since first publishing them in 2016.^[63][64][65] In 2017,Variety featured Simonds on their first annual Variety500: Entertainment Leaders and Icons list. He made the list again in 2018.^[66]

While attending Yale Simonds dated actressJennifer Beals.^[67] Simonds married Anne Biondi in 1999, and the couple live in Los Angeles with their son and four daughters.^[8] About 2010 Simonds bought a house atMulholland Estates for $4.7 million.^[68]

• Robert Simonds atIMDb
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Blue Ribbon Committee
• Nuverra Environmental Solutions Board of Directors
• Q&A With William McGlashan and Robert Simonds Worth August/September 2014
• National Academy of Sciences Water Sciences & Technology Board Members