William Pfeiffer
Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, Globalgate Entertainment
About Speaker
William Pfeiffer is Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Globalgate Entertainment, a global local-language film production and financing company that includes Lionsgate, Televisa, and Nordisk as shareholders. The Globalgate consortium consists of 12 film production/distribution companies, including Gaumont, Rai, Tobis, Kadokawa, and Lotte. As CEO of Dragongate Entertainment, a China-focused feature film production and financing company launched in 2012 with backing from Lionsgate, Pfeiffer produces feature films in English and Asian languages and raises corporate financing as well as film financing. From 2008-2012, Pfeiffer was CEO & Founder of Tiger Gate Entertainment, a partnership among Lionsgate Entertainment, Saban Capital, and Pfeiffer. He launched Asia-focused TV channels including KIX and Thrill. Tiger Gate merged with Celestial's TV channels in 2012, and Pfeiffer is still a significant shareholder of the merged entity: Celestial Tiger Entertainment. As CEO of Celestial Pictures from 2001-2008, Pfeiffer launched several Chinese TV channels including Celestial Movies and produced many successful TV series. Celestial Pictures owns the largest Chinese film library, including Shaw Brothers. Celestial produced multiple award-winning Chinese films such as "Perhaps Love" and "WuXia". From 1992-2001, William Pfeiffer was the most senior executive in Asia of Sony Pictures and Columbia TriStar and simultaneously was responsible for production, distribution, and TV channels. He initiated local film production that produced multiple award-winning local-language films such as "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and "Lagaan". At Sony, he launched 20 TV channels and produced thousands of films / TV programs. He was Chairman of the first n China-based production joint venture between a Hollywood major studio and a Chinese partner. From 1987-1992, Pfeiffer was the most senior executive of The Walt Disney Studios in Asia and launched its television production and home entertainment businesses in Asia. Pfeiffer has lived in Asia for 33 years. He studied at the University of Notre Dame and Sophia University (in Tokyo) as an undergraduate and at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. He is a board member of several global organizations, including the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Plastic Oceans International, and BAFTA (Asia).