John J. Lee, Jr.

Founder | Executive Chairman

John has successfully led the vision, launch and/or expansion of five entertainment and media entities...

Biography

John has provided development and financing planning and execution in every aspect for dozens of motion pictures, television network series and specials, with combined production costs of over $470 million and global rights earnings exceeding $4 billion.

Here are some of the dozens of films John Lee has worked on. These are motion pictures you have heard of before, like The Terminator, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and The Nutty Professor.

John Lee has provided business, global distribution and financing for motion pictures released through Universal, Paramount, Sony, Disney, Warner Bros., HBO and many others.

John has successfully led the vision, launch and/or expansion of five entertainment and media entities, including Impression delivery Corporation that was subsequently acquired by CapCities, and Entertainment Business Group purchased by the Gillen Group.

John's Grandmother was an avid reader, lighting a fire in him to seek for and create audience-overwhelming stories.

John's early career started as a systems analyst then consultant within the Business Systems Division of the NCR corporation by day, while in the evenings writing scripts and stories, and studying entertainment's creative and business craft. John co- founded the highly successful San Diego Repertory Theatre, for which he provided business planning, funding, taught and directed. He executive produced and partially funded his first motion picture, Where's Willy? in 1976, doing many things contrary to his better business judgment.It was a clarifying learning experience.

This led John into international motion picture sales as Controller and then Business Affairs Vice President for global motion picture sales company Howard Goldfarb Distribution. Subsequently, in the same position for Heart Entertainment, he directed the distribution and funding of in-house and client projects and helped measure the value of their pictures' rights and plan their optimal global rights licensing and sales.

Though participating throughout his career in the business and creative aspects of motion picture and television productions, John also led four new-media companies including the direct broadcast satellite entity Impression Delivery Corporation (acquired by CapCities), and the ad sales units of TimesMirror Cable Television (acquired by Cox Communications).

In 1996, John joined the faculty of BYU's Film School, established and taught their Business of Film curricula, leading him to author The Producer's Business Handbook. This book is used by film and business schools the world over, is a standard professional media reference, a best seller in its obscure category, now in its fourth edition published by Focal Press and co-branded by AFM. John has also mentored 27 film students in their productions.

The book continues to benefit many in understanding the hybrid demands of global distribution and finance, and has brought him, as he likes to say, "more recognition, speaking engagements and enjoyable experiences than I deserve."

In 1999 John co-founded and was CEO of Entertainment Business Group, providing motion picture global finance, distribution and related business services to independent producers and industry entities, until The Gillen Group's acquisition.

In 2004, John became the co-founder and CEO of iCommunication Dynamics, and i.TV, Internet steaming television technology entities, eventually selling its majority interest, as well as separately its i.TV concept and domain, which became a top 100 iPhone and iPad application.

In 2008, John became Dean of India's high-tech entertainment and media college, Whistling Woods International, contributing to their expansion, attaining top ten global status, and bringing India its first Media and Entertainment MBA in partnership with Manipal University.

In 2011, John became Managing Director of Entertainment Strategy, where he directed the development, global distribution, funding and oversight of in-house and client entertainment projects.

In 2018, John’s Simple Little Stories co-ventured with Jason Brents’ Lady of the Lake Studios together with their China distribution relationships, forming OneDoor Studios, each partner company contributing three global, wide-audience projects, three of which are also franchise projects.

John, Jason, Stephen, Dan, and Paul now form OneDoor Studios, currently developing nearly a dozen independent feature motion pictures and series, while expanding their global sales capacities.

John continues to story-search, write, surf, help his wife, Darylann, in her women and children humanitarian work, and together they labor in their most joyous production...their children, grandchildren and extended family.

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John J. Lee, Jr.

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