Kevin Ken Tsujihara (born October 25, 1964) is a Japanese American businessman, and former chairman and CEO of Warner Bros Entertainment. He succeeded Barry Meyer as CEO in March 2013, and as chairman in December 2013, having previously served as president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Upon assuming the role of CEO, Tsujihara became the first Asian American to run a major Hollywood studio.[1]He resigned in March 2019, following acasting couch scandal.
Early life[edit]
Kevin Tsujihara was born to Shizuo and Miyeko "Mickey" Tsujihara and grew up inPetaluma, California. He and his family owned Empire Egg Company, a company that distributed eggs to markets across the San Francisco Bay Area. Tsujihara graduated from the University of Southern California and earned an MBA degree from Stanford University. After graduating from Stanford, he launched QuickTax Inc., a tax preparation website.[1][2]
Tsujihara joined Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. in 1994 as the director of special projects finance, primarily dealing with the company's interest in Six Flags Theme Parks, which had been acquired by Warner Bros.' parent company Time Warner (now WarnerMedia) in 1990. While employed at Warner Bros., he also focused on business development and online content. In 2005, Tsujihara was given the position of president of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment unit, which focuses on the home video, online distribution and video games for the company.[1][3][4]
In January 2013, Tsujihara was named the new Chief executive officer of Warner Bros. after the announcement that Barry Meyer would retire from the position on March 1, 2013. This made him the first Asian American to be the CEO of a major Hollywood studio and the fifth leader in the 90-year history of Warner Bros.[4][1]
On March 6, 2019, entertainment industry publications reported that WarnerMedia is investigating allegations that Tsujihara may have promised auditions and/or acting jobs to actress Charlotte Kirk in return for sex.[5][6] On March 8, 2019 Tsujihara released a memo apologizing to his colleagues at WarnerMedia for his behavior.[7] Tsujihara resigned on March 18, 2019. A Warner Bros. spokesperson said, "It is in the best interest of WarnerMedia, Warner Bros., our employees and our partners for Kevin to step down as chairman and CEO of Warner Bros."[8]
Personal life[edit]
Tsujihara and his wife, Sandy, have two children.[9]
