Bill Mechanic
| Bill Mechanic | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William M. Mechanic November 30, 1949 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Film producer |
William M. "Bill" Mechanic is an American film producer. He is the chairman and CEO of Pandemonium Films.
At present, he serves on the board of counselors for USC School of Cinematic Arts, and the Board of BFI Southbank (formerly known as the National Film Theatre) American Friends. He has also served on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has been honored with the Showman of the Year Award by the Producers Guild of America. He is in the Video Hall of Fame, and has received a Martini Shot Mentor award from Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards in 1999. He has served as an executive for Walt Disney Studios and Fox Filmed Entertainment.
He graduated from Michigan State University in 1973 with a degree in English.
From 1978 to 1982，he worked for Select TV Programming Inc., as vice president of programming. He also held the position of vice president of pay TV and post-theatrical markets for Paramount and senior creative executive at Paramount Pictures.
Following a position at Paramount Pictures, Mechanic moved to Disney in 1984, subsequently building its home-video units both in the United States and overseas from minor industry players to nearly double the size of their nearest competitors. The division grew from $30 million in revenue to over $3 billion and notched the majority of the all-time best-selling videos. Mechanic pioneered the concept of direct sales to mass merchants, which has become an important part of the home entertainment business today. At the Walt Disney Studios, where he served as president of international distribution and worldwide video, he oversaw international theatrical, worldwide home video, and worldwide pay television.
Mechanic is married to Carol Mechanic. They have a daughter named Aaron Mechanic.
One of Mechanic's critical moves occurred when he ended a five-year relationship between Disney and Warner Bros. for the overseas distribution of the Disney studio's theatrical product and set up Buena Vista International (BVI). In its first full year of operation, the unit became the industry's No. 1 Distributor. It was the first completely new international theatrical distribution organization in more than three decades.
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