Matti Leshem
| Matti Leshem | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Matti Phillip Leshem January 2, 1963 Israel |
| Alma mater | Sarah Lawrence College American Film Institute |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, film producer |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Protagonist |
| Spouse(s) | Lynn Harris |
Matti Phillip Leshem (born January 2, 1963) is an American entrepreneur, film producer, and branding expert who has founded several entertainment production companies as well as the USA Rock Paper Scissors League. He is founder and CEO of Protagonist, a Los Angeles-based brand management company.
Leshem was born January 2, 1962 in Israel, but spent much of his childhood in the United States. He is the son of Alyssa and Moshe Leshem, a former Israeli ambassador to several countries, including The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Denmark, who was part of Israel’s delegation at the United Nations.
Leshem moved to New York in 1978 and began his career in theater, performing in off-Broadway productions, including a role as James Joyce in Exiles at the Asphalt Green. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, he started an interactive theater company with his theater teacher, Megan McCombs in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Leshem and McCombs staged their own interactive murder mystery, Hilton Head Homicides. After a year with the production, Leshem relocated to Hollywood.
Leshem received his master's degree in directing from the American Film Institute.
In 1996, Leshem co-founded Cobalt Moon, a Los Angeles-based interactive entertainment company. Cobalt Moon produced Second City Naked News, a daily updated news parody.
The following year, Leshem was hired by Barry Diller as editor in chief of Silver King Broadcasting, where he was responsible for the development, production, scheduling and marketing of all programs on the Miami television station, WAMI.
In 2003, Leshem partnered with Michael Davies to form Diplomatic Productions. At Diplomatic, Leshem developed integrated brand shows, most notably Pepsi Play for a Billion, a two-hour summer special offering the chance for one player to win $1 billion. Leshem was also executive producer on several TV shows including USA Network's Smush and the documentary series Ultimate Reality on A&E.
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