Chris Meledandri

Chris Meledandri is founder and CEO of Illumination, responsible for its successful Despicable Me, Ice Age, and animated Dr. Seuss franchises. He also oversees Illumination’s franchises beyond the theater, broadening its reach into mobile games, consumer products, and social/digital media. Previously, Meledandri was a senior executive at 20th Century Fox, where he created the Ice Age franchise and shepherded The Simpsons Movie and the Dr. Seuss library (Dr. Seuss Horton Hears a Who). His honors include the 2016 Venice Film Festival’s Biennale Award, the PGA’s 2014 Visionary Award, two Academy Award nominations, Vanity Fair’s New Establishment list three times, and The Hollywood Reporter’s 2016 Animation Producer of the Year.