Richard Plepler

Richard Plepler (born 1958)[1] is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO),[2] a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia.[3][4] On February 28, 2019, it was announced that Plepler was leaving HBO after 27 years.[5][6][7]

Richard Plepler
Richard Plepler & Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, May 2012
Born1958 (age 63–64)
Manchester, Connecticut
OccupationMedia Executive
Known forFormer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HBO
Spouse(s)Lisa Ruchlamer
Children1
AwardsInternational Emmy Directorate Award

In 2020, Plepler launched Eden Productions and announced a five-year production deal with AppleTV+ to make television series, documentaries, and feature films.[8][9]

Biography

Plepler was born in Manchester, Connecticut to a Jewish family.[10][11] He is the elder of two brothers raised in Manchester.[1][12] His parents were active in Democratic politics.[1] His father was a trial lawyer.[13] He attended the Loomis Chaffee School[14][15] before graduating from Franklin & Marshall College.[16]

Plepler studied government in college and then moved to Washington in 1981 where he worked for Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd.[13]

In 1984, Plepler moved to New York City, where he opened a public relations firm and produced a series of interviews for The Atlantic magazine and a documentary on Israel and the Palestinian conflict.[1] Plepler initially joined Time Warner in 1992,[1] and in 2007, he was appointed and served as co-president of HBO with Michael Lombardo until 2013. During that time, HBO launched series such as Game of Thrones, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, Veep, and The Newsroom.[17][16]

In 2013, he was appointed as the chairman and CEO of HBO.[16] During that time, HBO launched True Detective, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Big Little Lies.[18] Under Plepler's leadership, the network's series won more than 160 Emmys;[19] subscribership for HBO and sister channel Cinemax grew by nearly 40 million; and the HBO channels' revenue increased by $2 billion, a 40% increase.[20] Plepler led the launch of HBO on digital platforms such as Amazon and Hulu and created HBO's streaming service HBO Now.[20][21][22][23] On February 28, 2019, Plepler announced that he was leaving HBO.[24] In his resignation memo, Plepler stated that he had been with the network for "nearly 28 years."[6][5]

In January 2020, Plepler announced that he has started a production company called Eden Productions, and that he and the company has signed a five-year deal with Apple TV+ to exclusively produce content for the streaming service.[25]

Personal life

In 2002, Plepler married Lisa Ruchlamer;[26] they have one daughter.

References
  1. New York Times: "There’s Something About Richard - Richard Plepler of HBO Stands Tall in New York’s Cultural Elite" by Laura M. Holson September 21, 2012
  2. "Richard Plepler, Home Box Office Inc: Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  3. "Richard Plepler". Time Warner. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  4. "Richard Plepler addresses the future at DealBook". Cnbc.com. 10 November 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  5. ""People Are Shocked": Inside HBO Adonis Richard Plepler's Mic Drop". March 2019.
  6. "Richard Plepler Departing HBO After Three Decades at Cable Giant". 28 February 2019.
  7. Koblin, John (2020-01-02). "Apple Deal Returns Former HBO Boss Richard Plepler to Spotlight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (2020-11-05). "Richard Plepler's Eden Productions Hires Ashley Underwood As Development Executive". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  9. "ICM's Heather Karpas Joins Richard Plepler's Eden Productions". TheWrap. 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  10. New York Magazine: "Barack Obama is the best thing Israel has going for it right now. Why is that so difficult for Netanyahu and his American Jewish allies to understand?" by John Heilemann September 18, 2011
  11. Beth Sholom B'nai Israel (Aug 2016). "Bulletin (Vol. 5776)" (PDF). p. 14.
  12. Buckler, Matt (1 March 2019). "Manchester native exits as HBO CEO". Journal Inquirer. Manchester, Connecticut. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  13. Garrahan, Matthew (Jan 9, 2015). "Lunch with the FT: Richard Plepler". Financial Times. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  14. Daily Bulletin Loomis Chaffee Richard Plepler convocation
  15. https://www.loomischaffee.org/uploaded/Centennial/Centennial_Essay-Wawro.pdf
  16. Variety Magazine: "Richard Plepler, CHAIRMAN / CEO HBO" retrieved October 28, 2017
  17. David Sims (March 1, 2019). "The End of an Era for HBO—And for Television". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  18. Anthony Ha (January 3, 2020). "Former HBO exec Richard Plepler signs exclusive production deal with Apple TV+". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 24, 2021. Plepler started at HBO back in 1993 and became CEO in 2013. During his time in that role, HBO had continued success with shows new (“True Detective” and “Big Little Lies”) and old (“Game of Thrones").
  19. John Koblin (January 2, 2020). "Apple Deal Returns Former HBO Boss Richard Plepler to Spotlight". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2021. Mr. Plepler, 61, was a key figure in helping make HBO into an original-programming powerhouse. In the years he was in charge, the network won more than 160 Emmys, including for series like “Game of Thrones,” “Big Little Lies” and "Veep."
  20. Meg James (February 28, 2019). "HBO's Richard Plepler, tastemaker behind TV hits like 'Game of Thrones, quits". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 24, 2021. Since taking over as CEO in 2013, he has presided over a period of subscription growth at HBO and sister channel Cinemax, with the addition of nearly 40 million subscribers, to nearly 140 million. HBO channels' revenue during his tenure grew by $2 billion, a 40% increase, to $6.6 billion, according to HBO… He also spearheaded the launch of HBO on digital platforms, including Amazon.com and Hulu, as well as creating the stand-alone streaming service HBO Now… In the six years that Plepler ran New York-based HBO and Cinemax, HBO earned 165 Emmy Awards, with wins in all major categories.
  21. David Sims (March 1, 2019). "The End of an Era for HBO—And for Television". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 24, 2021. He also launched HBO Now, a streaming-only subscription service that helped keep the company’s brand steady as online apps became a more dominant form of TV viewing.
  22. Variety Staff (July 11, 2017). "HBO's Richard Plepler to Receive Variety Vanguard Award at Mipcom". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2021. Under Plepler’s leadership, HBO has dramatically expanded its international reach and has been a pioneer in embracing alternative distribution models.
  23. John Koblin and Edmund Lee (February 28, 2019). "HBO's C.E.O., an Emmy Magnet, Steps Down". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2021. HBO, under his watch, won more than 160 Emmys for series like “Game of Thrones,” “Big Little Lies” and “Veep.” … Profits rose during Mr. Plepler’s run as chief executive, topping more than $2 billion in 2017. He introduced a stand-alone app, HBO Now, in 2015, which has more than five million subscribers.
  24. "HBO chief Richard Plepler is leaving the company amid AT&T restructuring". 28 February 2019.
  25. Koblin, John (2020-01-02). "Apple Deal Returns Former HBO Boss Richard Plepler to Spotlight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  26. Rush, George; Malloy, Joanna; Anderson, Kasia; Rubin, Lauren (April 25, 2002). "New Love Keeps Carrey On His Toes". New York Daily News.
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