Rob Friedman is an industry veteran with decades of entertainment and media experience building and leading content studios. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Ascendant Entertainment as well as President of his own consulting company, Rainbow RF. From 2012 to 2017, Friedman served as Co-Chairman of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group following their acquisition of Summit Entertainment, a company he founded and built from a foreign sales company into a global, full-service studio. While at Lionsgate, Friedman was in charge of all aspects of feature film acquisition, production and distribution operations. During his tenure, Lionsgate became the first studio outside the traditional majors to generate over $1 billion at the US box office, a feat repeated two years in a row. In 2017, under Friedman’s leadership, Lionsgate received the highest number of Academy Award nominations of any studio – twenty-six in total, with six wins for LA LA LAND and two for HACKSAW RIDGE. LA LA LAND also broke the record for the most Golden Globes for a single film, receiving seven awards.In building Summit Entertainment, Friedman served as Co-Chairman and CEO from 2007 to its sale in 2012. He was responsible for building the company’s systems and operations, streamlining it into the most efficient global production and distribution company. Under his leadership, Summit launched the global blockbuster, THE TWILIGHT SAGA franchise, whose five films grossed more than $3.3 billion worldwide. Friedman also responsible for THE HUNGER GAMES and JOHN WICK franchises, as well as the success of such films as NOW YOU SEE ME, RED, and 2010 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture and Best Director, THE HURT LOCKER. During Friedman’s tenure, members of Summit’s investment group realized a 9x return on investment in a five-year period. At the time of Summit’s sale to Lionsgate, they operated the most efficient distribution platform of any company distributing major theatrical motion pictures.Friedman began his career at Warner Brothers, where he held a series of different positions, including President of Worldwide Marketing, responsible for the global marketing of Warner Brothers’ films.In 1997, Friedman moved to Paramount Pictures as Vice Chairman of the Paramount Motion Picture Group, adding the role of COO, and ultimately overseeing seven divisions. During his tenure, Friedman created Paramount's specialty film division, Paramount Classics.