21 Facts About Rich Ross

1.

Rich Ross is the former Group President of Discovery Channel and Science Channel.

2.

Rich Ross was the president of entertainment at Disney Channel, and chairman of Walt Disney Studios.

3.

When Ross was named Chairman of Walt Disney Studios in 2009, he became the first openly gay studio chief.

4.

Rich Ross discussed his plans for Discovery Channel on January 8,2015 at the 2015 Television Critics Association press tour that included hiring key senior level executives to oversee documentaries and specials, as well as scripted programming.

5.

Rich Ross's father, Marty, was a garment-industry executive, and his mother, Harriet, was a former teacher turned real-estate agent.

6.

Rich Ross graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and English.

7.

Rich Ross served as executive producer of Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards.

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8.

Rich Ross was a part of the launch team for Nickelodeon's first international network, Nickelodeon UK.

9.

Rich Ross joined FX Networks in 1993 and was a member of the executive team that launched the cable network.

10.

In 1996, Rich Ross joined Disney Channel in programming and production as a senior vice president, becoming general manager and executive vice president in 1999.

11.

Rich Ross launched the highly successful Disney Channel Original Movie franchise that produced the worldwide hit High School Musical series, as well as the Camp Rock and The Cheetah Girls series.

12.

Rich Ross was named Chairman of Walt Disney Studios in October 2009, overseeing Disney's film, music, and theatrical groups.

13.

Films released during Rich Ross' tenure include the billion-dollar hits Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Disney's Alice in Wonderland and Disney-Pixar's Toy Story 3, which are three of the top 11 highest-grossing films of all time; Disney's The Muppets; DreamWorks Studios' The Help; and Disney-Pixar's Cars 2.

14.

Rich Ross left Disney on April 20,2012, with the underperformance of John Carter and Mars Needs Moms cited as reasons for his departure.

15.

Rich Ross became the Chief Executive Officer for Shine America in January 2013.

16.

Rich Ross was responsible for the ongoing commercial strategy of the Shine Group in the United States, overseeing production, distribution and marketing of original programming across broadcast, cable and digital platforms.

17.

Rich Ross was with Discovery Communications from 2015 to 2018.

18.

Rich Ross became President of Discovery Channel in January 2015 and in August of the same year was named Group President of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel.

19.

Rich Ross oversaw creative and brand strategy, development, production, marketing and all day-to-day operations for the four networks across all platforms that includes digital and social media.

20.

In contrast to Rich Ross's reported intention to bring more scripted programming to the network, CEO David Zaslav reaffirmed the organization's commitment to unscripted programming, characterizing the genre as more profitable and viable for Discovery.

21.

Rich Ross is married to his longtime partner Adam Sanderson.