Dr. Jack Gao is the founding Partner and CEO of Smart Cinema in Beijing, China, and former CEO of Wanda Group’s Global Film Division. Within Wanda Group, he was Interim CEO of Legendary Entertainment, and served on the Board of AMC Theaters. He is a member of the American Film Institute’s Board of Trustees.
Dr. Gao’s new venture Smart Cinema will stream new-release movies to hundreds of millions of mobile devices in China during the same period movies are released and shown in theaters, with revenues included in the box office revenues. It is an officially recognized online cinema chain fully backed by the Chinese government agencies overseeing and regulating movie and entertainment industries.
Earlier, Dr. Gao served as Senior Vice President for News Corporation from 2006 to 2014. His roles at News Corp. included CEO, News Corp. China Investments; CEO, Star TV China; Chairman, MySpace China; and Chief Representative, News Corp. Beijing Representative Office. Prior to joining News Corp, he was President and General Manager of Microsoft China.
Dr. Gao was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of Bona Film Group when News Corp. was a strategic investor in Bona. He currently serves on the Boards of Beijing Vantone Industrial Co. Ltd and Beijing Weiying (WeChat Film).
Dr. Gao has served as an Assistant Professor in Engineering as a faculty member of the Harbin Institute of Technology in China, and an Adjunct Professor for the Business School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His 2003 book “Experience Microsoft” has a wide readership in the China tech community.
Dr. Gao graduated from the Harbin Institute of Technology and the University of California, Los Angeles with B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees in Engineering.
