John W. Hyde (born March 29, 1941, in Jackson, Michigan) is a veteran producer whose credits span feature film, television, and animation. Hyde is married to Kate Morris Hyde and lives in both Los Angeles and Badger, California.
Hyde is a member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, where he has been nominated for five Emmy Awards, winning one.[1][2] He is a former officer and director of The Cousteau Society. He was also a founding member, as well as Vice Chairman and Board member, of the American Film Market. Hyde and his wife own Fairlea Ranch and raise World Champion American Quarter Horses. Hyde graduated from New York University with additional international economic studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands.
As CEO of MCEG Sterling, a publicly held motion picture production, distribution, library and consulting company, Hyde reorganized MCEG in 1990 after reaching a major compromise with GE Capital. He then consolidated a series of independent film libraries into MCEG and subsequently engineered a four way merger of MCEG Sterling with Orion Pictures, Activa Corporation, and Metromedia International to form Metromedia
Hyde was CEO of Crossroads V Communications, a leading entertainment industry consulting and management firm. During this period, as CEO of Starbound Records, a music library of over 17,000 digital masters, he reorganized the company and subsequently sold the library. Also during this time Hyde was court appointed CEO/Trustee for Riklis TV Broadcasting (KADY/KADE Television) which he sold on behalf of the creditors in 1999.
Hyde was brought into Film Roman as President and CEO to reorganize the company. Hyde successfully stopped the negative cash flow, cut back the corporate overhead, and generated new business, Tripping the Rift, Eloise, Wow Wow Wubbzy, and Motocross, while continuing to produce The Simpsons and King of the Hill and deliver them to the Fox Network on a timely basis. IDT Entertainment bought control of Film Roman in 2003.
Hyde was Chief Operating Officer of IDT Entertainment and CEO of IDTE Productions, New Arc Productions, Anchor Bay Home Entertainment, and Film Roman. Through a series of acquisitions, and startup subsidiaries, IDT Entertainment grew from $27,000 in revenues in 2003 to annualized revenues of nearly $250,000,000 in 2006. Hyde was responsible for organizing these acquisitions and subsidiaries and creating an infrastructure to give IDT Entertainment a cohesive production and distribution system for motion pictures, cable, DVD, and television. Hyde oversaw all operations of IDT Entertainment day-to-day and led team handling the due diligence, sale, and integration into Starz/Liberty Media.
Hyde served as Vice Chairman of Starz Media who purchased IDT Entertainment in 2006 for nearly $500,000,000. Hyde was responsible for integrating the newly acquired IDT companies into the Starz group of companies. Hyde also served as Vice Chairman of Image Entertainment the leading U. S. independent distributor of DVD, digital and broadcast rights with a catalog of nearly 4000 titles. Hyde was a founding Director of T&M Entertainment which successfully raised $82,000,000 publicly to acquire an entertainment company.
During his years as an industry management consultant, Hyde oversaw the restructuring or reorganization of Avenue Entertainment, Filmstar, Management Company Entertainment Group, Cannon Films, Hemdale Entertainment, Reeves Entertainment, Peregrine Entertainment, Orion, AME Video, MGM, Fries Entertainment, and Riklis TV Broadcasting.
Most recently, Hyde executive produced The Happytime Murders, starring Melissa McCarthy, with Henson Alternative and STX Entertainment. He also executive produced Walk Among The Tombstones, based on the motion picture 8 Million Ways to Die and the Lawrence Block book series. Currently, Hyde is vice chairman of The Jim Henson Company. He is also the owner of Rehab Incorporated, which consists of Rehab Entertainment, a television and film, and intellectual rights company, as well as Rehab Consulting, an entertainment and media consulting company. Hyde and producing partner, Terissa Kelton, are currently in development on multiple projects. In feature film, the pair are executive producing Prophet, based on the Prophet (comics) created by Rob Liefeld. They are also executive producing a reimagining of Flight of the Navigator. With the Jim Henson Company, Hyde and Kelton are developing two series: Harriet the Spy, based on the best-selling children's novel by Louise Fitzhugh, and The Kissing Hand, the award-winning children's book by Audrey Penn.
In 2020, after a multi-year partnership, Hyde and Kelton focused their overall vision of the company by co-founding Rehab Entertainment.
In August 2020, Apple TV+ announced the animated remake of Harriet the Spy starring Beanie Feldstein and Jane Lynch with Hyde and Kelton attached as Executive Producers.
