American television producer
Craig Piligian
Born (1957-08-25 ) August 25, 1957 (age 66) Occupation Television Producer Spouse
Children 2
Craig Piligian (born August 25, 1957) is an
Armenian American television producer, and the President and CEO of
Pilgrim Films & Television . As an Executive Producer, he is best known for creating
The Ultimate Fighter ,
American Chopper and
Dirty Jobs series for
Discovery Channel . In 2001, he won an
Emmy Award as co-executive producer of
Survivor .
[1]
In November 2003, Piligian began producing Dirty Jobs , a series on the Discovery channel that focused on blue-collar jobs. The show ran for eight years and aired over 170 episodes.
[2]
[3] The show ended in 2012.
[2]
[3]
In 2004, Piligian worked with
Dana White and
Lorenzo Fertitta to bring a reality show about mixed martial arts, called
The Ultimate Fighter , to television.
[4] The reality series followed sixteen fighters that lived in a house and competed for a
UFC contract.
[5]
In 2012, Piligian was 18th on
The Hollywood Reporter 's "50 Most Powerful List".
[6]
In 2015, Lionsgate purchased a major stake in Piligian's Pilgrim Studios for $200 million.
[7]
[8]
In March 2016, Piligian partnered with
Ben Affleck and
Matt Damon to create
The Runner , an original series about mobile devices for streaming on mobile devices through the streaming service
go90 .
[9]
[10] In 2018, Piligian worked with Roger Ross Williams to develop
High on the Hog , a docuseries depicting African American history through the lens of food, based on Dr. Jessica B. Harris’ book
High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America .
[11]
In April 2021, Piligian was named chair of
Pilgrim Media Group and president.
Personal life
He is married to
Lucinda Dickey ; they have two children, Joseph Michael (b. 1986) and Amanda Marie (b. 1989).
[12] In 2016, Piligian purchased a historical ranch property in Kansas for $5.325 million.
[13]
References
^
"Outstanding Non-Fiction Program, 2001" . Emmy Awards. Archived from
the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013 .
^
a
b Levin, Gary.
"Discovery cancels 'Dirty Jobs' " . USA TODAY .
Archived from the original on November 22, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2021 .
^
a
b Andreeva, Nellie (November 23, 2012).
"Discovery Channel's 'Dirty Jobs' Cancelled" . Deadline .
Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2021 .
^
"Loretta Hunt: As The Ultimate Fighter ends run on Spike TV, a look back its origins" . Sports Illustrated .
Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021 .
^
"The inside story of how 'The Ultimate Fighter' saved the UFC 15 years ago" . ESPN.com . April 9, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2021 .
^
"Reality TV: THR's 50 Most Powerful List" . The Hollywood Reporter . May 16, 2012.
^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 12, 2015).
"Lionsgate Buys Major Stake In Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Studios For $200 Million" . Deadline .
Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2021 .
^ Vlessing, Etan (November 12, 2015).
"Lionsgate Invests $200M in Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Studios" .
Archived from the original on October 6, 2021.
^ O'Connell, Mikey (March 16, 2016).
"Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Craig Piligian Partner for Verizon Reality Competition" . The Hollywood Reporter .
Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021 .
^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 16, 2016).
"Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Reality Series 'The Runner' To Launch On Verizon Go90" . Deadline .
Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2021 .
^ Petski, Denise (September 24, 2018).
"Roger Ross Williams & Craig Piligian Team On 'High On The Hog' Docuseries Tracking African American History Through Food" . Deadline .
Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2021 .
^
Biography for Lucinda Dickey at
IMDb
^
" 'Wild Tuna' creator Craig Piligian snaps up a historical spot in rural Kansas" . Los Angeles Times . October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2021 .
External links