Portfolio
From film and television to entrepreneurial consulting to landmark restaurants, Stu Snyder is a leader in any number of industries. Check out the categories below to learn about his work—and hover over the images to hear about each project in Stu’s own words.
During the years in which Stu led the Cartoon Network and Adult Swim as the president of Turner Broadcasting/Time Warner’s Animation, Young Adults and Kids Media division, his teams created and produced such hit shows as Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, Regular Show, Children’s Hospital, Steven Universe, and greenlit many new shows from the Warner Bros. and Hanna Barbera library of brands such as Scooby Doo, Batman, Tom & Jerry, Teen Titans and more. The content teams won 26 Emmy Awards during his tenure, but Stu is equally proud of launching Cartoon Network’s landmark Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign.
In the film world, Stu played a key role in green-lighting Quentin Tarantino’s first film Reservoir Dogs, and was involved with other hits including Terminator 2; Judgment Day, Basic Instinct, The American President, The Mask, and many more. He is now the Executive Producer of MGM/Playing Hooky Productions’ upcoming film about the Carlos Ghosn/Michael Taylor escape, and is always looking for compelling stories to bring to screens.
A media and entertainment expert like no other, Stu has unparalleled insight into the entertainment industry. How can Stu share his experience with you?
Adventure Time
“In my early days at Cartoon Network, we were continuously looking for that new animated show that could break through and become the next hit show for this generation of kids. I knew Fred Seibert from my earlier Turner days, and he presented us with a short that was created by Pen Ward; the rest is history. Adventure Time became a global hit, and this show, along with Regular Show, Steven Universe, Adventures of Gumball, spearheaded the next great time period of animation. Many creators of other network shows came out of Adventure Time.”
Rick and Morty
“One of our goals at Adult Swim was to have our own prime time hit. At the time, the network relied on Fox shows and late night programming. Not only was Rick and Morty that first hit, but it has become a cultural phenomenon and continues to thrive. “
Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign
“One of the things I am most proud of during my tenure at Cartoon Network is our Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign. Kids told us that bullying was a top issue for them, so we made it a priority to raise the subject matter in our programming, and provide tools to help young people deal with it. I was honored to be invited to the White House by President Obama to participate in a day-long session on tackling bullying, and to work closely with CNN and Anderson Cooper to raise awareness on this important issue. Our campaign was embraced by Time Warner and our team was recognized with the Andrew Heiskell Business Citizenship Award.”
Warner Bros. – Scooby Doo, Batman, Tom & Jerry, Teen Titans
“Upon taking over Cartoon Network, one of my priorities was to work closely with our sister company, WB, to maximize their brands and develop new shows. Our creative and production teams worked together and created new shows for Scooby-Doo, Batman, Tom & Jerry, and Teen Titans. I’m proud of the cooperation that took place and the success we had together.”
“I have an incredible sweet spot for Reservoir Dogs. After reading the script, I immediately spoke to our exceptional acquisitions/producing team and agreed with them that this would make a fantastic film. The film became a phenomenon that still stands the test of time and launched one of the great talents in the film business, Quentin Tarantino.”
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
”Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a huge box office success. One of the most enjoyable moments of my career was sitting across from Arnold Schwarzenegger and assuring him that the movie would be the best-selling home video of all time when we were finished…and it was!”
Michael Taylor/Carlos Ghosn
“I met Michael Taylor approximately two weeks after he extracted Carlos Ghosn from Japan. When I learned about Taylor’s life story and escape, I knew there was a fantastic story to tell. I am thrilled to be part of the team that will tell this story in the upcoming MGM feature film produced by and starring Academy Award Winner Sam Rockwell.”
Between Feld Entertainment, WWF (now WWE), and his independent producing career Stu has been involved in the production, marketing, promotion of in excess of 1,000 live productions. He co-produced a play based on The Exorcist in London, and is a co-producer of the Broadway musical shows Water for Elephants, and is also an investor in SUFFS and Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen. He is consistently in discussions about new theatrical productions and is working on a new sports venture in the genre of armored combat fighting. Does your production need Stu’s expertise?
Hell’s Kitchen
I had heard amazing reviews for Hell’s Kitchen at The Public Theatre and those reviews combined for my love and respect for Alicia Keys brought me to becoming an investor in Hell’s Kitchen. The show is loosely based on her early life in NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen and I feel is both a musical and visual experience that audiences will love. I attended the first preview performance and the audience couldn’t jump out of their seats fast enough to show love for the cast and company.
SUFFS
After committing to WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, I decided to invest in SUFFS which was moving to Broadway from its successful and long extended run at NY’s Public Theatre. The show by Shaina Taub is about the women’s suffrage movement and is an important and relevant story today as it was back in the early 1900’s. Shana’s book and music is compelling and I’m honored to join Jill Furman (Hamilton) /Rachel Sussman (Alex Adelman’s Just for US, Parade) , Hillary Rodham Clinton and Malala Yousafzai in bringing this show to Broadway.
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS
I first saw an early preview run of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Based on my previous, and love for, the circus experience plus knowing the lead producers well, I could see how this production of Sara Gruen’s best selling book would translate to a Broadway musical and catch the imagination of an audience. After considering many other potential Broadway ventures over the years, I happily chose WATER FOR ELEPHANTS as my first post pandemic live entertainment venture. And I was so proud at the first preview show, to see the audience love the combination of great storytelling, the incredible circus performers and wonderful music showcased by the amazing cast led by Isabelle McCalla (The Prom, Shucked) and Grant Gustin (The Flash) making his Broadway debut.
“After leaving Time Warner, one of my first ventures was accepting the co-producer role for a dramatic play version of The Exorcist. I wanted to produce a show and chose The Exorcist because of its global brand awareness. If we got it right – the show would be a hit worldwide.”
Earlier in his career, Stu and his teams successfully grew both LIVE Home Video and Turner Home Entertainment into leading home entertainment companies with each generating $500 million in annual revenue and distributed many successful hit movies and family entertainment.
During his tenure at WWF (now WWE), Stu initiated and spearheaded the acquisition of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from Turner Broadcasting uniting two great rival organizations and their talent under one organization. At CINAR, he directed a successful turnaround of the public company and ultimately sold it, increasing shareholder value by 90% during his tenure. And at Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, his teams led a renaissance of Cartoon Network by creating new hit content, new branding and marketing opportunities. At Adult Swim, he led steady growth and profitability for the network through new hit shows and by expanding the network’s hours of operation. These efforts for both networks resulted in $1 billion in annual revenues.
As a media consultant, Stu developed and implemented a media launch strategy for the evergreen book series Little Critter in all forms of global media, resulting in an agreement with 9 Story Media. He also advised Sumitomo Corporation on its entertainment efforts and currently consults with several companies on developing growth strategies and securing financing. How can he bring his creativity and entrepreneurial acumen to your endeavor?
“My assignment from senior leadership was to make Cartoon Network relevant again to the new generation of kids and to continue growing our Adult Swim brand and business. After evaluating our strengths and weaknesses, our team implemented a growth strategy, which I am proud to say resulted in a series of new hit shows and annual growth for both brands.”
“I had two great tours of duty with Turner Broadcasting. My first assignment was to grow the company’s home entertainment business, and we successfully expanded the biz from $20 million to $500 million over five years. My second was spearheading the company’s new digital game business, GameTap. We ultimately merged it into a new division called Animation, Young Adults, and Kids Media, which I had the honor of leading. The division included Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Boomerang, generating over $1 Billion dollars in annual revenue and 26 Emmy awards for our creative teams.”
“During my tenure at WWF (now WWE), we acquired World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from Turner Broadcasting. The two companies were passionate competitors for many years and we brought their brand and talent, along with their valuable video library and assets, into WWF. Most wrestling fans will never forget the night that Shane McMahon walked onto the WCW show on TNT announcing the merger.”
“At Time Warner, I experienced first hand that the media landscape was shifting. After leaving, I wanted to participate in the new landscape. I shared Luminari Capital’s strategy of investing in disruptive media technologies such as Roku, Pluto TV, Athletic Media and others. Through these investments I have been able to better understand their strategies and how consumer behaviors were, and are still, adapting.”
One of the most unique ventures of Stu’s diverse group of passion projects is Beal’s Lobster Pier, a 90+-year-old lobster pier and restaurant on Mount Desert Island in Maine. When the third generation of the Beal family put the business up for sale, Stu and his partner, Russel Bernard, saw an opportunity to keep this unique, beloved institution going, and implemented a growth strategy to take the enterprise to a new level.
Stu is presently working on a strategic growth plan for the brand and business which includes additional locations, plus expanding Beal’s branded products, and developing the company’s direct-to-consumer opportunities. Does your “foodtainment” business need Stu to help it grow?
“I enjoy building businesses; that can be a show, a multi-platform distributor or a brand,” says Stu. “To me, Beal’s is another form of producing an entertaining experience. I call what we do at Beal’s ‘Foodtainment.’ Going to Beal’s is Maine in a nutshell…the fishermen, the boats, the air, and the memories that a family creates when there. What makes me happiest is when I see generations of families eating together at Beal’s, or the woman who used to run up and down the pier at age four, having her wedding rehearsal dinner there now, years later.”
“I have always had great joy throughout my career entertaining or providing entertainment and putting smiles on people’s faces. One of my most significant opportunities to do this was when my partner and I purchased this iconic lobster pier in Maine. I had a vision and strategy to expand the business through an enhanced consumer experience onsite and develop a direct-to-consumer business. The business just surpassed its 91st year, and I am pleased that we have been able to be great stewards of the brand.”