IMDb Enters a New Chapter as Founder Col Needham Transitions to Executive Chair Role

Col Needham, the founder of the entertainment information platform IMDb, has stepped down as CEO of the Amazon-owned company. Having established IMDb in 1990, Needham has now moved into the position of executive chair, while Nikki Santoro, previously the company’s chief operating officer since 2021, has been appointed CEO. She becomes only the second individual to hold this position in IMDb’s 35-year history.

In his new role, Needham is set to provide strategic guidance, consult on key initiatives, and serve as a global ambassador for the brand. He will continue working from IMDb’s office in Bristol, England, while also maintaining his board memberships at Into Film and Film Independent. Additionally, he will act as a global brand ambassador for the British Board of Film Classification.

Reflecting on his decision, Needham explained that after 35 years at the helm, he had chosen to transition into his new role and pass leadership responsibilities to Santoro. He expressed confidence in her strategic vision, deep understanding of customers and products, and commitment to innovation, which, he noted, had already delivered impressive results during her tenure as COO. Needham further emphasized that her strong track record in driving growth and enhancing products made her the right choice to lead IMDb into its next phase.

Needham’s IMDb profile lists one acting credit, for a small role in the 2015 Carey Mulligan film Suffragette. According to his biography, he was born in Manchester, England, on January 26, 1967, stands 5’11” tall, and was notably the 1 millionth person to have their name added to the IMDb database.

His journey with IMDb began when he combined his personal movie database, created during his teenage years, with similar data collected from the internet in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Prior to founding IMDb, Needham had launched a computer games software business at 14 and later earned a computer science degree from Leeds University before pursuing a career in technology research in Bristol.

Santoro, who first joined IMDb in 2016, initially served as head of consumer and advertising products before becoming general manager of the consumer division. As COO, she led strategic development across multiple areas, including advertising, content, product development, technology, and user experience. She also managed the financial performance of all IMDb businesses. Before joining IMDb, Santoro held leadership roles at Amazon, Microsoft, and The Weather Channel.

Upon assuming her new role, Santoro expressed her enthusiasm for leading IMDb and described it as both an honor and an exciting challenge. She stated her commitment to further establishing IMDb as the world’s premier entertainment resource, emphasizing the goal of connecting global audiences with their favorite content while offering industry professionals unparalleled data and insights powered by advanced technology and a passionate community.

To commemorate the leadership transition, IMDb is set to host a private industry dinner in Park City, Utah, on January 27 during the Sundance Film Festival.

Serving both entertainment fans and industry professionals, IMDb attracts approximately 250 million monthly visitors. The platform offers a range of products and services, including its website for desktop and mobile devices, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and the X-Ray feature on Prime Video, which provides additional details about movies and TV shows. For industry professionals, the company offers IMDbPro, a subscription-based service, as well as Box Office Mojo. IMDb also licenses its extensive database to third-party businesses worldwide.

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