john J. sie
John Sie is the founder and former chairman of Starz Entertainment Group. Founded in 1991, the Colorado-based company is owned by Liberty Media Corporation and is the parent of 13 premium movie networks, including Starz and Encore. In January 2005, he stepped down as CEO, a position he held since the company was founded, in order to devote more time to his family and philanthropic activities.
Born in China, John came to the United States in 1950 at the age of 14. He stayed at a Catholic orphanage on Staten Island, N.Y. until he graduated from high school in 1953. He received Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Master of Electrical Engineering degrees from Manhattan College and Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1957 and 1958, respectively. John began his professional career in 1958 when he joined the RCA Defense Electronics Division on advanced microwave solid state devices. In 1960, he co-founded and later became chairman and CEO of Micro State Electronics Corp., which later became a subsidiary of the Raytheon Co. In 1972, John joined Jerrold Electronics Corp., a subsidiary of General Instrument Co., as general manager and senior vice president of the cable television division. In 1977, he joined Showtime Entertainment as senior vice president of sales and marketing.
In 1984, John moved to Colorado to join Tele-Communication, Inc. as senior vice president in charge of strategic planning, programming, marketing, technology, and government relations. Many consider John to be the father of digital television. In 1989, he submitted the first white paper on digital high definition television to Congress and the Federal Communications Commission, which would dramatically change the landscape of television across the globe.
With a strong belief in giving back to the community, John and his wife established the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation in 2005. The foundation became the founding donor of the Linda Crnic Institute for Down syndrome, the first global institute to encompass research and clinical care specifically for people with Down syndrome.
John is also committed to bridging the U.S.-China relationship through mutual understanding, dialogue and respect. He is a member of the prominent Committee of 100, a national non-partisan organization composed of outstanding American citizens of Chinese descent. John continues to support the Chinese Executive Media Management Program, a mini-MBA curriculum he helped establish in 2000 at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business for media executives from China.
