Jeffrey Katzenberg (/ˈkætsənˌbɜːrɡ/; born December 21, 1950) is an American media proprietor and film producer who has been serving as president of Universal Animation Studios.

He previously served as chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994, a position in which he oversaw production and business operations for the company's feature films.

He has since founded the venture capital firm WndrCo in 2017,[1] which invests in digital media projects, and launched Quibi in 2020, a defunct short-form mobile video platform that lost US$1.35 billion in seven months.

With active support of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, he was named "one of Hollywood's premier political kingmakers and one of the Democratic Party's top national fund-raisers".

[4] As head of the studio, he oversaw all filmed content including motion pictures, television, Disney Channel, and home video distribution.

He focused the studio on the production of adult-oriented comedies through its Touchstone Pictures banner, including films such as Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Three Men and a Baby, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, and Pretty Woman.

These films include The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Oliver & Company (1988), The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991)—which was the first animated feature to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture—Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and Pocahontas (1995).

Katzenberg also brokered a deal with Pixar to produce 3D computer-generated animated movies and greenlit production of Toy Story.

[28] In January 2017, the LA Times reported that Katzenberg had raised funds for a new media and technology investment firm called WndrCo.

[28] In late 2018, Katzenberg announced his new video streaming platform, Quibi, created in partnership with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman.

Katzenberg said the shutdown was due to a sudden change in how audiences consume media caused by the coronavirus pandemic which did not align with Quibi's market niche as well as a desire to return some funds to investors.

[34] To lift Quibi employees' spirits, The Wall Street Journal reported that Katzenberg told them to listen to "Get Back Up Again" from the movie Trolls during a video call announcing the company's closure.

[36] In 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission reportedly opened an investigation into DreamWorks and other movie studios for bribing foreign officials.

The timing of the events led Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin to question if the deal and fundraiser were related.

[42] In October 2012, Obama and Bill Clinton reportedly visited Katzenberg at his home in Beverly Hills for a private meeting with wealthy Democratic donors.

Members of the White House press corps who had traveled to California with Obama were kept in the garage of Katzenberg's mansion and one reporter called the meeting "unusual".

[53] When the White House announced its opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in January 2012, Chris Dodd, the former Senator and head of the Motion Picture Association of America, the film industry's lobbying organization, contacted Katzenberg to obtain more information about the president's plans.

[54] When Dodd reportedly asked him to intervene, Katzenberg declined,[55] but "sought to soothe hurt feelings and lay the groundwork for a deal more friendly to Hollywood".

Cannes director Thierry Frémaux credited Katzenberg and Shrek with expanding the range of films considered at the competition.

They donated the multimillion-dollar Katzenberg Center to Boston University's College of General Studies, citing that the school gave their two children the "love of education".

Katzenberg sits on the board of directors of multiple organizations, including the Motion Picture & Television Fund, Geffen Playhouse, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, AIDS Project Los Angeles, The Michael J.

[65][66] In January 2025, Katzenberg and his wife donated $5 million to the Motion Picture & Television Fund for relief efforts regarding the Southern California wildfires.