Randy Lennox Explained

Randy Lennox
Nationality:Canadian
Occupation:Music and Media Executive, Producer

Randy Lennox is a Canadian music and media executive. He is the CEO of LOFT Entertainment.[1] He previously was president and CEO of Universal Music Canada and president of Bell Media.[2]

While Lennox was at Universal Music Canada, the label developed Canadian artists including Drake, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, and Shawn Mendes.[3] At Bell Media, he led Crave's rebranding and the expansion into streaming and musical stage productions.[4] In 2023, Lennox co-founded LOFT Entertainment to produce documentaries, films, TV shows, music and events, including the Departure Festival, formerly Canadian Music Week.[5]

He has held leadership roles with Canada's Walk of Fame, Banff World Media Festival, and Massey and Roy Thomson Halls. Lennox has received awards and recognition, including media and music industry Executive of the Year awards, being named on most influential lists from both Toronto Life and Maclean's, induction into Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame and the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2017 Juno Awards.[6] [7]

In 2024, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.[8]

Career

Universal Music Canada

While at Universal, Lennox produced , the first Canadian box-set to be certified diamond and Big Shiny Tunes, the best selling album series in Canadian history.[9] In 1998, Lennox was appointed president of Universal Music Canada following its merger with Polygram Canada.[10] [11] In 2001, he was also named CEO.[12] Under his leadership, Universal Music Canada was named Music Company of the Year for 15 consecutive years by Canadian Music Week.[13]

At Universal, Lennox signed The Weeknd[14] and discovered Shawn Mendes.[15] He played roles in developing Drake, Justin Bieber, The Tragically Hip, and Sam Roberts.[16] [17] [18] [19]

In 2011, Lennox organized artists including Drake, Justin Bieber, Nelly Furtado and Avril Lavigne to cover K'naan's Wavin' Flag[20] [21] [22] The track, co-produced with Bob Ezrin and Gary Slaight, would go on to win the 2011 Juno Award for Single of the Year and raise over $2 million for the 2010 Haiti earthquake relief effort.[23]

Bell Media

In 2015, Lennox joined Bell Media as President of Broadcasting.[24] [25] [26] In this role he produced The Launch, an original reality music competition franchise. The new format, co-created with Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records was picked up by Sony Pictures Television for international distribution.[27] [28]

He also produced Long Time Running, a documentary about The Tragically Hip which won the 2018 Excellence in Directing award from the Directors Guild of Canada.[29] He produced Jann with Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden, the most watched Canadian series of 2019 and comedy of the year.[30] [31]

In 2017 Lennox was appointed overall president of Bell Media.[32] [33] In this role he signed partnerships to bring American content brands including iHeartMedia,[16] HBO,[34] HBO Max,[35] BNN Bloomberg,[36] Starz,[37] and Vice Media[38] to Canada to support the 2018 relaunch of the Crave streaming platform as a standalone service.[39] Crave grew to nearly 3 million subscribers over the next two years.

Lennox also signed event partnerships between Bell Media and Just For Laughs[40] and the Toronto International Film Festival,[41] as well as production partnerships with Lionsgate, Pinewood Studios, Netflix, Jeffrey Katzenberg.[42] [43] [44] He also partnered with Jim Steinman[45] to launch a live stage adaptation of Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell which debuted in Toronto and London in 2018.[46]

In 2019 he led Bell Media's majority acquisition and subsequent expansion of Toronto's Pinewood Studios, creating an additional 200,000-square feet worth of production space.[47] [48] That same year he co-produced Once Were Brothers, about Robbie Robertson, with Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer, which won Best of the Fest, at the 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival and was the first Canadian documentary to open TIFF.[49] He also produced Carry It On, a documentary about Buffy Sainte Marie that won the 2023 Emmy for International Arts.[50]

In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lennox produced the largest non-sports broadcasting event in Canadian history,[51] Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble, a 90-minute event which saw 100 Canadian broadcast partners work together to raise more than $8 million for Food Banks Canada at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[52]

LOFT Entertainment

In 2023, Lennox co-founded LOFT Entertainment Inc. a music management and television content company.

In 2024, in partnership with Denver-based sports entertainment venue developer Oak View Group, Lennox acquired Canadian Music Week in order to "expand programming, enhance venues and offer unique engagement opportunities for artists and fans."[53]

Awards & Recognition

In 2002, Lennox was named one of the top 50 Most Influential Canadians by Maclean's Magazine. In 2010, Lennox was inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame as part of Canadian Music Week.[54] [55] In 2014, Lennox was named Label Executive of the Year at the Worldwide Radio Summit.[56] In 2015, 2018 and 2019 he was named on Toronto Life's 50 Most Influential list.[57] [58]

In 2017, in recognition of his contribution to the growth and development of the Canadian music industry, Lennox received the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2017 Juno Awards where he was praised by U2's Bono and Gene Simmons of Kiss.[59] The same year he was also named Media Executive of the Year by Playback Magazine.[60]

In 2024, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, the first major-label executive to receive the honour.[61]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Decter . Rosie Long . 2024-06-03 . Canadian Music Week Acquired by Loft Entertainment & Oak View Group as Founder Neill Dixon Retires . 2024-06-08 . Billboard Canada . en.
  2. News: Bell Media's Randy Lennox to Receive 2017 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at Juno Awards . 2017-02-02 . Billboard.
  3. News: 2015-11-19 . Toronto's 50 Most Influential People: Randy Lennox . https://web.archive.org/web/20240305050803/https://torontolife.com/city/toronto-50-most-influential-2015-randy-lennox/ . 2024-03-05 . 2017-07-06 . Toronto Life . en-US.
  4. Web site: Friend . David . 30 October 2019 . Bell Media bolsters Crave's streaming library under new deal with HBO .
  5. Web site: 2024-11-15 . Canadian Music Week Rebranded As 'Departure Festival + Conference' - Pollstar News . 2025-04-22 . news.pollstar.com . en-US.
  6. News: Maclean's, 2/18/2002, Vol. 115 Issue 7, p40, 2p.
  7. Web site: 2019-11-21 . The 50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2019 . 2019-11-21 . Toronto Life . en-US.
  8. Web site: 2024-12-16 . Appointments to the Order of Canada – December 18, 2024 . 2025-04-28 . Office of the Secretary to the Governor General.
  9. Web site: 20 December 2016 . How Big Shiny Tunes Defined CanRock . 2021-02-16 . Vice.com . en.
  10. Web site: Reporter . Raju Mudhar Staff . 2019-12-13 . A Canadian competitor's view from the fast-moving streaming war . 2025-04-22 . Toronto Star . en.
  11. News: Strauss . Neil . 21 December 1998 . A Major Merger Shakes Up the World of Rock . The New York Times.
  12. News: LeBlanc . Larry . 29 Dec 2001 . Billboard 29 Dec 2001 .
  13. Bliss . Karen . 2017-01-23 . Bell Media's Randy Lennox to Receive 2017 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at Juno Awards . 2025-05-02 . Billboard . en-US.
  14. News: Lauren La Rose . 2015-12-07 . From cult fave to pop superstar: The Weeknd caps breakout year with 7 Grammy noms . 2025-05-02 . CityNews Toronto . en.
  15. Web site: 2024-03-05 . Toronto's 50 Most Influential People: Randy Lennox . https://web.archive.org/web/20240305050803/https://torontolife.com/city/toronto-50-most-influential-2015-randy-lennox/ . 2024-03-05 . 2025-05-02 . Toronto Life.
  16. Web site: Express . Music . 2017-02-28 . Randy Lennox Named Bell Media President . 2025-05-02 . The Music Express . en-US.
  17. Web site: Mary Dickie . February 1, 2008 . Reinventing the music biz: Universal Music Canada's Randy Lennox . 2025-05-02.
  18. Web site: Critic . Richard Ouzounian Theatre . 2009-11-21 . The Canadian Tenors find perfect harmony . 2025-05-02 . Toronto Star . en.
  19. Bliss . Karen . 2017-04-05 . Lucian Grainge, The Weeknd, U2 Pay Tribute to Randy Lennox at the Junos . 2025-05-02 . Billboard . en-US.
  20. Web site: Kielburger . Marc & Craig . 5 January 2015 . Finding hope in Haiti . Vancouver Sun.
  21. Web site: Canadian artists wave flag for Haitian relief . 2017-07-06 . The London Free Press . en-CA.
  22. News: Canadian artists join in Wavin' Flag for Haiti . 2017-07-06 . CBC News . en.
  23. Web site: 2011 JUNO Award Winners - The JUNO Awards . 2015-06-11.
  24. Web site: Bailey . Katie . 13 June 2016 . Randy Lennox makes his mark at Bell Media . 2017-03-15.
  25. Web site: Randy Lennox, Bell's 'Content Guru' . 2017-02-02 . FYIMusicNews.
  26. Web site: 25 August 2015 . Bell Media hires former Universal Music Canada CEO Randy Lennox to head entertainment unit . 9 May 2024 . Financial Post.
  27. Scott Borchetta's Big Machine, Canada's Bell Media Ring Up Deal on New TV Talent Property . 2018-03-14 . Billboard.
  28. News: Clarke . Stewart . 2018-02-22 . Sony Prepares 'The Launch' for International Take Off . 2018-04-02 . Variety . en-US.
  29. Web site: David . Greg . 2018-10-21 . 2018 Directors Guild of Canada Awards winners announced . 2025-05-03 . TV, eh? . en-CA.
  30. Web site: CTV's JANN is the #1 New Canadian Series of the Year . 2021-02-16 . Bell Media . en-US.
  31. Web site: 2019-03-27 . Ratings No Laughing Matter For Jann Arden's New TV Series . 2019-04-24 . FYIMusicNews . en.
  32. Web site: Bell Media juggling executives as president leaves for job at NFL . https://web.archive.org/web/20170227235802/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/bell-media-head-leaves-for-job-at-nfl/article34152044/ . 27 February 2017 . 28 February 2017 . The Globe and Mail.
  33. Web site: 2017-02-28 . BCE names Randy Lennox new President of Bell Media . 2021-02-16 . BNN Bloomberg . Reuters.
  34. Web site: Wilner . Norman . 2018-11-01 . Canadians can finally stream new HBO shows without a cable subscription . 2019-12-15 . NOW Magazine . en-us.
  35. News: Bell Media signs deal with HBO Max to strengthen Crave's streaming library . 2019-11-03.
  36. News: Bloomberg, Bell Media strike deal to rebrand BNN . 2018-10-10.
  37. News: Littleton . Cynthia . 2018-01-23 . Starz Expands Into Canada With Bell Media Pact . 2018-10-10 . Variety . en-US.
  38. News: Bell Media signs licensing deal with Vice, hoping to draw new subscribers . 2019-12-15.
  39. News: 2018-11-05 . Bell doubles down on Crave with soft rebrand, premium service that includes current HBO content . 2018-11-20 . Financial Post . en-US.
  40. News: Bell Media among group acquiring Just For Laughs production company . 2018-10-10 . Global News . en.
  41. Web site: Jordan Pinto . December 22, 2020 . Randy Lennox: the exit interview . 2025-05-02 . Playback.
  42. Web site: Bailey . Katie . 16 November 2015 . Discovery's Frontier pushes int'l boundaries with Netflix . 2021-02-16.
  43. Web site: 5 March 2020 . Quibi Acquires Daily News, Sport Shows for Canadian Service . 2020-03-05 . The Hollywood Reporter . en.
  44. News: David Friend . 2020-01-14 . Exec Randy Lennox on Crave's 'frenemy' relationship with streaming competition . 2025-05-02 . CityNews Toronto . en.
  45. Web site: Cast Complete for London Return of Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell Musical . https://web.archive.org/web/20221113140643/https://www.playbill.com/article/cast-complete-for-london-return-of-jim-steinmans-bat-out-of-hell-musical . 13 November 2022 . 2025-05-02 . Playbill . en-US . live .
  46. Randy Lennox: The Exit Interview . 2025-05-02 . Billboard Canada . en.
  47. News: Klingons in Toronto? Get set for the Pinewood Studios tour . The Star . 2018-10-10 . en.
  48. Web site: Pinewood Toronto Studios Begins Construction on Multi-Stage Expansion . 2021-02-16 . www.newswire.ca . en.
  49. Web site: White . Peter . 2019-07-18 . Rock Doc 'Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band' To Open Toronto Film Festival . 2019-07-21 . Deadline . en.
  50. Web site: 2021-09-24 . Buffy Sainte-Marie to reflect on music and activism in upcoming documentary . 2021-09-27 . wellandtribune.com . en.
  51. News: 2020-04-24 . Star-studded Stronger Together to be biggest multiplatform broadcast in Canadian history . 2025-05-07 . The Globe and Mail . en-CA.
  52. Web site: 2020-05-01 . Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble raises over $8 million for Food Banks Canada . 2025-05-02 . The Georgia Straight . en.
  53. Web site: Henderson . Lisa . 2024-06-04 . OVG and Loft Entertainment acquire Canadian Music Week . 2024-06-08 . IQ Magazine . en-GB.
  54. News: Thompson . Robert . 19 January 2010 . Randy Lennox To Be Honored At Canadian Music Week . 22 November 2014.
  55. Randy Lennox to be inducted to the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame . 18 January 2010 . Canadian Music Week . 22 November 2014.
  56. Web site: Worldwide Radio Summit Awards Results . 2015-06-11.
  57. Web site: 19 November 2015 . Toronto's 50 Most Influential People: Randy Lennox . 2015-12-02 . Toronto Life.
  58. News: 2018-11-15 . The 50 most influential Torontonians of 2018 . 2018-11-20 . Toronto Life . en-US.
  59. 2017 JUNO Awards' Gala Tribute to Randy Lennox . 2017-04-17 . JUNO News Toronto . 2025-04-13 . YouTube.
  60. News: Hitting a high note at Bell Media . 2017-12-05.
  61. Web site: Smilezone . 2024-12-20 . RANDY LENNOX APPOINTED AS OFFICER OF THE ORDER OF CANADA . 2025-04-28 . Smilezone Foundation . en-US.

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