Brent Montgomery


Brent Montgomery is CEO of Wheelhouse Entertainment, a media group he launched in 2018, which focuses on high-profile content and talent around which it creates and builds “360” businesses. Under the Wheelhouse banner also is Spoke Studios, the content arm of Wheelhouse Entertainment, which creates programming across a variety of platforms and genres. Wheelhouse Entertainment and Spoke Studios operate on both the East and West Coasts.
In November 2018, Wheelhouse forged a partnership with comedian, writer and producer Jimmy Kimmel – host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! – forming the new entertainment and content company Kimmelot, which operates as part of Wheelhouse Entertainment. Through the deal, Kimmel also became a partner in Wheelhouse Entertainment. The first project announced from Kimmelot is the revival of the puppet comedy, Crank Yankers for Comedy Central.
In January 2019, Wheelhouse Entertainment secured an investment and partnership deal with digital content studio Portal A, through which they will offer their combined resources to traditional and new media platforms, and to brands, CMOs and ad agencies.
Montgomery, who previously was CEO of ITV America, also currently serves as strategic advisor to ITV America, which maintains a production partnership with Spoke Studios; the companies work together on a range of series and projects produced by ITV America’s in-house production team.
Montgomery was named CEO of ITV America in 2015 following the 2014 acquisition of his company, Leftfield Entertainment, for $360 million by UK-based, multi-national media company ITV. ITV America encompasses production companies including ITV Entertainment, Leftfield Pictures, Sirens Media, Outpost Entertainment, High Noon Entertainment and Thinkfactory Media. Under Montgomery’s leadership, in 2017 ITV America’s revenue increased by 33%.

Career

Brent Montgomery began his television career working for Texas CBS affiliate KBTX, which subsequently paid for the majority of his tuition at Texas A&M. He later moved to New York and landed positions on such series as The Bachelor, Wife Swap and Blind Date. Montgomery started his first production company, Leftfield Pictures, in 2002 with $10,000. Leftfield Pictures initially shot wedding videos while developing its entertainment content and clientele, and eventually sold its first series, The Principal’s Office, in 2008.
Montgomery developed the concept for Leftfield Pictures’ flagship series Pawn Stars while in Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Struck by the number of pawn shops in the city, Montgomery set out to locate a shop with the right setting and staff around which to build a television series. Ultimately, Montgomery negotiated a deal with Gold & Silver Pawn Shop co-owner Rick Harrison, and pitched the show to the History Channel. In 2009, Pawn Stars premiered on History as a top rated series for the network, highlighting the “hidden treasures” genre of programming. Leveraging the success of the series, which was one of the highest-rated shows on cable television, Montgomery grew Leftfield Pictures rapidly with myriad series and hundreds of programming hours soon added to Leftfield's roster. In addition to Pawn Stars, other Leftfield Pictures series and Montgomery credits include the award-winning Alone, American Restoration and Counting Cars for History; American Grit featuring host John Cena for Fox; Bethenny & Fredrik for Bravo, and National Geographic Channel’s specials Billy the Kid: The New Evidence and Brain Surgery Live.
In 2013 Montgomery established parent company Leftfield Entertainment, and assumed the role of CEO, in conjunction with acquiring production company Sirens Media. He then launched additional production companies under the LFE umbrella – Loud TV and Outpost Entertainment – before selling 80% of the company for $360 million to ITV in 2014. At the end of 2015, Montgomery completed a deal through which ITV acquired all of the Leftfield Entertainment group. As part of that process, he became CEO of newly formed production group ITV America, encompassing original Leftfield Entertainment companies Leftfield Pictures, Sirens Media, Outpost Entertainment, Loud TV; plus ITV Entertainment, Gurney Productions, High Noon Entertainment and Thinkfactory Media. Collectively, they produce of a diverse range of series for broadcast, cable and OTT platforms, including FOX’s and Hell’s Kitchen; HGTV’s Fixer Upper, Netflix’s Queer Eye and Girls Incarcerated, A&E’s Duck Dynasty and The First 48, History’s Pawn Stars, Alone and Forged in Fire; Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and many others.
During Montgomery’s tenure as CEO of ITV America, the company struck numerous production and talent deals with TV personalities and celebrities including Michael Strahan, WWE star John Cena, Bethenny Frankel, Good Morning America co-host Lara Spencer, Grammy award-winner Timbaland and author/actress La La Anthony.
In January 2018, Montgomery founded Wheelhouse Entertainment and its production company Spoke Studios. He currently serves as CEO of Wheelhouse Entertainment.

Personal life

Brent married Courtney Napurano in September 2008.

Honors & Affiliations

Montgomery was featured on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter on January 30, 2019, focusing on his new business, the Wheelhouse Group, and highlighting his contributions to reality TV.
In June 2016, Montgomery was inducted into the Realscreen Hall of Fame as Producer Extraordinaire.
In 2014 Montgomery became a founding member of the Non-Fiction Producers Association, the first professional body created to service the non-fiction TV business in the United States, and serves on its executive committee. In 2017 the NPA merged with PactUS to create NPACT, on whose board and executive committee Montgomery also sits. In 2018, he received NPACT’s “Inspiration Award for Outstanding Achievement In Nonfiction” as part of the organization’s inaugural NPACT Impact Awards. And in 2019, Montgomery joined the Friends of the Saban Community Clinic board.
Montgomery is a member of Lincoln Center Corporate Fund's newly launched Media and Entertainment Council, and a member of the Paley Media Council.