Leading Executives in DVD Rental
John Antioco
Former Chief Executive Officer, Blockbuster, Blockbuster (historical)
Former CEO of Blockbuster (1997–2007), known for ending late fees and launching the Total Access program during the pivotal DVD-by-mail era.
Kate Barr
Former Executive Director (2014–2025), Scarecrow Video (Seattle)
Executive director who helped steward Scarecrow Video’s nonprofit transition and ‘Save Our Scarecrow’ campaign, protecting one of the world’s largest public DVD libraries (2014–2025).
Hank Breeggemann
General Manager, Netflix DVD (historical), Netflix (DVD.com)
Longtime head of Netflix’s DVD division who oversaw the operations through the service’s final shipments in September 2023.
Alex Camara
Vice President & General Manager, NCR Entertainment (historical), NCR (Blockbuster Express kiosks)
Led NCR’s Entertainment unit that deployed Blockbuster Express DVD kiosks nationwide, scaling one of Redbox’s chief kiosk rivals.
Sandi Harding
General Manager, Blockbuster (Bend, Oregon)
Public face of the world’s last Blockbuster store; manager since 2004, sustaining in-person DVD rentals as a tourist and community hub.
Reed Hastings
Co-Founder; Executive Chairman (current), Netflix
Co-founder who pioneered the flat-fee DVD-by-mail model in 1997, catalyzing the shift from video stores to mail rentals and later streaming.
Keith Hoogland
Chief Executive Officer, Highland Ventures Ltd., Family Video / Highland Ventures
Expanded Family Video to 800+ stores and sustained physical rentals into the 2020s via real-estate savvy and community initiatives.
Jens Horstmann
Chief Executive Officer (historical), DVDPlay, DVDPlay (acquired by NCR)
Engineered and led DVDPlay’s automated rental kiosks, which were later acquired and rebranded by NCR as Blockbuster Express units.
Gregg Kaplan
Founder; former Chief Executive Officer, Redbox, Redbox
Founder and early CEO who incubated Redbox inside McDonald’s and scaled the red-kiosk model that defined DVD rentals in the 2000s.
Jeff Karbowiak
Chief Operating Officer (historical), TNR Entertainment, TNR Entertainment (The New Release)
Operations lead behind The New Release grocery-channel kiosks, a major competitor later absorbed into NCR’s Blockbuster Express network.
Reference | Archive (TNR/The New Release)
Jonathan Katz
Former President, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment / Redbox
Oversaw operating businesses (including Redbox kiosks) as CSSE president following the 2022 Redbox acquisition.
Jim Keyes
Former Chief Executive Officer, Blockbuster, Blockbuster (historical)
CEO from 2007–2011 during Blockbuster’s late-stage competition with Netflix; known for high-profile comments on the DVD-by-mail challenger.
Mitch Lowe
Former President, Redbox; former VP, Netflix Business Development, Redbox; Netflix (historical)
Early Netflix exec who became Redbox president in 2009, helping cement kiosks as a mainstream way to rent DVDs.
Maggie Mackay
Executive Director, Vidiots Foundation, Vidiots Foundation (Los Angeles)
Executive director who led the nonprofit’s 2023 relaunch of a 70,000-title rental library and historic cinema, reigniting community DVD/Blu‑ray rentals in LA.
Greg Meyer
Co-Founder (historical), DVDXpress, DVDXpress
Co-founded the No. 2 U.S. DVD-rental kiosk network after Redbox, pioneering RFID-enabled inventory and supermarket placements.
Bruce Ogilvie
Executive Chairman, Alliance Entertainment; Co-Owner, GameFly, Alliance Entertainment; GameFly
Alliance co-founder/executive chairman and co-owner of GameFly, helping keep disc-by-mail game rentals alive alongside DVD distribution logistics.
Company website | SEC filing (ownership disclosure)
Marc Randolph
Co-Founder; First CEO (historical), Netflix
Netflix’s co-founder and first CEO, credited with devising the subscription, no-late-fee DVD queue that defined the mail-rental model.
Galen C. Smith
Former Chief Executive Officer, Redbox; former Executive Vice Chairman, CSSE, Redbox / Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
Redbox CEO (2016–2022) who became executive vice chairman at CSSE after Redbox’s 2022 sale, spanning kiosks and digital storefronts.
Ken Tisher
Owner/Franchisee, Blockbuster (Bend, Oregon)
Owner of the world’s last Blockbuster, which began as Pacific Video (1992) and converted to the Blockbuster franchise in 2000.
Store website | Press (feature)
Jeff Walker
Chief Executive Officer, Alliance Entertainment; CEO, GameFly, GameFly; Alliance Entertainment
Alliance Entertainment CEO and co-owner/CEO of GameFly since 2020, sustaining the disc-by-mail rental model for video games.
Company website | Press (GameFly)
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