Alexander Efimovich Rodnyansky (born July 2, 1961 in Kiev) is a Russian-Ukrainian film director, film producer, television executive and businessman.
During his career Rodnyansky produced over 30 films and more than 20 television series including The 9th Company (2005), Heat (2006), Piter FM (2006), The Inhabited Island (2009), The Sun (2005), A Chef in Love (1997), A Driver for Vera (2004), East/West (1999). He created Ukrainian TV network 1+1 and for seven years was the CEO of Russian media company CTC Media.
Alexander Rodnyansky graduated from Kiev's National University of Film, Theatre and Television as a documentary director. In 1983 he started his career at Kievnauchfilm studio.
As a director Rodnyansky won numerous awards for his documentaries. From 1990 till 1993 he worked as a producer and film director at the German television channel ZDF.
In 1994 he returned to Ukraine to create the first independent television channel in the country, 1+1.[1] In a matter of months 1+1 became the leader of the television market in Ukraine. Rodnyansky served as CEO of 1+1 and was a co-owner of the company together with Central European Media Enterprises (CME). Later he sold his interest in 1+1 to CME.[2]
In 2002 Rodnaynsky was asked to head the American company Story First Communication (later renamed CTC Media) which operated one TV-channel - CTC. Under his leadership the company transformed into an international television powerhouse with five channels in three countries.
Rodnyansky was responsible for making CTC Media the first ever Russian media company to have an IPO on NASDAQ. In 2002 the CTC channel had a market value of approximately $40 million; when Rodnyansky left CTC Media in 2008 the company's market capitalization was over $4 billion;[3] CTC doubled its audience share and became the fourth most popular channel in Russia.[4]
In 2009 Rodnyansky founded AR Films [5] through which he now controls a movie production company Non-Stop Production, the leader of the distribution of independent films Cinema without frontiers (Kino Bez Granits) and the most important film festival in Russia - Kinotavr.[6]
In 2011 Alexander Mindadze's film "Innocent Saturday" [7] produced by Alexander Rodnyansky premiered in competition of 61st Berlin International Film Festival. Pre-production of the war drama Stalingrad had begun. In 2011 the next film of Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev "Elena", also produced by Alexander Rodnyansky, will premiere.