About

Ron Simons is a five-time Tony Award-nominated and four-time Tony Award-winning producer and a four-time Sundance Film Festival selected producer. He is the Founder and CEO of SimonSays Entertainment, whose mission is to tell the stories of underrepresented communities (the trademark of the company is Tell Every Story®). Mr. Simons was recently nominated for his 5th Tony Award for the runaway hit Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at the Imperial Theater on Broadway. Mr. Simons is the highest African-American Tony Award winning producer of all time, cementing him as the leading Broadway producer working today bringing diversity to the stage.

As CEO of SimonSays Entertainment, Mr. Simons leads the strategic planning and development of theatre, film and television projects including the critically acclaimed Sundance films Night Catches Us (w/ Kerry Washington, Anthony Mackie and Wendell Pierce), Gun Hill Road (w/ Esai Morales and Judy Reyes), Blue Caprice (w/ Isaiah Washington and Tequan Richmond) and Mother of George (w/ Danai Gurira) – three of which premiered in competition. His first documentary 25 to Life premiered at the American Black Film Festival where it won Best Documentary. He also produced the Broadway productions of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Tony Award for Best Musical), The Gershwin’s’ Porgy & Bess (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk, New Drama Critics and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Play, Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play). Mr. Simons won his fourth Tony Award for August Wilson’s Jitney. He also produced Hughie (w/ Forest Whitaker), The Gin Game (w/ Cecily Tyson and James Earl Jones) and the all-black Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire (winner of AEA’s Extraordinary Excellence in Diversity on Broadway Award). Broadway-bound shows include the revival of For Colored Girls, Thoughts of a Colored Man and Blue (w/ Leslie Uggams and Lynn Whitfield directed by Phylicia Rashad with composition by Nona Hendrix and John Legend producing).

Mr. Simons is a recipient of the Heritage Award from Columbia College’s Black Alumni Council, Columbia College’s esteemed John Jay Award, 150 Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Washington, and is a Johnson & Johnson Leadership Award Fellow, IFP Cannes’ Producer’s Network Fellow and a Sundance Producers’ Summit Fellow. He was also honored as the Emerging Producer of the Year by the National Black Theatre Festival. He holds a BA from Columbia College, an MBA from Columbia Business School and an MFA from the University of Washington and a proud member of the PGA.

Ron Simons is a highly sought out speaker, advisor, and expert in keynotes and workshops educating filmmakers and artists on achieving success in the entertainment industry. Simons teaches artists what funders and producers seek at such prestigious organizations as Columbia University School of the Arts, Tribeca All-Access, Independent Film Project (IFP), Sundance Film Lab and the Black TV & Film Collective – igniting thought-provoking exploration into the essence of ‘the why’ and ‘the how’ when pitching successful projects.

As an accomplished actor, Simons has appeared on stage, in film and television. He and fellow cast members won the London Stage Award for Acting Excellence for the play Boy Steals Train which he co-developed. He has performed in numerous regional theaters including Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival and the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Film and television credits include After the Wedding, Ordinary World, Then Came You, The Ticket, Blue Caprice, Night Catches Us, 27 Dresses, Mystery Team as well as “The Resident,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Law & Order: SVU” among others. He also holds a membership with the prestigious Producers Guild of America (PGA). Simons was recurring star in Netflix’s hit cross-over Marvel series “The Defenders.”

Simons has also been involved in many philanthropic efforts in New York and Seattle including board memberships with The Technology Access Foundation, Columbia College Alumni Board, Columbia College Board of Visitors, The Eagle Academy Foundation, The Hetrick-Martin Institute, NewFest, Harlem Stage and the University of Washington School of Drama to name a few.