Ed Simpson is chief strategy officer at Wheelhouse Group, overseeing strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and business development across all divisions of the company. Run by CEO Brent Montgomery, in close partnership with Jimmy Kimmel, Wheelhouse serves as a one-stop shop for content, talent, brands and entrepreneurs, harnessing business and programming opportunities across industries and platforms, and helping companies and creators accelerate and manage their ventures.

Simpson and Montgomery’s dynamic business collaboration and close personal friendship has endured for more than a decade, with Simpson serving as the co-architect of the growth/acquisition plan for Montgomery’s first company, Leftfield Entertainment group (one of the most lucrative transactions in industry history) as well as the strategic roll-out of Wheelhouse.

Since joining the company at launch in 2018, Simpson has spearheaded Wheelhouse’s rise and expansion, including deals forged with Kimmelot (ABC’s Emmy-winning Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons; Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers); live entertainment giant Den of Thieves (MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour); digital content studio Portal A (YouTube Rewind); and Wheelhouse’s own production label Spoke Studios (River of No Return), among others.

Prior to Wheelhouse, he was executive vice president, business development & international at ITV America, in charge of business development, corporate strategy and international, as well as shepherding branded entertainment and rights initiatives. Before that, Simpson was SVP, business development & international at Leftfield Entertainment (acquired by ITV in 2014). He joined Leftfield Pictures in 2012, focusing on M&A and playing a major role in Leftfield’s growth strategy, including the acquisition of Sirens Media, and striking international format deals for hit series like Pawn Stars and Alone. Previously, Simpson served as showrunner at RDF USA, and as executive producer of development at BBC New York.

Speaking on: State of the Nation: Foresight is 2020