ABOUT SIMON
Simon Lythgoe's earliest memory is standing on the studio floor at Elstree Studios watching his father choreograph The Muppet Show. At fifteen he was a stage hand for his mother's theatre company. By his twenties he was a floor/stage manager working with the Bee Gees, Sting, and Elton John in front of Her Majesty, the Queen.
He moved through casting, editing, scripted drama, and live television before emigrating to Australia, where he married, had three children, and worked every genre from game shows to the Sydney 2000 Olympics before landing in format development at Screentime.
That is where Popstars was born. The format sold globally, evolved into Pop Idol in the UK, and crossed the Atlantic as American Idol. Simon moved to Los Angeles to produce it. From there came So You Think You Can Dance, Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett's
On The Lot, and an exclusive deal with Fremantle Media.
In 2010 he founded Legacy Productions.
In 2015 he returned to Sydney to produce theatre with his mother before returning to television in Los Angeles, where he created Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Decorating Disney for Disney+.
He now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where he works with the next generation of digital creators, develops micro dramas for emerging platforms, and continues to consult globally. When time allows he gives back through keynotes at universities and colleges, and volunteers within his local community.
Most recently, Meet Me Next Christmas debuted as the number one film on Netflix worldwide.