In 1990, at the age of 23, Colonel Needham founded the Internet Movie Database, officially moving it online three years later and establishing it as an early resource in the genre of searchable statistics—"The actor also starred in Those ones Movie? ” — which has become the subject of quick Google searches addressing debates, daily industry reports, and academic studies. (And, in recent years, it has become a platform for some users to “review-bomb” their star rating systems for shows and movies.) .

At the beginning there were only works by actors and actresses and titles uploaded by two people. By 1995, the number of employees had reached 20. Then in 1998, Needham sold IMDb to Amazon for an undisclosed price. Ask about prices in 2005 hollywood reporter”, the executive responded, “Given that this was 1998 and Amazon stock was involved, we did pretty well. "

As the company grew, Needham stayed on, developing and launching the IMDb Pro product at the Sundance Film Festival in 2002, then acquiring competitor Box Office Mojo in 2008 and absorbing the site a few years later. Like its parent company Amazon, IMDb is an Internet giant in its own right, with more than 65 million monthly visits to its flagship website.

Needham will step down as CEO of IMDb 35 years after its launch, the company said Tuesday, and the site promoted COO Nikki Santoro as his successor. Santoro will become the second CEO in IMDb's history, while Needham will serve as founder and executive chairman and remain based in the company's Bristol, UK, offices.

“Nikki’s strategic vision, deep customer and product knowledge, and commitment to innovation have resulted in impressive business results during her tenure as COO,” said Needham. "Her track record of driving growth and enhancing our products and services makes her the ideal person to guide IMDb into a new era."

The site generates revenue primarily from advertising, IMDb Pro subscriptions, and licensing its database to third parties. A division of Amazon, IMDb has branched out and further integrated itself into its parent company's Prime Video service with its X-Ray feature, which displays cast and credits when a movie or show is paused.

“Serving as CEO of IMDb is both a tremendous honor and an exciting challenge,” said Santoro. He has worked at Amazon, Microsoft, and The Weather Channel, and joined IMDb in 2016. "I am committed to leading our global team and continuing to elevate IMDb as the world's premier entertainment resource."

The brand will return to Park City, Utah again this year, with a Sundance-themed IMDb dinner planned for January 27 to mark the company's leadership transition point.