Craig Piligian (born August 25, 1957) is an

Armenian American Armenian Americans ( hy, ամերիկահայեր, ''amerikahayer'') are citizens or residents of the United States who have total or partial Armenian ancestry. They form the second largest community of the Armenian diaspora after Armenians in ...

television producer, and the President and CEO of

Pilgrim Films & Television Pilgrim Media Group (also known as Pilgrim Studios) is a television production company based in North Hollywood, California. It was founded in 1997 by Craig Piligian. It is best known for producing reality television shows for the Discovery Channel. ...

. As an Executive Producer, he is best known for creating ''

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

'', ''

American Chopper ''American Chopper'' is an American reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. The series centers on Paul Teutul Sr. (frequently called ''Senior''), and his son Paul Teutul Jr. (also know ...

'' and ''

Dirty Jobs ''Dirty Jobs'' is an American television series that originally aired on the Discovery Channel in which host Mike Rowe is shown performing difficult, strange, disgusting, or messy occupational duties alongside the job's current employees. The sh ...

'' series for

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

. In 2001, he won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

as co-executive producer of '' Survivor''. In November 2003, Piligian began producing ''Dirty Jobs'', a series on the Discovery channel that focused on blue-collar jobs. The show ran for eight years and aired over 170 episodes. The show ended in 2012. In 2004, Piligian worked with

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

and

Lorenzo Fertitta Lorenzo Joseph Fertitta (born January 3, 1969) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is chairman of Fertitta Capital, director of Red Rock Resorts Inc, and former CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life and education L ...

to bring a reality show about boxers, called

, to television. The reality series followed sixteen fighters that lived in a house and competed for a

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

contract. In 2012, Piligian was 18th on

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

's "50 Most Powerful List". In 2015, Lionsgate purchased a major stake in Piligian's Pilgrim Studios for $200 million. In March 2016, Piligian partnered with

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...

and

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...

to create '' The Runner'', an original series about mobile devices for streaming on mobile devices through the streaming service

go90 go90 was an American Internet television service and mobile app owned and operated by Verizon Communications. The service was positioned as a mobile-oriented "social entertainment platform" targeted primarily towards millennials, featuring a mi ...

. In 2018, Piligian worked with Roger Ross Williams to develop '' High on the Hog'', a docuseries depicting African American history through the lens of food, based on Dr. Jessica B. Harris’ book '' High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America.'' In April 2021, Piligian was named chair of

Pilgrim Media Group Pilgrim Media Group (also known as Pilgrim Studios) is a television production company based in North Hollywood, California. It was founded in 1997 by Craig Piligian. It is best known for producing reality television shows for the Discovery Channel. ...

and president.

Personal life

He is married to

Lucinda Dickey Lucinda Dickey (born Lucinda Marie Henninger; July 9th, 1960) is an American former dancer and actress. She is best known for her leading role in the film ''Breakin (1984) and its sequel '' Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo'' (1984). Early life D ...

; they have two children, Joseph Michael (b. 1986) and Amanda Marie (b. 1989). In 2016, Piligian purchased a historical ranch property in Kansas for $5.325 million.

References

External links

*
Pilgrim Studios homepage
Living people Businesspeople from Michigan American television producers 1957 births {{US-tv-producer-stub