Jonathan Goodson

Jonathan Goodson
Born
Jonathan Michael Goodson

(1945-08-20) August 20, 1945 (age 79)
New York City, New York, USA
Occupation(s)Television producer, production company founder
FamilyMark Goodson (father)

Jonathan Michael Goodson (born August 20, 1945) is an American television producer who specializes in game shows. He is the son of legendary game show producer Mark Goodson and began his television career in 1973 as chief counsel of Goodson-Todman Productions. He later produced several of the company's shows. After his father's death in December 1992, Jonathan took over the company in March 1993 (in the early 1980s the Goodsons had acquired the Todman heirs' portion of the company) and ran it until it was sold to All American Television in 1995. The company was then acquired in turn by Pearson Television in 1998, and then current owner Fremantle (formerly FremantleMedia) in 2002.

Goodson also runs his own production company, Jonathan Goodson Productions, whose output has consisted mostly of state-based lottery game shows, including Illinois Instant Riches, one of only two state-based lottery game show to be shown to a nationwide audience, thanks to Superstation WGN. (The other was its predecessor, $100,000 Fortune Hunt, but that was not a production by Goodson.)