Yahoo Is 20: The 20 Biggest People and Innovations in Movies in the Last 20 Years

It’s hard to believe, but this year, Yahoo celebrates its 20th anniversary. During our double-decade run, we’ve watched filmmaking and technology becoming increasingly overlapped — to the point where it’s possible to script, shoot, and edit a movie using nothing more than a hand-held phone. We’ve also seen numerous renegade filmmakers, executives, and producers become leaders in their respective fields, creating stories that have helped define our times. Here are twenty of the most influential people and innovations that have marked the Yahoo era:

Quentin Tarantino With Pulp Fiction, he helped popularize Miramax Films, and became the leader in an indie-cinema revolution that continues to this day.

Christopher Nolan The epic auteur reinvented Batman and reached for the stars in Interstellar.

Kathryn Bigelow A cinematic groundbreaker, she’s the first woman to take home a Best Director Academy award.

IMDB Movie fans simply can’t live without this virtual encyclopedia.

Kevin Feige The Marvel mastermind created a cinematic universe that every other studio is trying to copy.

Judd Apatow The head of a comedy cabal, and a can’t-lose writer/producer/director (Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Superbad).

Netflix/iTunes/VOD They helped turn filmgoing into an on-demand affair, making it possible for audiences to connect with films months (if not years) after their release, and giving filmgoers a second hope for their work.

Paul Thomas Anderson  A king among film nerds, who worship his dense, bravado-laden films; his filmography includes There Will be Blood, one of the best movies of the last 20 years.

Twitter The social media network allows for bite-sized, virtually instant reactions to every screening, trailer, and movie headline. 

James Cameron A technological wizard whose sporadic filmmaking forays yield big-scope, big-budget, culture-conquering films (Avatar, Titanic).

JK Rowling The Harry Potter scribe upended the publishing industry — and then the movie business — with her wizarding world saga.

The RED digital camera Relatively cheap and easy to use, the RED made digital filmmaking a reality for big-name filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh.

John Lasseter Pixar’s chief creative officer has overseen the animation studio’s astonishing run of movies, as well as directing Toy Story and Toy Story 2.

Vimeo The streaming platform became an essential home for indie and experimental filmmakers. 

David Fincher Every director’s favorite director, capable of turning dark-hearted scripts (Gone Girl, Se7en, Fight Club) into crowd-pleasing hits

Nina Jacobson Former studio head who now oversees the viable Hunger Games film franchise.

Megan Ellison The upstart producer has put her fortune and taste to good use, backing a murderer’s row of awards contenders in just a few years, including American Hustle and Her.

Spike Lee The last few years have admittedly been a bit shaky, but Lee’s late ’90s and early ’00s runs yielded such neo-classics as The 25th Hour and Inside Man.

Reese Witherspoon The Oscar-winner actress is now moving into producing, and turning out films with an emphasis on strong female characters (Wild, Gone Girl).

The iPhone/iPad Apple’s must-have devices mean you can take your screen wherever you go.