Erik Feig

Erik Feig is an American film executive and producer. He is founder and CEO of Picturestart and formerly served as co-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, and president of Summit Entertainment. He has produced, supervised and originated the production of Academy Award-winning films including La La Land and The Hurt Locker, along with book adaptations and films geared toward the youth market, including The Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games series, Divergent series, Red series and Step Up series.[1] According to The New York Times, "Feig has built a reputation among book authors for cinematic adaptations."[2] As of 2017, films he has supervised or produced have collectively grossed over $12 billion at the box office worldwide.[3]

Erik Feig
Born
Los Angeles, CA
NationalityAmerican
Alma materVanderbilt University
Columbia University
OccupationFilm executive
Years active1997–present
Spouse(s)
Susanna Felleman
(
m. 2002)
Children2
Websitepicturestart.com

Early life and education

Feig was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Westport, Connecticut.[4][5] He attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, for one year. After taking a year off to travel, he transferred to Columbia University in New York City, graduating with a BA in English in 1992.[5][6]

Career

Independent producing (1997-2000)

Feig began his career as an independent producer, working with Sony Pictures producing films including I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and Slackers, all for Sony Pictures.[6][7][8] He had a producing deal with Artisan Entertainment, before being recruited to run the film department at Summit Entertainment.[7]

Summit Entertainment (2001-11)

In 1998 Summit Entertainment, a sales agent at the time, launched its own production department with Splendor and Kill the Man, and by 2001, Feig joined Summit as president of production and acquisitions.[4] He became a partner in 2007.[7][9] During his tenure at Summit, he was involved in obtaining distribution rights to The Hurt Locker, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture;[6][7] produced all five films in the Step Up dance franchise, which grossed $651 million worldwide, provided Channing Tatum with his breakthrough role,[10] whose TV spinoff was the first scripted drama acquired by YouTube Red,[11] and which The New York Times called "one of pop culture's most enduring franchises";[12] and developed films including the Red film series, Source Code, 50/50 and Letters to Juliet.[6][13]

Feig brought the Twilight book series to Summit after Paramount Pictures passed on it.[7] Although at the time the book had sold only 4,000 copies, Feig noted its strong following online, and its potential to be a franchise for the new studio.[9][14] He pursued the project and was able to make a deal with author Stephenie Meyer by guaranteeing that the film would be true to her novels.[15] Feig secured the rights to all four books in February 2006.[9] The five films in The Twilight Saga would go on to gross $3.3 billion worldwide and would be the first major roles for Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Anna Kendrick.[16]

Lionsgate (2012-2019)

Summit was sold to Lionsgate for $412.5 million in 2012,[17] and Feig was named president of production for Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.[6] In February 2014, he was promoted to co-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, overseeing film production and development for the Lionsgate and Summit labels.[18]

Feig first learned of La La Land at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, when he met with Damien Chazelle, who pitched him his script for a Hollywood musical. At the time, the script was in development at Focus Features. Feig secured a $30 million budget for Lionsgate to produce the film, gambling on the unusual undertaking of an original Hollywood musical. Chazelle's first feature Whiplash had not yet been released when the deal was made.[10][19][20] In 2016, La La Land received a record-tying 14 Academy Award nominations, winning six. That year, Lionsgate had the most Oscar nominations of any studio, with 26.[21]

With Lionsgate, Feig has originated, supervised and produced films including The Hunger Games series (Jennifer Lawrence's first starring role in a major studio film), the Divergent series, Now You See Me, Sicario, Hacksaw Ridge, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sinister, Warm Bodies, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Power Rangers, Chaos Walking, The Kingkiller Chronicle and Uncle Drew.[18][22][23][24][25] Feig optioned the rights to R.J. Palacio's novel Wonder before it was published. Receiving strong reviews, Wonder over-performed at the box office, taking in $27.1 million over opening weekend, which was triple what analysts expected.[2]

In February 2018, it was reported that Feig would be leaving Lionsgate, and that he has raised money to launch a new company focused on youth-oriented projects. Lionsgate is expected to be one of the investors in the new company.[26][27]

Picturestart

In May 2019, Feig announced the launch of Picturestart, a new media company for creating, co-financing, and producing “discovery of voice” content, focusing on youth-oriented productions and developing new and diverse creative voices. Company investors include Feig, Warner Bros. Pictures, Endeavor Content, Scholastic and Nordic Entertainment Group. Warner Bros. Pictures has a significant stake along with a first look deal for co-developing, co-financing, and distribution of feature films, while Nordic Entertainment Group took first look Nordic rights. Endeavor will serve as co-financier and strategic advisor on select projects, and Bron Ventures will serve as co-producer and co-financier on select projects. Scholastic granted the company access to its IP.[28][29][30]

Picturestart intends to produce four to six films and four to six TV series per year.[31] Its first projects in development include a prequel of Grease for Paramount Pictures, tentatively titled Summer Loving, with a script written by John August;[31][32] a live action film based on the American Girl books and dolls;[33] and a film adaptation of the story of Yasuke, a 16th-century African samurai in Japan, written by Doug Miro and starring Chadwick Boseman.[34]

Honors

Feig was named to the Variety 500 list of the 500 most influential people in the entertainment industry.[8] He was an honoree for the LA's Promise 2012 gala.[35] In 2013 he received the Dizzy Feet Foundation Impact Award, for his support of dance and the arts through the Step Up films, credited "with exposing millions of people around the world to the art of dance."[36] He is a ReFrame ambassador for gender balance in the entertainment industry.[37] He received the John Jay Award from Columbia University in 2019.[38]

Personal life

Feig lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife Susanna Felleman and their two children. They were married in New York in 2002.[4][5]

Feig is a founding board member of LA's Promise, a nonprofit helping students and families in Los Angeles's needy neighborhoods; a founding board member of The Systemic Change Project, which promotes gender balance in the entertainment industry; a board member of the Columbia University School of the Arts; a board member of RepresentUs;[39] a board member of City Year Los Angeles and chair of its Spring Break benefit;[40] and ambassador for the Women in Film and Sundance Institute's ReFrame Project.[5]

Filmography
Year Title Credited as
1997 I Know What You Did Last Summer Producer
1998 I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Producer
2002 Slackers Producer
2003 Dot the i Executive producer
Wrong Turn Producer
2005 Mr. & Mrs. Smith Executive producer
2006 Lies & Alibis Producer
I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer Producer
Step Up Producer
2007 Wrong Turn 2: Dead End Executive producer
In the Valley of Elah Executive producer
P2 Producer
2008 Step Up 2: The Streets Producer
2009 Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead Executive producer
2010 Step Up 3D Producer
2011 Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings Executive producer
2012 Step Up Revolution Producer
2014 Step Up: All In Producer
2018 Uncle Drew Executive producer
The Spy Who Dumped Me Executive producer
2020 Unpregnant Producer
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References
  1. Mike Fleming Jr., "Lionsgate Acquires Film Rights To Amor Towles Bestseller 'Rules Of Civility'," Deadline Hollywood, October 19, 2012.
  2. Brook Barnes, "'Justice League' a Disappointing No. 1 as 'Wonder' Surprises," New York Times, November 19, 2017.
  3. Alexandra Cheney, "Erik Feig Joins Steve Beeks as Co-President of Lionsgate," Variety, February 25, 2014.
  4. "Weddings; Susanna Felleman, Erik Feig," New York Times, May 19, 2002.
  5. "Take Five with Erik Feig '92," Columbia College Today, 2017.
  6. Alex Ben Block, "Erik Feig to Head Movie Production at Combined Summit-Lionsgate," The Hollywood Reporter, February 9, 2012.
  7. Nikki Finke, "Summit's Erik Feig To Be Named President Of Production At Lionsgate Motion Picture Group," Deadline.com, February 9, 2012.
  8. "Erik Feig," Variety. Accessed October 27, 2017.
  9. Brooks Barnes, "For Studio, Vampire Movie Is a Cinderella Story," New York Times, November 19, 2008.
  10. Anthony D’Alessandro, "Encore: How 'La La Land' Director Damien Chazelle, His Team & Lionsgate Faced The Music & Resurrected The Original Hollywood Musical," Deadline.com, February 17, 2017.
  11. Brooks Barnes, "YouTube Red Buys 'Step Up,' Its First Big-Budget TV Drama," New York Times, June 23, 2016.
  12. Marsh, Calum (May 1, 2019). "'Step Up' Is One of Pop Culture's Most Enduring Franchises. How Did That Happen?". The New York Times.
  13. Matt Brady, "Summit's Erik Feig – Moving 'Red' from Comic to Film," NewsaRama, July 9, 2008.
  14. Asya Likhtman, "Erik Feig tells us his Hollywood life story," The Oxford Student, March 18, 2015.
  15. Nicole Sperling, "'Twilight' hits Hollywood," Entertainment Weekly, July 16, 2008.
  16. Franchises: Twilight, Box Office Mojo. Accessed October 27, 2017.
  17. Dave McNary, "Lionsgate buys summit for $412.5 million," Variety, January 13, 2012.
  18. Daniel Miller, "Erik Feig named co-president of Lionsgate's film group," Los Angeles Times, February 25, 2014.
  19. Ryan Faughnder, "With 'La La Land,' which hauled in 14 Oscar nominations, Lionsgate's gamble is paying off big," Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2017.
  20. Peter Bart, "'La La Land,' Starz Deal Leaves Lionsgate Singing About Future," Deadline.com, December 21, 2016.
  21. Dave McNary, "'La La Land' Lures More Movie Projects to Lionsgate, Says Top Film Executive," Variety, February 8, 2017.
  22. Patrick Hipes, "Erik Feig Re-Ups With Promotion To Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-President," Deadline.com, February 25, 2014.
  23. Anthony D'Alessandro, "How Lionsgate Re-Charged 'Power Rangers' & Returned It To The Big Screen," Deadline.com, March 26, 2017.
  24. Dave McNary, "Jamie Linden to Write Lionsgate's 'Chaos Walking'," Variety, August 20, 2014.
  25. Dave McNary, "Lionsgate Offers New Details About 'Power Rangers,' 'Robin Hood,' 'Kingkiller Chronicle'," Variety, January 10, 2017.
  26. Dave McNary, "Lionsgate Film Execs Erik Feig, Patrick Wachsberger Plan Exit," Variety, February 20, 2018.
  27. Kim Masters, "Lionsgate Shake-Up: Top Film Execs Plan Exit," The Hollywood Reporter, February 20, 2018.
  28. Kroll, Justin (May 2, 2019). "Veteran Producer and Exec Erik Feig Launches Media Company Picturestart". Variety. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  29. Fleming, Mike, Jr. (May 2, 2019). "Ex-Lionsgate Chief Erik Feig Launches Funded Production Shingle Picturestart; Warner Bros, Endeavor Content, BRON Key Backers". Deadline Hollywood.
  30. Kit, Borys (May 2, 2019). "Former Lionsgate Film Exec Erik Feig Launches New Production Banner". The Hollywood Reporter.
  31. Faughnder, Ryan (May 2, 2019). "Former Lionsgate executive Erik Feig gets Warner Bros. backing for new company". Los Angeles Times.
  32. Kit, Borys (April 9, 2019). "'Grease' Prequel 'Summer Loving' in the Works With John August Writing". The Hollywood Reporter.
  33. Evans, Greg (February 15, 2019). "Mattel Teams With MGM For 'American Girl' Doll Movie". Deadline Hollywood.
  34. Fleming, Mike, Jr. (May 7, 2019). "Chadwick Boseman To Play African Samurai 'Yasuke' In Deal With Picturestart, De Luca Productions, Solipsist & X●ception Content". Deadline Hollywood.
  35. "Erik Feig, The California Endowment, and Univision to be Honored at LA's Promise 2012 Gala," PR Newswire, September 6, 2012.
  36. Carey Purcell, "Dizzy Feet Foundation Honors Chita Rivera and Erik Feig July 27," Playbill, July 27, 2013.
  37. Rebecca Sun, "Paul Feig, Nina Jacobson and 50 A-Listers Reveal New Campaign to Tackle Hollywood Gender Inequality," The Hollywood Reporter, February 22, 2017.
  38. "2019 John Jay Awards Dinner". columbia.edu. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  39. "About Us". represent.us. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  40. "Spring Break". cityyear.org. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
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