Cary Granat is an American film producer and studio executive. He is best known for co-founding and serving as CEO for
Walden Media
Walden Media, LLC or Walden Media is an American film investor, distributor, and publishing company. Its films are based on children's literature, biographies or historical events, as well as documentaries and some original screenplays.
The corpo ...
from 2000 to 2009 and acting as president and COO of
Miramax Films
Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey Weinstein, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California.
It was ...
’
Dimension
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a Space (mathematics), mathematical space (or object) is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any Point (geometry), point within it. Thus, a Line (geometry), lin ...
Division from 1995 to 2000. While at Walden Media, Granat secured the rights to
C.S. Lewis
CS, C-S, C.S., Cs, cs, or cs. may refer to:
Job titles
* Chief Secretary (Hong Kong)
* Chief superintendent, a rank in the British and several other police forces
* Company secretary, a senior position in a private sector company or public se ...
’ ''
Chronicles of Narnia
''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been adapted for radio, telev ...
'' series and oversaw production on the successful first film of the franchise, ''
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Among all the ...
''. Granat's other films include
''Scream'',
''Journey to the Center of the Earth'', ''
Scary Movie
''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Anna Far ...
'',
''Amazing Grace'', and ''
Spy Kids
''Spy Kids'' is an American spy family action-adventure comedy franchise created by Robert Rodriguez. The plot follows adventures of Carmen and Juni Cortez, two children who become involved in their parents' espionage organization. The films inc ...
''.
Education
Granat went to Tufts University from 1986-1990. In addition to attending, Granat helped to establish the Communications and Media Studies School and serves on its board.
Career
Cary Granat worked at MCA/
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a t ...
first as director of development from 1992 to 1995. He worked on films such as ''
Babe
Babe or babes may refer to:
* Babe, a term of endearment
* A newborn baby
* An attractive (especially female) person
People Nickname
* Babe Adams (1882–1968), American Major League Baseball pitcher
* Babe Barna (1917–1972), American Major L ...
'' and
''Casino'', as well as acquired the original
''Meet the Parents'', a
Gregg Glienna film, for
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
. While working in the film group under
Hal Lieberman
Hal Lieberman is an American producer and former president of production for Universal Pictures.
Born and raised in Bronx, New York, Lieberman has a B.A. from SUNY at Stony Brook and an M.A. from the University of Chicago.
Lieberman began his ...
and
Casey Silver
Casey Silver (born Andrew Silver; May 5, 1955) is an American film executive and producer.
Former chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Pictures, Casey Silver began his career in the motion picture industry as a screenwriter. After ser ...
, Granat also found himself evaluating corporate deals for the company. While this was outside his job purview, it built a mentor relationship for Granat with company chairman
Tom Pollock
Thomas Philip Pollock (April 10, 1943 – August 1, 2020) was an American film producer and studio executive. He started his career as an entertainment lawyer, before transitioning to a studio executive and film producer. He was the chairman of ...
.
After Universal, Granat joined Dimension Films as head of creative and then later as president and COO from 1995 to 2000. Granat worked closely with and for
Bob Weinstein
Robert Weinstein (born October 18, 1954) is an American film producer. He is the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company, all of which he co-founded with his older brother, Harvey. He ...
to build Dimension into one of the most recognizable brands in the entertainment business, managing a roster that became distinguished for both its trend-setting content and international box-office success. This includes the blockbuster ''Scream'' franchise, the
Wayans' ''Scary Movie'' franchise and Dimension's launch of
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...
’s highly successful ''Spy Kids'' franchise. During this time Dimension re-established the studio system of the 1930s and '40s, building an exclusive family of artists including
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...
, Robert Rodriguez,
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...
,
Kevin Williamson,
Ehren Kruger
Ehren Kruger (born October 5, 1972) is an American film screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing three of the five installments in the original ''Transformers'' film series: '' Revenge of the Fallen'', '' Dark of the Moon'', and ' ...
, and
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 ...
. In addition to films, Dimension capitalized on the synergy between music and film, establishing the alliance of
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
and Capitol/
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
in the formation of Miramax/
Dimension Records
Dimension Records was a record label founded in 1962 in New York City by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins, owners of Aldon Music. It concentrated on the girl group sound and showcased songs by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Their composition "The Lo ...
. The Dimension Executive team of the 1990s was a highly collaborative group of executives who all fought for the success of the projects; such as Andrew Rona, Andrew Gumpert, Michael Helfant, Richard Potter,
Randy Spendlove
Randy Spendlove is an American record producer, songwriter, Grammy Award winner, and music executive. As President of Motion Picture Music at Paramount Pictures, he oversees all aspects of film music where he has worked with artists including Beyo ...
,
Brian Burkin, and Josh Greenstein.
In 2000, Granat co-founded Walden Media. He served as CEO from 2000 to 2009. As CEO, Granat gained the rights to C.S. Lewis’ ''Chronicles of Narnia'' series and oversaw production on the first film of the franchise, ''The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe''—one of the highest-grossing films of 2005. The ''Narnia'' franchise has generated over $1.62 billion in theatrical gross on its first three installments. In addition to the ''Chronicles of Narnia'', Granat produced the ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' franchise,
''Charlotte’s Web'',
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
’s ''
Aliens of the Deep
''Aliens of the Deep'' is a 2005 American documentary film directed in part by James Cameron alongside fellow cameraman and friend Steven Quale, and filmed in the IMAX 3D format. It was produced by Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures. Cameron ...
'', ''
Ghosts of the Abyss
''Ghosts of the Abyss'' is a 2003 American documentary film produced by Walden Media and released in most countries by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by James Cameron after his 1997 film ''Titanic''. During August and September 2001, Camer ...
'',
''Bridge to Terabithia'',
''Holes'', and over 50 other children's films and books. Granat built out Walden's film, educational, and faith activities locally in the
U.K.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, and other foreign markets. In addition to his duties as CEO, Granat was appointed in April 2004 as president of
Anschutz Film Group, whereby the company acquired Crusader Entertainment and supervised the completion of the award-winning biography
''Ray'' and the
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He had his breakout role with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first succes ...
film,
''Sahara''. After Granat and team produced ''Amazing Grace'', he and company co-founder
Michael Flaherty earned the prestigious
John Templeton Foundation
The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a philanthropic organization that reflects the ideas of its founder, John Templeton, who became wealthy via a career as a contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in religious an ...
Epiphany Prize.
From 2010 to 2014, Granat was a partner at
Reel FX
A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the en ...
/Granat Ent. The artist-driven production and development company, Granat Entertainment, merged with animation studio Reel FX in order to create a new live-action/animation studio. The company forged partnerships with
Andrew Adamson
Andrew Ralph Adamson (born 1 December 1966) is a New Zealand film director, producer, and screenwriter based in Los Angeles, where he directed the Academy Award-winning animated films ''Shrek'' and ''Shrek 2''. He was director, executive prod ...
, Guillermo Del Toro, James Cameron,
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...
,
Fox Film
The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...
,
Steve Aoki
Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive. and others while producing ''
Free Birds
''Free Birds'' is a 2013 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film. The film follows two turkeys travelling back in time to the first Thanksgiving to get turkey off the menu. It was produced by Reel FX Creative Studios as its firs ...
'', ''
The Book of Life'', ''World Away'',
''The Hive'', and other projects.
In 2012, Granat co-founded and launched Immersive Artistry, an entertainment business. The company is a participatory experience considered the newest evolution in media placing you inside the movie, rather than watching it. The company will be launching its first locations in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and throughout the world in 2019. Granat serves as the company CEO.
In 2014, Granat founded EMH Consulting Group, Inc., a Consultancy and Film Operations group that represent Foreign Governments in their effort to build and/or rebuild their film and television operations into sustainable industries. Granat and his team have taken their history of producing films in over 40 countries, which have grossed north of $5.8 billion in theatrical revenues, and brought those skill sets to New Zealand,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
,
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, and
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.
Activism
Granat is a board member of the World Information Transfer of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
and organizes an annual conference on Children's Health and the Environment every December.
In 2004, Granat co-founded The Forgotten Dog Foundation, a dog rescue foundation specializing in emergency medical needs.
Awards
* In 2005, Granat received the
P.T. Barnum Award from
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
for his exceptional work in the field of media and entertainment.
* John Templeton Foundation Epiphany Award.
*
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. Award.
Filmography
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Granat, Cary
American chief executives in the media industry
Place of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth missing (living people)
Tufts University alumni
Living people
American film producers