Dany Garcia

Dany Garcia (born November 29, 1968) is an American businesswoman, film producer, and IFBB professional bodybuilder. Garcia is the founder of GSTQ, and the CEO and chair of The Garcia Companies and TGC Management, overseeing a portfolio of brands in business, entertainment, and food, including TGC Management, Teremana Tequila, Athleticon, and the Project Rock Collection at Under Armour, VOSS, Atom Tickets, Salt & Straw, ZOA Energy, Acorns, and the XFL.

Following her graduation from the University of Miami's School of Business, she began her career in finance at Merrill Lynch in 1992. In 2008, she began managing her ex-husband Dwayne Johnson's career. In 2012, Garcia co-founded the production company Seven Bucks Productions, for which she has since produced several films starring Johnson, including ''Baywatch'', '' Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' (both 2017), ''Shazam!'', ''Hobbs & Shaw'', '' Jumanji: The Next Level'' (all 2019), ''Jungle Cruise'', ''Red Notice'' (both 2021), ''DC League of Super-Pets'', and ''Black Adam'' (both 2022).

Early life

Garcia was born on November 29, 1968 to Cuban immigrants and grew up in Belleville, New Jersey. She has one brother and one sister. Garcia majored in international marketing and finance at the University of Miami and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the university's School of Business in 1992. She became an associate vice president at Merrill Lynch and started her own wealth management firm, JDM Partners LLC in 2002. In 2008, Garcia transitioned from her career in finance to manage Dwayne Johnson’s career, now serving as his global strategic advisor.

Career

Early films and television: 2008–2016

In 2008, Garcia executive produced the documentary ''Theater of War'', directed by John Walter and starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. This was followed by the Christmas-themed romantic drama film ''Lovely, Still'' (2008), starring Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn. The following year, Garcia produced the documentary '' Racing Dreams'' (2009). Directed by Marshall Curry, the film follows two boys and a girl as they compete and aspire to become professional NASCAR drivers. The film was critically acclaimed, winning Best Documentary at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, where it was also runner up for the Audience Award. The film received a 100% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.38/10. The film was called "The best film of the year" by the ''Los Angeles Times'' ("The Envelope") and "Absorbing… one of the rare documentaries you leave wishing it was a little longer, " by ''The New York Times''.

In 2012, Garcia and Johnson co-founded their production company, Seven Bucks Productions. Garcia then produced the action film ''Snitch'' (2013), directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Johnson, followed by the reality television series ''The Hero''. She later founded her multi-platform enterprise, The Garcia Companies and TGC Management, a global brand development and management company, representing actors Henry Cavill and Dwayne Johnson. That same year, TNT ordered eight hour-long episodes for the reality television series ''Wake Up Call'', which premiered in 2014 and into 2015. Garcia served as executive producer for all eight episodes, which was described as ''The Hero'''s "natural successor." Another reality TV series, ''Clash Of The Corps'', premiered in 2016 with Fuse TV. Garcia and Johnson later launched a digital channel for the short-TV series ''Millennials the Musical'' (2016).

Blockbuster success: 2017–2019

In 2017, Garcia executive produced several projects for TV and the web. The first one was ''Rock and a Hard Place'' for HBO, which focuses on the lives of incarcerated young people. This was followed by the web series ''Logan Paul Summer Saga'' with American internet personality Logan Paul, ''Bro/Science/Life: The Series,'' and ''Lifeline''.

Garcia later executive produced her first large budget film, ''Baywatch'' (2017), an action comedy film directed by Seth Gordon and based on the television series of the same name. The film was panned critically, but a box office success, grossing $177.8 million worldwide, against a production budget of $69 million. Garcia followed this up with '' Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' (2017), a fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan. It the third installment of the ''Jumanji'' franchise, after '' Zathura: A Space Adventure'' (2005) and a direct sequel to ''Jumanji'' (1995), which was based on the 1981 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. ''Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' received positive reviews and grossed $962.1 million worldwide, becoming one of Sony's highest-grossing films of all time.

''Rampage'' (2018), a science fiction monster film directed by Brad Peyton, and based on the video game series of the same name by Midway Games, was released the following year. It grossed over $428 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics. Garcia's next film, ''Skyscraper'' (2018), an action film written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, received similar critical responses. Garcia then executive produced the documentary ''Stuntman'' (2018). She returned to television to serve as executive producer on HBO's most-watched half-hour comedy-drama series ''Ballers'' for HBO.

In 2019, Garcia executive produced '' The Titan Games'', a sports competition series which premiered on NBC and has been renewed for a second season. The same year, Seven Bucks’ made its Sundance Film Festival debut with the biographical sports comedy-drama film, ''Fighting with My Family'', written and directed by Stephen Merchant and produced by Garcia, followed the same year. Garcia later produced a six-episode docu-series ''Finding Justice'' for BET, focusing on the stories of heroes, leaders, advocates and change agents in the African American community across America as they uncover injustices and fight to bring healing and change.

Returning to the large screen, Garcia served as executive producer for the superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, ''Shazam!'' (2019), ''The Fast and the Furious'' spin-off ''Hobbs & Shaw'' (2019), and produced '' Jumanji: The Next Level'' (2019) which set the record Seven Bucks Productions’ biggest global opening weekend.

Business expansion: 2020–present

In August 2020, Garcia and Johnson led the consortium that purchased the XFL out of bankruptcy from its founder, Vince McMahon, the first woman to own an equal or majority ownership stake in a major professional sports league in the United States. Garcia has followed the iterations of the XFL as both a fan and businesswoman since its original 2001 incarnation. As Chairwoman, Garcia leads XFL’s ownership group alongside Dwayne Johnson and Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital Partners. The league will launch in 2023.

After not releasing any new projects in 2020, Garcia partnered up with Disney for the Disney+ docuseries ''Behind the Attraction'' (2021), Disney+ documentary ''Stuntman'' (2021), and the blockbuster film ''Jungle Cruise'' (2021), based on the classic 1955 Disneyland ride. She also produced ''Young Rock'', an American television sitcom based upon long-time collaborator Johnson's life.

That same year, Garcia announced the launch of her latest venture, GSTQ. A lifestyle and fashion brand, GSTQ includes a highly curated, ready-to-wear fashion collection. GSTQ combines and refines the best of a mogul’s savvy style, accentuated with the ease of movement and range of motion sought in performance wear.

Awards

In 2020, Garcia was awarded the Outstanding Film Producer Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition and was recognized in The Hollywood Reporter’s 2021 Women in Entertainment Power 100 List, earned a spot in the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 Variety500 lists, and selected for Variety’s Power of Women Report in both 2016 and 2018. She was also named to Entrepreneur’s Women of Influence 2022 list, Inc. Female Founders 100 2022 list, SUCCESS Magazine’s Top 25 Most Influential Leaders of 2022, Create & Cultivate’s 100 2021, and Adweek’s Most Powerful Women in Sports 2020 lists.

Personal life

Relationships

Garcia met Dwayne Johnson while both were University of Miami college students, and they were married on May 3, 1997. By marrying Johnson she joined the famous Samoan Anoa'i family. They have one child together. On June 1, 2007, the couple announced they were divorcing amicably. The divorce was finalized in May 2008 and Garcia now serves as Johnson’s global strategic advisor. In 2014, Garcia married bodybuilder and The Garcia Companies’s Chief Health & Fitness Brand Officer, Dave Rienzi. They reside in Los Angeles and Orlando and have four dogs.

Interests and hobbies

Garcia is a bodybuilder and often credits the sport for shaping her relentless nature in business. She first competed in 2011 and went on to earn her IFBB Pro card in 2014. She was the first-ever Women's Physique Division athlete to be signed to the Weider roster.

Garcia holds several board positions. In 2008, she founded the Beacon Experience, as part of the nationwide “I Have a Dream” foundation that encourages at-risk students to continue their educations beyond high school. She was elected to be on Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc's board of directors that same year. Garcia serves on the University of Miami Board of Trustees and as President of the University of Miami Alumni Association.

Filmography

Producer

* ''Fighting with My Family'' (2019)
* '' Jumanji: The Next Level'' (2019)
* ''Jungle Cruise'' (2021)
* ''Red Notice'' (2021)
* ''DC League of Super-Pets'' (2022)
* ''Black Adam'' (2022)

Executive producer

Featured films
* ''Lovely, Still'' (2008)
* ''Snitch'' (2013)
* ''Baywatch'' (2017)
* '' Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' (2017)
* '' Rampage'' (2018)
* ''Skyscraper'' (2018)
* '' Shazam!'' (2019)
* ''Hobbs & Shaw'' (2019)

Documentary films
* ''Theater of War'' (2008)
* '' Racing Dreams'' (2009)
* ''Stuntman'' (2018)

Television

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Dany
American women film producers
American people of Cuban descent
1968 births
University of Miami Business School alumni
Living people
XFL (2020) owners
People from Belleville, New Jersey
Anoa'i family
Television producers from New Jersey
21st-century American women
Women in Entertainment Power 100