Katherine Marianne Sarafian ( hy, Քեթրին Սարաֆյան; born January 27, 1969) is an Armenian-American film producer. She started at

Pixar Animation Studios Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

as an artist but was shifted from the art department to marketing during the making of ''

A Bug's Life ''A Bug's Life'' is a 1998 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was the second feature-length film produced by Pixar. Directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Andrew Stant ...

'' by Pixar head Steve Jobs. She then became a producer within Pixar.

Early life

Katherine Sarafian, the middle of three children, was raised in

San Leandro San Leandro (Spanish for " St. Leander") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland to the northwest, and Ashland, Castro Valley, and Hayward to the sout ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, by her

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

mother Alice Izmirian, active in San Leandro civic affairs, and Armenian father Richard Sarafian Jr., a pastor of the Saint Vartan Armenian Church of Oakland who died in 2009. Sarafian's Armenian heritage and religious upbringing, due to her father being a pastor, have been a central influence.San Leandro Has Bragging Rights To Pixar's 'Brave'
SanLeandroPatch. June 22, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2013

Career

Sarafian produced Pixar's 2006 short film '' Lifted'' and its 2012 theatrical release '' Brave'', for which she was nominated for the Producer's Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of an Animated Theatrical Motion Picture. Sarafian and Brave's Director Mark Andrews accepted Brave's award for Best Animated Feature Film, at the Golden Globe award ceremony on January 13, 2013.

Personal life

Katherine Marianne Sarafian lives in nearby Oakland with her husband, visual effects specialist Meher Gourjian, whose production credits include work in Harry Potter and whom she married during her six years of producing ''Brave''. She gave birth to two sons during the six years of production time.

Producer filmography

*''

The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah ...

'' (2004) (assistant producer) *'' Lifted'' (2006) (producer) *'' Brave'' (2012) (producer) *''

Toy Story 4 ''Toy Story 4'' is a 2019 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the fourth installment in Pixar's ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to ''Toy Story 3'' ( ...

'' (2019) (development producer)

Awards

*2013 Golden Globe, best animated feature film for ''"Brave"'' *2013

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...

, best animated feature film for ''"Brave"''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sarafian, Katherine 1969 births Living people American women film producers Film producers from California People from San Leandro, California American people of Armenian descent Pixar people