Andrea Sperling (born c. 1968/69) is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

. The films she has produced include ''

Totally Fucked Up ''Totally F***ed Up'' (also known as ''Totally Fucked Up'') is a 1993 American drama film written and directed by Gregg Araki. The first installment of Araki's ''Teenage Apocalypse'' film trilogy, it is considered a seminal entry in the New Queer ...

'', '' But I'm a Cheerleader'', '' D.E.B.S.'' and ''

Itty Bitty Titty Committee ''Itty Bitty Titty Committee'' is a feminist lesbian comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit. It was released on September 28, 2007. It follows the political awakening of Anna, a young, mild-mannered lesbian woman who joins a radical feminist group ...

'' and the Sundance Top Prize winning ''

Like Crazy ''Like Crazy'' is a 2011 American romantic drama film directed by Drake Doremus and starring Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, and Jennifer Lawrence. Written by Doremus and Ben York Jones, the film tells the story of Anna ( Felicity Jones), a Br ...

''.

Early life and education

Sperling attended the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the ...

where she took classes under

Gregg Araki Gregg Araki (born December 17, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is noted for his heavy involvement with the New Queer Cinema movement. His film ''Kaboom'' (2010) was the first winner of the Cannes Film Festival Queer Palm. Early life and ...

. While enrolled, she interned during the summers at Avenue Pictures. She graduated in 1990 with a B.A. in Film History, Theory and Criticism.

Career

Upon graduation, Sperling's former professor, Gregg Araki, asked her to work with him on ''

The Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 199 ...

''. The duo would continue their partnership into Araki's next three movies — ''

'', ''

The Doom Generation ''The Doom Generation'' is a 1995 black comedy thriller film written and directed by Gregg Araki. The film follows two troubled teenage lovers, Amy Blue (Rose McGowan) and Jordan White ( James Duval), who pick up a young handsome drifter named Xavi ...

'', and '' Nowhere'' — which were collective dubbed the "Teen Apocalypse Trilogy". The trilogy has been characterized as "... teen alienation, hazy sexuality and aggression." Sperling has been credited with helping to launch the

New Queer Cinema "New Queer Cinema" is a term first coined by the academic B. Ruby Rich in ''Sight & Sound'' magazine in 1992 to define and describe a movement in queer-themed independent filmmaking in the early 1990s. It is also referred to as the "Queer New ...

movement with her films dating as far back as the 1990s. In 2008, Sperling was introduced to her long-term producing partner, Jonathan Schwartz of Crispy Films, following the recommendation of a sales agent with

Creative Artists Agency Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 employ ...

. Sperling joined Crispy Films, which was subsequently renamed Super Crispy Entertainment. In 2014, Sperling branched into television, working on the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

-winning series '' Transparent''. She was elevated to executive producer in 2015.

Awards and honors

She was inducted into the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...

in 2014. Sperling was named as a member of the 2008 and 2015 Out100 class by ''

Out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

''.

Personal life

Sperling is based in

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 ...

. She is a lesbian and was previously married to colleague,

Jamie Babbit Jamie Merill Babbit (born November 16, 1970) is an American director, producer and screenwriter. She directed the films '' But I'm a Cheerleader'', ''The Quiet'' and ''Itty Bitty Titty Committee''. She has also directed episodes of television pro ...

, with whom she has two children. Sperling has sat on the board of directors of

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

and film production company

POWER UP POWER UP (the "Professional Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching Up") is an American non-profit organization and film production company with the stated mission "to promote the visibility and integration of gay women in entertainmen ...

and was with the organization from the beginning.

Filmography

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

: ''

'' * 1993: ''

Terminal USA ''Terminal USA'' is a controversial 1994 film by Jon Moritsugu that explores themes of family, drugs, violence and Asian American stereotypes, and now considered a cult film. Its run time is 54 minutes and it is estimated to have had a budget of $ ...

'' *

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

: ''

'' *

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on b ...

: ''

A Small Domain ''A Small Domain'' is a 1996 short film written and directed by Britta Sjogren. It premiered at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film, and subsequently won several festival awards during 1996 and 19 ...

'' (short) * 1996: ''

Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day ''Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day'' is a 1996 drama film written and directed by Christopher Münch about a Chinese-American's attempt at saving a railroad in post-WWII California. It stars Peter Alexander and features R.E.M. singer Michael Stip ...

'' *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

: ''Fame Whore'' * 1997: '' Nowhere'' *

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

: '' Freak Weather'' * 1998: ''

Desert Blue ''Desert Blue'' is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Morgan J. Freeman, starring Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert and John Heard. Plot A rising Hollywood starlet becom ...

'' *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

: '' Sleeping Beauties'' (short) * 1999: '' But I'm a Cheerleader'' *

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

: ''

Stuck Stuck may refer to: Film and television * ''Stuck'' (2001 film), a short film directed by Jamie Babbit * ''Stuck'' (2002 film), a Canadian TV drama directed by Lindsay Bourne * ''Stuck'' (2007 film), a thriller directed by Stuart Gordon and starr ...

'' (short) *

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...

: ''

Pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus '' Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes u ...

'' * 2002: ''Scumrock'' *

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

: '' D.E.B.S.'' (short) * 2003: ''Hummer'' (short) *

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

: '' D.E.B.S.'' * 2004: ''A Memoir to My Former Self'' (short) *

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

: '' Starcrossed'' * 2005: '' Harsh Times'' * 2005: ''

The Quiet ''The Quiet'' is a 2005 American psychological thriller film directed by Jamie Babbit and starring Elisha Cuthbert, Camilla Belle, Martin Donovan, and Edie Falco. It focuses on a deaf teenage orphan who is sent to live with her godparents. ...

'' *

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

: ''

If I Had Known I Was a Genius ''If I Had Known I Was a Genius'' is a film directed by Dominique Wirtschafter and written by Markus Redmond (who also stars in the film). The film premiered January 23, 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival. Plot Michael (Markus Redmond) is an Af ...

'' * 2007: ''

'' * 2008: '' Adventures of Power'' * 2010: '' Sympathy for Delicious'' * 2010: '' Kaboom'' * 2011: ''

'' * 2012: ''

Breaking the Girls ''Breaking the Girls'' is a 2012 American crime thriller film directed by Jamie Babbit and starring Agnes Bruckner and Madeline Zima. Plot Two college women, Sara and Alex, make a twisted agreement after stress in their personal lives: they will ...

'' * 2012: '' Smashed'' * 2012: '' Nobody Walks'' * 2013: '' Breathe In'' * 2014: ''

Imperial Dreams ''Imperial Dreams'' is an American drama film written and directed by Malik Vitthal. The film had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014. It won the ''Audience Award'' at the festival. The film was released as a Netf ...

'' * 2014: ''

All the Wilderness ''All the Wilderness'' (originally titled ''The Wilderness of James'') is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Michael Johnson. The film stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Isabelle Fuhrman, Danny DeVito, Virginia Madsen and Evan Ross. The ...

'' * 2015: '' Bleeding Heart'' * 2017: '' Professor Marston & The Wonder Women''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sperling, Andrea American film producers American LGBT people Lesbians University of California, Santa Barbara alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American women film producers LGBT producers 21st-century LGBT people 21st-century American women