Barry Josephson
Encyclopedia
Barry Josephson is an American film producer
and former music manager.
Josephson graduated from American University
, Washington DC in 1978 and is an active member of the SOC Alumni program. In 1991, Josephson was the Vice President of Production for Columbia Pictures
and remained at the studio for six years where he served last as President of Production. He brought with him experience in the entertainment world ranging from client management to film, TV and music production. During his tenure at Columbia, Josephson was responsible for such hits as In the Line of Fire
(1993), Bad Boys
(1995), Men in Black
, Air Force One
, The Fifth Element
, and Anaconda
(all 1997).
Josephson began his career in entertainment at Landers/Roberts Productions, overseeing the music division's interest in feature film and television programming and there was involved with the popular sequel, Death Wish II
(1981). Josephson later worked for Gallin/Morey & Associates, managing the careers of such performers as Paula Abdul
, Patti Labelle
, Morris Day
, and Whoopi Goldberg
(including production work on her Grammy-winning album "Direct from Broadway"). During this time, Josephson also helped found Sandollar Films, whose product has included several of Dolly Parton
's made-for-TV movies and specials; Tidy Endings, an HBO adaptation of Harvey Fierstein
's play, Safe Sex; and such feature films as Gross Anatomy
and True Identity
(both 1989). Before moving to Columbia, Josephson worked with Joel Silver
of Silver Pictures
on Die Hard 2
and Predator 2
(both 1990), earned executive producer credit on both Ricochet
and The Last Boy Scout
(both 1991), and oversaw production of 14 episodes of the HBO series, Tales from the Crypt
.
In 1997, Josephson announced his resignation from Columbia Pictures. He had entered into a partnership with director Barry Sonnenfeld
and they signed a three-year production deal with The Walt Disney Company
. Under Sonnenfeld Josephson Worldwide Entertainment, the duo produced numerous of film and television productions such as Wild Wild West
(1999), Fantasy Island
(1998) TV series, Big Trouble (2002), The Crew (2000) and Secret Agent Man (2000).
In 2002, Josephson inked a production deal with 20th Century Fox
under Josephson Entertainment. Under that shingle, he has produced the critically acclaimed Enchanted, which garnered two Golden Globe nominations, four Critics' Choice Awards and three Academy Award nominations, and won a Critics' Choice Award for Best Family Film and a Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Live Action Family Film. Josephson is also executive producer of the television series, Bones
. Other credits include Hide and Seek
(2005), Pat Croce Moving In (2004) TV series, and Like Mike
(2002). In 2011 it was announced that he had bought the rights to make a film based on Julian Assange
's autobiography.
Josephson is a founding member of Comic Relief
, hosted by Robin Williams
, Billy Crystal
and Whoopi Goldberg
, the comedy concert which has raised millions of dollars to aid the plight of the homeless. Josephson has also played pivotal roles in the creation of the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival, the Commitment to Life Benefit (supporting AIDS Project Los Angeles), and the Heart of Austin Film Festival.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and former music manager.
Josephson graduated from American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
, Washington DC in 1978 and is an active member of the SOC Alumni program. In 1991, Josephson was the Vice President of Production for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
and remained at the studio for six years where he served last as President of Production. He brought with him experience in the entertainment world ranging from client management to film, TV and music production. During his tenure at Columbia, Josephson was responsible for such hits as In the Line of Fire
In the Line of Fire
In the Line of Fire is a 1993 American thriller film about a disillusioned and obsessed former CIA agent who attempts to assassinate the President of the United States and the Secret Service agent who tracks him...
(1993), Bad Boys
Bad Boys (1995 film)
Bad Boys is a 1995 American action comedy film directed by Michael Bay in his directorial debut, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer...
(1995), Men in Black
Men in Black (film)
Men in Black is a 1997 science fiction comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Vincent D'Onofrio. The film was based on the Men in Black comic book series by Lowell Cunningham, originally published by Marvel Comics. The film featured the creature effects...
, Air Force One
Air Force One (film)
Air Force One is a 1997 American action-thriller film written by Andrew W. Marlowe and directed by Wolfgang Petersen. It stars Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, and Glenn Close, and also features Xander Berkeley, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell and Paul Guilfoyle...
, The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element is a 1997 French science fiction film directed, co-written, and based on a story by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich...
, and Anaconda
Anaconda (film)
Anaconda is a 1997, adventure-horror film, directed by Luis Llosa, starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Owen Wilson, and Eric Stoltz. It centers around a film crew for National Geographic who are kidnapped by a hunter who is going after the world's largest giant anaconda, which is...
(all 1997).
Josephson began his career in entertainment at Landers/Roberts Productions, overseeing the music division's interest in feature film and television programming and there was involved with the popular sequel, Death Wish II
Death Wish II
Death Wish II is a 1982 sequel to the 1974 film. It stars Charles Bronson, was written by David Engelbach and directed by Michael Winner....
(1981). Josephson later worked for Gallin/Morey & Associates, managing the careers of such performers as Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
, Patti Labelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, Morris Day
Morris Day
Morris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
, and Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
(including production work on her Grammy-winning album "Direct from Broadway"). During this time, Josephson also helped found Sandollar Films, whose product has included several of Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
's made-for-TV movies and specials; Tidy Endings, an HBO adaptation of Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein is a U.S. actor and playwright, noted for the early distinction of winning Tony Awards for both writing and originating the lead role in his long-running play Torch Song Trilogy, about a gay drag-performer and his quest for true love and family, as well as writing the...
's play, Safe Sex; and such feature films as Gross Anatomy
Gross Anatomy (1989 film)
Gross Anatomy is a 1989 American drama film directed by Thom Eberhardt and starring Matthew Modine and Daphne Zuniga. It was released by Touchstone Pictures.-Synopsis:...
and True Identity
True Identity
True Identity is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Charles Lane and starring Lenny Henry, Frank Langella and Anne-Marie Johnson. The plot revolves around a black man , who disguises himself as a white man to escape the mob....
(both 1989). Before moving to Columbia, Josephson worked with Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
of Silver Pictures
Silver Pictures
Silver Pictures is a film production company founded by Hollywood producer Joel Silver during 1985. All movies after Ricochet have been distributed by Warner Bros and its subsidiary New Line Cinema.-Films:-Television series:*Moonlight...
on Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2
Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane...
and Predator 2
Predator 2
Predator 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, María Conchita Alonso, Rubén Blades, and Bill Paxton. Written by Jim and John Thomas and directed by Stephen Hopkins, the film is a sequel to 1987's Predator, with Kevin Peter Hall again playing the role of the...
(both 1990), earned executive producer credit on both Ricochet
Ricochet (film)
Ricochet is a 1991 crime-thriller film, directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Ice-T, Kevin Pollak, and Lindsay Wagner...
and The Last Boy Scout
The Last Boy Scout
The Last Boy Scout is a 1991 action film starring Bruce Willis as a former Secret Service agent, now working as a private detective, and Damon Wayans as a retired professional football player. The two join forces to solve the murder of Wayans' character’s girlfriend . The movie was produced by...
(both 1991), and oversaw production of 14 episodes of the HBO series, Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt (TV series)
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
.
In 1997, Josephson announced his resignation from Columbia Pictures. He had entered into a partnership with director Barry Sonnenfeld
Barry Sonnenfeld
Barry Sonnenfeld is an American filmmaker and television director. He worked as cinematographer for the Coen brothers, then later he directed and produced big budget films such as Men in Black.-Life and career:...
and they signed a three-year production deal with The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. Under Sonnenfeld Josephson Worldwide Entertainment, the duo produced numerous of film and television productions such as Wild Wild West
Wild Wild West
Wild Wild West is a 1999 American steampunk action-comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline , Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek.Similar to the original TV series it was based on, The Wild Wild West, the film features a large amount of gadgetry...
(1999), Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
(1998) TV series, Big Trouble (2002), The Crew (2000) and Secret Agent Man (2000).
In 2002, Josephson inked a production deal with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
under Josephson Entertainment. Under that shingle, he has produced the critically acclaimed Enchanted, which garnered two Golden Globe nominations, four Critics' Choice Awards and three Academy Award nominations, and won a Critics' Choice Award for Best Family Film and a Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Live Action Family Film. Josephson is also executive producer of the television series, Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
. Other credits include Hide and Seek
Hide and Seek (2005 film)
Hide and Seek is a 2005 American horror film starring Robert De Niro, Famke Janssen and Dakota Fanning. It was directed by John Polson. The film opened in the United States in January 2005 and was top of the box office. It did not reach the same level of critical success; it garnered mainly...
(2005), Pat Croce Moving In (2004) TV series, and Like Mike
Like Mike
Like Mike is a 2002 film, directed by John Schultz and starring Lil' Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki and Brenda Song. It was produced in association with NBA Entertainment and features many cameo appearances by NBA stars...
(2002). In 2011 it was announced that he had bought the rights to make a film based on Julian Assange
Julian Assange
Julian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher, journalist, writer, computer programmer and Internet activist. He is the editor in chief of WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website and conduit for worldwide news leaks with the stated purpose of creating open governments.WikiLeaks has published material...
's autobiography.
Josephson is a founding member of Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
, hosted by Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
, Billy Crystal
Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the critical and box office successes...
and Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, the comedy concert which has raised millions of dollars to aid the plight of the homeless. Josephson has also played pivotal roles in the creation of the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival, the Commitment to Life Benefit (supporting AIDS Project Los Angeles), and the Heart of Austin Film Festival.