Jeff Steele
Encyclopedia
Jeff Steele is an American entertainment industry executive. He is Founder and Chief Executive Officer
of the media finance company Film Closings Inc., and is publisher of the film finance blog, FilmClosings; he is a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post
and The Wrap.
(in Los Angeles) but was raised in the town of Villa Park
, in Orange County, California
, where he graduated from Villa Park High School
and became an Eagle Scout
. He later attended California State University Fullerton where he majored in Communications; at Fullerton he took a screenwriting class just to fill a credit and was subsequently exposed to the entertainment industry for the first time. Steele interned for a micro-budget independent film
called Perfect Mate, and read scripts for a local Orange County
producer named Mitch Teemly.
, a producer
of major studio films who had a first-look deal with Fox 2000. From there Steele's early assistant career-path took him from the talent agency ICM
, to Susan Landau Productions (at Fox 2000), to veteran television producer Ellen Krass, to MTV Networks
CEO Tom Freston
, and ultimately to Mike Medavoy
at Phoenix Pictures (from 2001–2003).
After Phoenix Pictures, Steele joined indie production company Plinyminor
, where, as head of co-productions and finance, he went on to produce the Emmy Award
nominated Mammoth
for NBC Universal
's Sci Fi Channel
(SyFy
) and the hit documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?
, which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival
and was released theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics
. Off the success of Mammoth, Plinyminor landed a five-picture deal with Sci Fi Channel
.
In 2006 Steele joined Screen Capital International as director of film finance, where he focused on gap, pre-sale, tax credit, and bridge funding. SCI, a structured finance company specialized in structuring and facilitating cross-border tax-advantaged financing for major motion picture producers, was preparing to launch Aramid Entertainment, a $300m debt fund specializing in pre-sale, gap, bridge, and tax credit lending in the United States and around the world. Aramid financed 35 films over two years, with budgets from $10m - $45m. SCI went on to create Incentive Entertainment, which wholly finances independent films with budgets from $5m - $15m.
deals and is based in Los Angeles
and Chicago. In 2009, Jeff Steele joined Magnet Media Group as the Chief Financial Officer
. Steele is an expert in film finance
, but also has a portfolio of hands-on producing credits. He is a frequent panelist for film financing forums and he's known for telling audiences what they need to know, but do not want to hear. He has also been published in popular online blogs The Huffington Post and The Wrap.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the media finance company Film Closings Inc., and is publisher of the film finance blog, FilmClosings; he is a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
and The Wrap.
Life and career
Jeff Steele was born in Whittier, CaliforniaWhittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
(in Los Angeles) but was raised in the town of Villa Park
Villa Park, California
Villa Park is a city in northern Orange County, California, near and surrounded by the City of Orange, and close to Anaheim Hills, that incorporated in 1962. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 5,812, down from 5,999 at the 2000 census, achieving the status of the smallest city in...
, in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, where he graduated from Villa Park High School
Villa Park High School
Villa Park High School is a suburban public high school in Villa Park, California. The school was built in 1964 and is one of four comprehensive high schools in the Orange Unified School District. The campus serves students residing in Villa Park and portions of the cities of Orange and...
and became an Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
. He later attended California State University Fullerton where he majored in Communications; at Fullerton he took a screenwriting class just to fill a credit and was subsequently exposed to the entertainment industry for the first time. Steele interned for a micro-budget independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
called Perfect Mate, and read scripts for a local Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
producer named Mitch Teemly.
Early professional career
Steele got his first break when he landed an internship with Lynda ObstLynda Obst
Lynda Rosen Obst is a feature film producer. She was born in New York and is a graduate of Pomona College in Claremont, CA. She worked as an editor at The New York Times before moving to Los Angeles with her then-husband David Obst...
, a producer
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...
of major studio films who had a first-look deal with Fox 2000. From there Steele's early assistant career-path took him from the talent agency ICM
International Creative Management
International Creative Management is a talent and literary agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and London. ICM is a full-service agency representing creative and technical talent in the fields of motion pictures, television, fiction and nonfiction publishing, music, live performance,...
, to Susan Landau Productions (at Fox 2000), to veteran television producer Ellen Krass, to MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
CEO Tom Freston
Tom Freston
Thomas E. Freston is an American entertainment industry executive. He currently is a principal in Firefly3 LLC, a consulting and investment company. Currently he consults Oprah Winfrey, among others....
, and ultimately to Mike Medavoy
Mike Medavoy
Morris Mike Medavoy is an American film producer and executive, co-founder of Orion Pictures , former chairman of TriStar Pictures, former head of production for United Artists and current chairman and CEO of Phoenix Pictures.-Early life and career:Medavoy was born in Shanghai, China in 1941 to...
at Phoenix Pictures (from 2001–2003).
After Phoenix Pictures, Steele joined indie production company Plinyminor
Plinyminor
Plinyminor is an entertainment production company with offices in London and Baton Rouge. Founded by serial technology entrepreneur Richard D. Titus and producer Tavin Marin Titus....
, where, as head of co-productions and finance, he went on to produce the Emmy Award
Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects
This is a list of the winning and nominated programs of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a television series, miniseries, or television movie...
nominated Mammoth
Mammoth (film)
Mammoth is a 2006 feature film directed by Tim Cox and produced by Plinyminor in association with the Sci Fi Channel starring Vincent Ventresca, Summer Glau, Leila Arcieri and Tom Skerritt...
for NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
's Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel
Syfy Universal is a family of television stations in countries around the world broadcasting science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural and paranormal programming, and owned or licensed by entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The first such channel was launched in...
(SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
) and the hit documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?
Who Killed the Electric Car?
Who Killed the Electric Car? is a 2006 documentary film that explores the creation, limited commercialization, and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the General Motors EV1 of the mid 1990s...
, which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and was released theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics is an art-house film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment founded in December 1991 that distributes, produces and acquires specialty films from the United States and around the world. Its co-presidents are Michael Barker and Tom Bernard...
. Off the success of Mammoth, Plinyminor landed a five-picture deal with Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel
Syfy Universal is a family of television stations in countries around the world broadcasting science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural and paranormal programming, and owned or licensed by entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The first such channel was launched in...
.
In 2006 Steele joined Screen Capital International as director of film finance, where he focused on gap, pre-sale, tax credit, and bridge funding. SCI, a structured finance company specialized in structuring and facilitating cross-border tax-advantaged financing for major motion picture producers, was preparing to launch Aramid Entertainment, a $300m debt fund specializing in pre-sale, gap, bridge, and tax credit lending in the United States and around the world. Aramid financed 35 films over two years, with budgets from $10m - $45m. SCI went on to create Incentive Entertainment, which wholly finances independent films with budgets from $5m - $15m.
Current professional career
Film Closings specializes in packaging and closing independent film financeFilm finance
Film finance is an aspect of film production that occurs during the development stage prior to pre-production, and is concerned with determining the potential value of a proposed film...
deals and is based in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and Chicago. In 2009, Jeff Steele joined Magnet Media Group as the Chief Financial Officer
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
. Steele is an expert in film finance
Film finance
Film finance is an aspect of film production that occurs during the development stage prior to pre-production, and is concerned with determining the potential value of a proposed film...
, but also has a portfolio of hands-on producing credits. He is a frequent panelist for film financing forums and he's known for telling audiences what they need to know, but do not want to hear. He has also been published in popular online blogs The Huffington Post and The Wrap.