Craig Saavedra
Encyclopedia
Craig Michael Saavedra is an American
film producer
, director
, writer
and co-owner of New York
and Los Angeles-based production company Starry Night Entertainment.
, California
in 1963 to Hector John Saavedra, a commercial artist of Mexican
descent, and Kathleen O'Connell, a wallpaper hanger, of English
-Irish
extraction. He attended kindergarten through second grade in the San Fernando Valley
community of Encino. In 1971, the family moved to Thousand Oaks, California
where he attended Newbury Park
High School along with his six siblings, among them cartoonist/illustrator Scott Saavedra (“Dr. Radium”) and KFI
AM 640 radio personality Neil Saavedra (“The Jesus Christ Show
”).
in Hollywood as a tour guide. In the evenings, he attended film courses at UCLA’s Extension program. It was through this program that he met a film executive who eventually hired him as a story analyst at producer Jerry Weintraub
’s Weintraub Entertainment Group. Shortly thereafter, Saavedra left to become Director of Operations at Big Time Picture Company, a post-production and film editing facility on Los Angeles’ west side. At Big Time, Saavedra met a young development executive from nearby PRO FilmWorks, a production company with offices down the street. The executive, Gregg Hoffman
, lured Saavedra into joining PRO as a story analyst.
(starring Academy Award
winner Helen Hunt
and directed by Betty Thomas
), Gross Misconduct (Jimmy Smits
and Naomi Watts
), Scorchers (Faye Dunaway
, James Earl Jones
, Jennifer Tilly
, Emily Lloyd
), The Real Macaw (Jason Robards
), At First Sight
(Jonathan Silverman
), Closer and Closer (Kim Delaney
) and the hit TV series The Man from Snowy River
. In 1993 the company changed its name to Becker FilmWorks Entertainment to reflect its ties with parent company Becker Entertainment
, Australia
's leading independent film and television production, distribution and exhibition company. Shortly thereafter, Saavedra was named President of the Los Angeles operations. In 1999, Saavedra made his directorial debut on the feature comedy-drama Rhapsody In Bloom (Penelope Ann Miller
, Ron Silver
, Craig Sheffer
and Caroline Goodall
). After directing Rhapsody in Bloom, Saavedra retired from Becker FilmWorks to focus on writing both motion picture and theatrical works.
In 2004, Saavedra teamed with New York-based actor Michael Shulman
, a recent Yale
graduate with whom he worked on Rhapsody In Bloom, to form Starry Night Entertainment.
Saavedra produced and directed the comedy/drama Sherman's Way
starring James LeGros
, Enrico Colantoni
, Brooke Nevin
, Lacey Chabert
, Donna Murphy
and Michael Shulman
, which won the Audience Award for Best Feature at Cinequest Film Festival 2008, the Audience Award at the Newport International Film Festival
and a Special Jury Award at the Jackson Hole Film Festival. The film was released theatrically in the United States through International Film Circuit.
In 2009, Saavedra made his first foray into producing live theater with the New York premiere of JT Rogers's "White People" Off-Broadway
at the Atlantic Theater Company
's Stage 2. The controversial and darkly humorous play about racism in America starred John Dossett
, Rebecca Brooksher and Michael Shulman
.
In 2010, Saavedra and Shulman associate produced the New York premiere of Craig Wright
's Mistakes Were Made Off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre
. The comedy, directed by Dexter Bullard, starred Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Shannon
as Felix Artifex, a B-list Off-Broadway producer who gets in way over his fast-talking head when he takes on a gargantuan epic about the French Revolution which he thinks is going to be his ticket to professional and personal reclamation. While trying to land a big star for the lead role, he uses all his powers of persuasion, seduction and intimidation to strong-arm the writer into massively rewriting his play.
Joaquin Sedillo, and their son Josh.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film 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...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and co-owner of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Los Angeles-based production company Starry Night Entertainment.
Early life
Saavedra was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1963 to Hector John Saavedra, a commercial artist of Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
descent, and Kathleen O'Connell, a wallpaper hanger, of English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
-Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
extraction. He attended kindergarten through second grade in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
community of Encino. In 1971, the family moved to Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....
where he attended Newbury Park
Newbury Park, California
The community of Newbury Park, California is located in the western portion of the city of Thousand Oaks and Casa Conejo, an unincorporated area of southeastern Ventura County's Conejo Valley, which is also in the northwestern Greater Los Angeles Area...
High School along with his six siblings, among them cartoonist/illustrator Scott Saavedra (“Dr. Radium”) and KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
AM 640 radio personality Neil Saavedra (“The Jesus Christ Show
The Jesus Christ Show
The Jesus Christ Show is a radio program that airs every Sunday from 6 to 9 a.m. Pacific time, originating from KFI in Los Angeles, California...
”).
Early career
Shortly after graduating high school in 1981, Saavedra found employment at Universal StudiosUniversal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in Hollywood as a tour guide. In the evenings, he attended film courses at UCLA’s Extension program. It was through this program that he met a film executive who eventually hired him as a story analyst at producer Jerry Weintraub
Jerry Weintraub
Jerry Weintraub is an American film producer and former chairman and CEO of United Artists. He now lives in Palm Desert, California.-Life and career:...
’s Weintraub Entertainment Group. Shortly thereafter, Saavedra left to become Director of Operations at Big Time Picture Company, a post-production and film editing facility on Los Angeles’ west side. At Big Time, Saavedra met a young development executive from nearby PRO FilmWorks, a production company with offices down the street. The executive, Gregg Hoffman
Gregg Hoffman
Gregg Hoffman born in Phoenix, Arizona, was a film producer responsible for developing Saw and Saw II. He studied communications, law and economics at American University in Washington, D.C. Hoffman was working on Saw III and other films for Twisted Pictures when he died in a hospital in...
, lured Saavedra into joining PRO as a story analyst.
Producer/Director
Within months, Saavedra was promoted to Vice President of production and soon was producing and/or supervising the production/development of numerous projects including Only YouOnly You (1992 film)
Only You is a 1992 film starring Andrew McCarthy, Kelly Preston, and Helen Hunt.- Plot :Clifford Godfrey is a doll house designer who is dumped by his fiance a few hours before they are to depart for a vacation in Mexico. Clare Enfield, a travel agent, informs Godfrey that his tickets are...
(starring Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
winner Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...
and directed by Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Life and career:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
), Gross Misconduct (Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...
and Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
), Scorchers (Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
, James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
, Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
, Emily Lloyd
Emily Lloyd
-Early life:Emily Lloyd Pack was born in London, the daughter of Sheila , now known as , a theatrical agent who was a longtime secretary at Harold Pinter's stage agency, and Roger Lloyd-Pack, a stage actor, well-known as Trigger in the British hit sitcom Only Fools and Horses. Her grandfather,...
), The Real Macaw (Jason Robards
Jason Robards
Jason Nelson Robards, Jr. was an American actor on stage, and in film and television, and a winner of the Tony Award , two Academy Awards and the Emmy Award...
), At First Sight
At First Sight
At First Sight is a 1999 American film starring Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino, based on the essay To See and Not to See in neurologist Oliver Sacks' book An Anthropologist on Mars and inspired by the true life story of Shirl Jennings.-Plot:...
(Jonathan Silverman
Jonathan Silverman
-Personal life:Silverman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Devora and Hillel Emanuel Silverman, a rabbi. He is the grandson of famous Conservative Rabbi Morris Silverman. David Schwimmer was his best friend in high school. He is married to actress Jennifer Finnigan who he briefly co...
), Closer and Closer (Kim Delaney
Kim Delaney
Kim Delaney is an American actress best known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series, NYPD Blue. Early in her career, she played the role of Jenny Gardner in the hugely popular ABC daytime television drama, All My Children...
) and the hit TV series The Man from Snowy River
The Man From Snowy River (TV series)
The Man from Snowy River is an Australian television series based on Banjo Paterson's poem "The Man from Snowy River". Released in Australia as Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River, the series was subsequently released in the United States as Snowy River: The McGregor Saga.The television...
. In 1993 the company changed its name to Becker FilmWorks Entertainment to reflect its ties with parent company Becker Entertainment
Becker Entertainment
Becker Entertainment is an Australian publicly listed entertainment company, owned by Prime Television Limited. Founded in 1965 by Russell Becker, one of the pioneers of commercial television in Australia, Becker was Australia's first independent distributor of television programs....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's leading independent film and television production, distribution and exhibition company. Shortly thereafter, Saavedra was named President of the Los Angeles operations. In 1999, Saavedra made his directorial debut on the feature comedy-drama Rhapsody In Bloom (Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller
Penelope Ann Miller , sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress...
, Ron Silver
Ron Silver
Ronald Arthur "Ron" Silver was an American actor, director, producer, radio host and political activist.-Early life:...
, Craig Sheffer
Craig Sheffer
Craig Eric Sheffer is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading role as Norman Maclean in the film A River Runs Through It and of Keith Scott on the television series One Tree Hill.-Early life:...
and Caroline Goodall
Caroline Goodall
Caroline Cruice Goodall is a British actress and screenwriter.-Biography:Goodall was born in London, England to a journalist mother and a publisher father...
). After directing Rhapsody in Bloom, Saavedra retired from Becker FilmWorks to focus on writing both motion picture and theatrical works.
In 2004, Saavedra teamed with New York-based actor Michael Shulman
Michael Shulman
Michael Shulman is an American stage, television, film actor and co-owner of New York and Los Angeles-based production company Starry Night Entertainment....
, a recent Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
graduate with whom he worked on Rhapsody In Bloom, to form Starry Night Entertainment.
Saavedra produced and directed the comedy/drama Sherman's Way
Sherman's way
Sherman's Way is a comedy-drama independent film starring James LeGros, Enrico Colantoni, Lacey Chabert, Donna Murphy, Brooke Nevin, and Michael Shulman. The film was directed by Craig Saavedra, written by Thomas R. Nance, and produced by Starry Night Entertainment...
starring James LeGros
James LeGros
James LeGros is an American film and television actor. He is known as a star of independent films with a diversified body of work in the early to mid 1990s.-Personal life:...
, Enrico Colantoni
Enrico Colantoni
Enrico Colantoni is a Canadian actor, probably best known for portraying Elliot DiMauro in the sitcom Just Shoot Me!, Keith Mars on the television series Veronica Mars, and Sergeant Greg Parker on the television series Flashpoint. He has also had supporting roles in such films as The Wrong Guy, ...
, Brooke Nevin
Brooke Nevin
Brooke Candice Nevin is a Canadian actress, best known for portraying Rachel Berenson on the science fiction series Animorphs and currently starring as Julianne "Jules" Simms on Breakout Kings, as well as Sonja Lester on Call Me Fitz...
, Lacey Chabert
Lacey Chabert
Lacey Nicole Chabert is an American actress and voice actress, known for her roles as Claudia Salinger in the television drama Party of Five and as Gretchen Wieners in the movie Mean Girls...
, Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy is an American stage, film, television actress and singer.Murphy has won two Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her roles in Passion as Fosca and in The King and I as Anna Leonowens...
and Michael Shulman
Michael Shulman
Michael Shulman is an American stage, television, film actor and co-owner of New York and Los Angeles-based production company Starry Night Entertainment....
, which won the Audience Award for Best Feature at Cinequest Film Festival 2008, the Audience Award at the Newport International Film Festival
Newport International Film Festival
Newport International Film Festival was an annual film festival in Newport, Rhode Island, established in 1998 .The Newport Film Festival was generally held the first week in June and featured various international films at several local cinemas...
and a Special Jury Award at the Jackson Hole Film Festival. The film was released theatrically in the United States through International Film Circuit.
In 2009, Saavedra made his first foray into producing live theater with the New York premiere of JT Rogers's "White People" Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acting students from New York University, inspired by the...
's Stage 2. The controversial and darkly humorous play about racism in America starred John Dossett
John Dossett
John Dossett is an American actor and singer.-Early life and education:Dossett attended Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington, Delaware from 1972 through 1976, where he was an announcer for the school's radio station, WMPH, and appeared in student theater productions.-Career:Dossett made his...
, Rebecca Brooksher and Michael Shulman
Michael Shulman
Michael Shulman is an American stage, television, film actor and co-owner of New York and Los Angeles-based production company Starry Night Entertainment....
.
In 2010, Saavedra and Shulman associate produced the New York premiere of Craig Wright
Craig Wright
Craig Wright is the name of:*Craig Wright , American playwright, television writer, and producer*Craig Wright , Scottish cricketer*Craig R. Wright, American baseball writer and proponent of sabermetrics...
's Mistakes Were Made Off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre
Barrow Street Theatre
Barrow Street Theatre is an Off Broadway theatre venue located in New York City's historic Greenwich House. Previously home to Drama Dept. the space was leased to Barrow Street Theatre in 2003 and has been home to long-running Off-Broadway hits, Bug by Tracy Letts and Orson's Shadow by Austin...
. The comedy, directed by Dexter Bullard, starred Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Shannon
Michael Shannon (actor)
Michael Corbett Shannon is an American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Revolutionary Road...
as Felix Artifex, a B-list Off-Broadway producer who gets in way over his fast-talking head when he takes on a gargantuan epic about the French Revolution which he thinks is going to be his ticket to professional and personal reclamation. While trying to land a big star for the lead role, he uses all his powers of persuasion, seduction and intimidation to strong-arm the writer into massively rewriting his play.
Personal life
Saavedra currently resides in New York City and Los Angeles, California with his domestic partner of 21 years, cinematographerCinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
Joaquin Sedillo, and their son Josh.
Awards
- Audience Award for Best Feature Sherman's WaySherman's waySherman's Way is a comedy-drama independent film starring James LeGros, Enrico Colantoni, Lacey Chabert, Donna Murphy, Brooke Nevin, and Michael Shulman. The film was directed by Craig Saavedra, written by Thomas R. Nance, and produced by Starry Night Entertainment...
- Cinequest Film Festival 2008 - Audience Award for Best Feature Sherman's WaySherman's waySherman's Way is a comedy-drama independent film starring James LeGros, Enrico Colantoni, Lacey Chabert, Donna Murphy, Brooke Nevin, and Michael Shulman. The film was directed by Craig Saavedra, written by Thomas R. Nance, and produced by Starry Night Entertainment...
- Newport International Film FestivalNewport International Film FestivalNewport International Film Festival was an annual film festival in Newport, Rhode Island, established in 1998 .The Newport Film Festival was generally held the first week in June and featured various international films at several local cinemas...
2008 - Audience Award for Best Feature Sherman's WaySherman's waySherman's Way is a comedy-drama independent film starring James LeGros, Enrico Colantoni, Lacey Chabert, Donna Murphy, Brooke Nevin, and Michael Shulman. The film was directed by Craig Saavedra, written by Thomas R. Nance, and produced by Starry Night Entertainment...
- Gaia Film Festival 2008 - Special Jury Award for Sherman's WaySherman's waySherman's Way is a comedy-drama independent film starring James LeGros, Enrico Colantoni, Lacey Chabert, Donna Murphy, Brooke Nevin, and Michael Shulman. The film was directed by Craig Saavedra, written by Thomas R. Nance, and produced by Starry Night Entertainment...
- Jackson HoleJackson HoleJackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along...
Film Festival 2008 - Addy Award for Heinz Commercial MIDNIGHT SNACK - 2008
- Audience Award for Best Feature RHAPSODY IN BLOOM - Sedona International Film Festival 1999
External links
- Starry Night Entertainment
- Craig Saavedra Filmography New York Tiimes
- Filmography TV Guide Online