Dale Pollock
Encyclopedia
Dale M. Pollock is an American film producer
, writer
and film professor
. A journalist
whose works have been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, Pollock is also the author of a biography of George Lucas
. Pollock has produced thirteen feature films, one of which (Blaze) received an Academy Award nomination for Cinematography. As of 2010, he is a professor of Cinema Studies at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
.
and an M.S. in Communications from San Jose State University
. Pollock is married to violist and fiddle player Susie O’Keeffe Pollock. His children are Owen Pollock, Leo "Milton" Pollock and Zoe Pollock.
in Santa Cruz, CA. Subsequently, he joined the staff of Daily Variety in Los Angeles becoming Film Critic and Box Office Analyst, before moving to the Los Angeles Times
where he became Chief Film Reporter in the Calendar, Business, Metro and Editorial sections. In addition, he has published in Life
, Esquire, People Weekly, and in the Daily Variety AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to George Lucas In 1984, he authored a biography of George Lucas, Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas, which was published in an updated version by Samuel French Trade in 1990 A subsequent updated edition was published in 1999 by Da Capo Press. In 2008 Pollock began writing a monthly audio book column for the Winston Salem Journal. Pollock's essay on the Billy Wilder film Five Graves to Cairo will be included in a new collection of essays on Wilder and his films, to be published by MacFarland Press in early 2011.
, the School of Professional Writing at the University of Southern California
, Salem College
, and the American Film Institute
where he was co-chair of the Producing Program.
During his tenure as dean at the School of Filmmaking, he launched the CinEthics Conference in 2000 and in 2003 brought the RiverRun International Film Festival
from Brevard, NC to Winston-Salem. He served as its Executive Director of the latter until the end of 2006, when he became chairman of the Board of Directors.
, Nightline, and National Public Radio’s Morning Edition
. He has presented workshops on film producing and film ethics and has moderated several panels at major film festivals including Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
, Nashville Film Festival
, Boston Film Festival
and Palm Springs International Film Festival
. Beginning in 2009, Pollock appears bi-weekly on WXII TV as their film critic.
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...
, 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 film professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
. A journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
whose works have been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, Pollock is also the author of a biography of George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
. Pollock has produced thirteen feature films, one of which (Blaze) received an Academy Award nomination for Cinematography. As of 2010, he is a professor of Cinema Studies at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
.
Personal life
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Pollock obtained a B.A. in Anthropology from Brandeis UniversityBrandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
and an M.S. in Communications from San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
. Pollock is married to violist and fiddle player Susie O’Keeffe Pollock. His children are Owen Pollock, Leo "Milton" Pollock and Zoe Pollock.
Writing
An excerpt of Pollock's Master of Science thesis, "The Use of Media in a Political Campaign," was published in 1975 in Daily Variety's 42nd Anniversary Issue. Pollock's entry into journalism was as entertainment editor at the Santa Cruz SentinelSanta Cruz Sentinel
The Santa Cruz Sentinel is a daily newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California, covering Santa Cruz County, California, and owned by MediaNews Group Inc....
in Santa Cruz, CA. Subsequently, he joined the staff of Daily Variety in Los Angeles becoming Film Critic and Box Office Analyst, before moving to the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
where he became Chief Film Reporter in the Calendar, Business, Metro and Editorial sections. In addition, he has published in Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Esquire, People Weekly, and in the Daily Variety AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to George Lucas In 1984, he authored a biography of George Lucas, Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas, which was published in an updated version by Samuel French Trade in 1990 A subsequent updated edition was published in 1999 by Da Capo Press. In 2008 Pollock began writing a monthly audio book column for the Winston Salem Journal. Pollock's essay on the Billy Wilder film Five Graves to Cairo will be included in a new collection of essays on Wilder and his films, to be published by MacFarland Press in early 2011.
Film career
In 1985, Pollock joined The David Geffen Company as a development executive. He joined A&M Films a year later as vice president in charge of production, and was named president in 1990, producing such films as A Midnight Clear, Blaze, and Mrs. Winterbourne. Pollock founded and ran his own film company, Peak Productions, for 10 years, producing Set It Off in 1996, among other films.Teaching
Pollock's career at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, N.C. began in 1999, when he became Dean of the School of Filmmaking. He held the position until 2006, when he became a professor in Cinema Studies. He had previously taught at the Peter Stark Graduate Program at the University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, the School of Professional Writing at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Salem College
Salem College
Salem College is a liberal arts women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina founded in 1772. Originally established as a primary school, it later became an academy and finally a college. It is the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women's college...
, and the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
where he was co-chair of the Producing Program.
During his tenure as dean at the School of Filmmaking, he launched the CinEthics Conference in 2000 and in 2003 brought the RiverRun International Film Festival
RiverRun International Film Festival
The RiverRun International Film Festival is a regional film festival held annually each spring in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The festival is a 5013 non-profit organization and presents a variety of feature-length and short films from all genres, and also presents special events, regional...
from Brevard, NC to Winston-Salem. He served as its Executive Director of the latter until the end of 2006, when he became chairman of the Board of Directors.
Public appearances
Pollock has appeared on several national news programs, including Dateline NBCDateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
, Nightline, and National Public Radio’s Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
. He has presented workshops on film producing and film ethics and has moderated several panels at major film festivals including Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
, Nashville Film Festival
Nashville Film Festival
The Nashville Film Festival , held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2009, Nashville Film Festival received close to 2000 submissions from 86 countries, programmed nearly 260 films and had an attendance...
, Boston Film Festival
Boston Film Festival
Boston Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September....
and Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...
. Beginning in 2009, Pollock appears bi-weekly on WXII TV as their film critic.
Filmography
- BatsBats (film)Bats is a 1999 horror film, directed by Louis Morneau and produced by Destination Films. The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips, Dina Meyer, Bob Gunton and Leon.-Plot:...
(1999) (executive producer) - Meet the DeedlesMeet the DeedlesMeet the Deedles is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Steve Boyum and starring Paul Walker and Steve Van Wormer. It was the first theatrically released film to be produced by DIC Entertainment since 1986 . Its name is a play on the Beatles album Meet The Beatles...
(1998) (producer) - Set It OffSet It OffSet It Off is a 1996 action and crime film directed by F. Gary Gray, and stars Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise , as four close friends in Los Angeles, California who decide to plan and execute a bank robbery...
(1996) (producer) - Mrs. WinterbourneMrs. WinterbourneMrs. Winterbourne is a 1996 romantic comedy/drama starring Shirley MacLaine, Ricki Lake, and Brendan Fraser. The film is loosely based on Cornell Woolrich's novel I Married a Dead Man, which has already been filmed in Hollywood as No Man of Her Own starring Barbara Stanwyck, and in Bollywood as...
(1996) (producer) - S.F.W.S.F.W.S.F.W. is a 1994 film directed by Jefery Levy. It is based on a novel by Andrew Wellman, and stars Stephen Dorff, Jake Busey and Reese Witherspoon, in one of her first lead roles.-Plot:...
(1994) (producer) - A Home of Our Own (1993) (producer)
- House of CardsHouse of Cards (1993 film)House of Cards is a 1993 drama film directed by Michael Lessac and starring Kathleen Turner and Tommy Lee Jones. It follows the struggle of a mother to reconnect with her daughter who has been traumatized by the death of her father. The film premiered at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival before being...
(1993) (producer) - A Midnight ClearA Midnight ClearA Midnight Clear is a 1992 American war film directed by former actor Keith Gordon with an ensemble cast featuring Ethan Hawke, Gary Sinise, Peter Berg, Kevin Dillon, and Arye Gross...
(1992) (producer) - Crooked Hearts (1991) (producer)
- BlazeBlaze (film)Blaze is a 1989 film written and directed by Ron Shelton. Based on the 1974 memoir Blaze Starr: My Life as Told to Huey Perry by Blaze Starr and Huey Perry, the film stars Paul Newman as Earl Long and Lolita Davidovich as Blaze Starr, with Starr herself appearing in a cameo.-Plot:The movie tells...
(1989) (producer) - Worth WinningWorth WinningWorth Winning is a 1989 film starring Mark Harmon and Madeleine Stowe, directed by Will Mackenzie. It was written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott, based on the novel by Dan Lewandowski.- Plot :...
(1989) (producer) - The Mighty Quinn (1989) (producer)
- The Beast of War (1988) (executive producer)