Todd Traina
Encyclopedia
Todd Traina is an American film producer
and the founder of Red Rover Films in 2007. In 2007 Traina was named by Daily Variety as one one of its “10 Producers to Watch.” My Suicide
, a quirky low-budget dark comedy released in 2009 which Traina produced, won a Crystal Bear at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival, among other prizes.
Traina was named to the board of the San Francisco Film Society in 2009.
, a San Francisco socialite, chair of the board of trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and member of many other boards of non-profit organizations. Traina′s stepmother is the romance novelist Danielle Steel
.
Traina′s brother, Trevor, is a technology entrepreneur in San Francisco and a contributor to the online magazine Huffington Post. His late stepbrother is punk/ska musician Nick Traina
.
On his mother′s side of the family, he is descended from Herbert Henry Dow
, the founder of Dow Chemical. Traina has served as an associate on the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation board.
Traina, his mother and grandmother all were graduated from Connecticut College
. He majored in government and minored in English. Traina says he decided to become a producer while an undergraduate, saying “...I knew I didn't want to act or direct. The job of a producer has the right balance between the right and left brain, between the creative and business sides.”
Traina is married to Katie Traina and has a young daughter, Daisy. He commutes between San Francisco and Los Angeles
.
Traina has compared being a producer to being a wedding planner and “the father of the bride in a wedding that lasts a whole year.”
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 the founder of Red Rover Films in 2007. In 2007 Traina was named by Daily Variety as one one of its “10 Producers to Watch.” My Suicide
My Suicide
Archie's Final Project is a teen dramedy feature film directed by David Lee Miller and starring Gabriel Sunday. It won the best feature film prize for the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival's youth film section Generation 14plus...
, a quirky low-budget dark comedy released in 2009 which Traina produced, won a Crystal Bear at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival, among other prizes.
Traina was named to the board of the San Francisco Film Society in 2009.
Personal life
Traina was born on 22 October 1969 in San Francisco, the son of shipping executive and art collector John Traina and Dede WilseyDede Wilsey
Diane B. Wilsey is a San Francisco socialite and philanthropist, the widow of San Francisco businessman Al Wilsey.-Early life:She was born Diane Dow Buchanan in 1944, to Mr. and Mrs. Wiley T. Buchanan, Jr. Her father was, variously, the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg and Austria, as well as the...
, a San Francisco socialite, chair of the board of trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and member of many other boards of non-profit organizations. Traina′s stepmother is the romance novelist Danielle Steel
Danielle Steel
Danielle Fernandes Dominique Schuelein-Steel , better known as Danielle Steel, is an American romantic novelist and author of mainstream dramas....
.
Traina′s brother, Trevor, is a technology entrepreneur in San Francisco and a contributor to the online magazine Huffington Post. His late stepbrother is punk/ska musician Nick Traina
Nick Traina
Nicholas John Steel Traina was an American singer, who was lead singer for the punk band Link 80.- Early life :...
.
On his mother′s side of the family, he is descended from Herbert Henry Dow
Herbert Henry Dow
Herbert Henry Dow was a Canadian born, American chemical industrialist. He is a graduate of Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, Ohio. His most significant achievement was the founding of the Dow Chemical Company in 1897...
, the founder of Dow Chemical. Traina has served as an associate on the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation board.
Traina, his mother and grandmother all were graduated from Connecticut College
Connecticut College
Connecticut College is a private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut.The college was founded in 1911, as Connecticut College for Women, in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women...
. He majored in government and minored in English. Traina says he decided to become a producer while an undergraduate, saying “...I knew I didn't want to act or direct. The job of a producer has the right balance between the right and left brain, between the creative and business sides.”
Traina is married to Katie Traina and has a young daughter, Daisy. He commutes between San Francisco and Los Angeles
Los 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...
.
Film career
Fresh from college, Traina began his career in the film industry in 1991 as a production assistant on television movie-of-the-week adaptations of his stepmother′s novels. He turned independent producer two years later. His very first complete film was Stanley′s Gig, which he sold to the Starz Network and was finally released in 2000.Traina has compared being a producer to being a wedding planner and “the father of the bride in a wedding that lasts a whole year.”
Films
Traina has served as producer, co-producer or executive producer on the following films:- Morning (2010)
- The RomanticsThe Romantics (film)The Romantics is a 2010 romantic comedy film based on the novel of the same name by Galt Niederhoffer, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film.-Plot:...
(2010) - Black Water TransitBlack Water TransitBlack Water Transit is a 2009 crime drama film based on the novel of the same name by Carsten Stroud. It is directed by Tony Kaye and stars an ensemble cast including Laurence Fishburne and Karl Urban...
(2009) - Night TrainNight Train (2009 film)Night Train is a 2009 action/thriller film produced by Rifkin-Eberts Productions and stars Leelee Sobieski, Steve Zahn, Matthias Schweighöfer and Danny Glover...
(2009) - Blood and BoneBlood and BoneBlood and Bone is a 2009 American direct-to-DVD martial arts film directed by Ben Ramsey and written by Michael Andrews. The film stars Michael Jai White, Eamonn Walker and Julian Sands, and features martial artist Matt Mullins and MMA fighters Bob Sapp, Kimbo Slice, Maurice Smith, Gina Carano and...
(2009) - My SuicideMy SuicideArchie's Final Project is a teen dramedy feature film directed by David Lee Miller and starring Gabriel Sunday. It won the best feature film prize for the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival's youth film section Generation 14plus...
(2009)) - Stag Night (2008)
- Timber FallsTimber FallsTimber Falls is a 2007 horror-thriller film with elements of a slasher film directed by Tony Giglio, it stars Josh Randall and Brianna Brown.It is a R-Rated film for strong bloody horror violence, torture, language and some sexuality.- Plot :...
(2007) - What We Do Is Secret (2007)
- Punk′s Not Dead (2007)
- Grace Is Gone (2007)
- Skeleton Woman (2000)
- Stanley′s Gig (2000)
- Life Sold Separately (1997)
External links
- Red Rover Films
- Todd Traina at Internet Movie Database
- Todd Traina′s Facebook page
- 2007 interview of Todd Traina on Keehn on Art radio show on 960, The Quake, discussing punk rock