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William Vito Pollina (born June 25, 1961) is an American film and television writer, producer [2] and director.
Pollina was born in Harvey, Illinois to Italian immigrants from Sicily. He studied theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA). Pollina was a theater fan, and would promote concerts and plays at an early age. His first film role was a bit part in Richard Rush's slapstick cop drama Freebie and the Bean .
After high school in San Mateo, CA., Pollina moved to Los Angeles where he worked various jobs pursuing an acting career, and eventually moved into production work. One of his first jobs was working with children's television producers Sid and Marty Krofft.
During the 1980s and 1990s, he ran a film and television marketing company called Optical Nerve. Beyond writing, producing and directing hundreds of trailers and TV spots, Pollina designed and created the first DVD interactive menu for home video specialist Warren Lieberfarb at Warner Home Video, for Clint Eastwood's Academy Award winning film Unforgiven .
Pollina was President of Optical Nerve when it served as one of Fox Sports Net's marketing companies during FSN's initial launch. He left marketing to pursue television and film development in 2000 and teamed with several television writers to produce award-winning short films such as 2002's Mackenheim. [3]
His first film success was with 2004's You Got Served , a film about street dance battling and B-boying. The film opened at No. 1 at the box office and received two MTV Movie Award nominations.
In addition to his work in film and television, Billy Pollina has been an activist for LGBTQ rights since the 1980s and the onset of the AIDS crisis. He served as marketing director for The Courage Campaign and was one of the founding organizers for The National Equality March in Washington D.C. in 2009. [4]
Pollina has never been married and spends his time in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York.
Charles Stuart Kaufman is an American screenwriter, producer, director and novelist. He wrote the films Being John Malkovich (1999), Adaptation (2002), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). He made his directorial debut with Synecdoche, New York (2008), which film critic Roger Ebert called "the best movie of the decade" in 2009. Further directorial work include the stop motion animated film Anomalisa (2015) and the upcoming I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020).
Garry Kent Marshall was an American film director, film producer, screenwriter, and actor who is best known for creating Happy Days and its various spin-offs, developing Neil Simon's 1965 play The Odd Couple for television, and directing Pretty Woman, Beaches, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, The Princess Diaries, and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
Charles Edward Durning was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays. Durning's best-known films include The Sting (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), True Confessions (1981), Tootsie (1982), Dick Tracy (1990) and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not to Be (1983). Prior to his acting career, Durning served in World War II and was decorated for valor in combat.
You Got Served is a 2004 American dance comedy-drama film written and directed by Chris Stokes, who was also the business manager of the performers who were film's main characters: recording artist Marques Houston and the boy band B2K. The plot follows a group of dancers, who take part in a street dancing competition. You Got Served was produced by Marcus Morton, Cassius Vernon Weathersby, Billy Pollina, and Kris Cruz Toledo, and filming took place Between May 1, 2003, and June 25, 2003. The Columbia Pictures division Screen Gems released the film on January 30, 2004—the weekend of Super Bowl XXXVIII. It opened at #1 at the box office during its opening weekend, and grossed $16 million in its first week. It has gained a cult following. Houston and co-star Omarion later starred in the 2004 film Fat Albert.
Wade Jeremy William Robson is an Australian dancer and choreographer. He began performing as a dancer at age five, and has directed music videos and world tours for pop artists such as NSYNC and Britney Spears. Robson was the host and executive producer for The Wade Robson Project, which aired on MTV in 2003. In 2007, he joined the Fox television dance series So You Think You Can Dance as a judge and choreographer.
Allan Carr was an American producer and manager of stage for the screen. Carr was nominated for numerous awards, winning a Tony Award and two People's Choice Awards, and was named Producer of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners.
Walter E. Grauman was an American director of stage shows, films and television shows.
Brian Thomas Grazer is an American film / television producer and, occasionally, a screenwriter. He co-founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986, with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $13 billion. The movies include four for which Grazer was personally nominated for an Academy Award: Splash (1984), Apollo 13 (1995), A Beautiful Mind (2001), and Frost/Nixon (2008). His films and TV series have been nominated for 43 Academy Awards and 187 Emmys.
Moctesuma Esparza is a Mexican-American producer, entertainment executive, entrepreneur and community activist. Moctezuma Esparza is well known for his contributions to the movie industry and commitment to creating opportunities for Latinos everywhere. He is the CEO of Maya Cinemas, a theater chain catering to the United States Latino audience. He is also a partner with Robert Katz in the company Esparza/Katz Productions. Moctezuma founded Maya Entertainment in 2007, a vertically integrated media content company providing full service motion picture distribution and production.
Adam Michael Shankman is an American film director, producer, dancer, author, actor, and choreographer. He was a judge on seasons 3–10 of the television program So You Think You Can Dance. He began his professional career in musical theater, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson. Shankman has choreographed dozens of films and directed several feature-length films, including A Walk to Remember, Bringing Down the House, The Pacifier and the 2007 remake of Hairspray.
Lauren Diane Shuler Donner is an American film producer, who specializes in mainstream youth and family-oriented entertainment. She owns The Donners' Company with her husband, director Richard Donner. Her films have grossed about $4.5 billion worldwide, mostly due to the X-Men film series.
Brian L. Friedman is an American dancer and choreographer.
Walter C. Pfister, ASC is an American cinematographer and director, who is best known for his work with Christopher Nolan. Pfister won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Inception (2010). Pfister is also known for his work on director F. Gary Gray's The Italian Job and Bennett Miller's Moneyball. Pfister made his directorial debut with Transcendence (2014), through Alcon Entertainment. He has also directed commercials and television, including episodes of Flaked and The Tick.
Masayori "Masi" Oka is an American actor, producer, and digital effects artist who became widely known for his role on NBC's Heroes as Hiro Nakamura and in CBS's Hawaii Five-0 as Doctor Max Bergman.
David Holman is a former television producer and executive who worked in New York and Los Angeles. In his six years working for Jim Henson and the Muppets, he helped launch the original The Muppet Show in 1975, and worked on Sesame Street, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Special, and The Muppet Movie. He later produced and managed dozens of productions, including several thousand individual shows from daytime soap operas to primetime shows such as Mad About You, and late night shows such as The Dick Cavett Show. He won an Emmy Award for his work at ABC Sports on the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. He currently develops screenplays.
Christopher Lloyd is an American TV screenwriter and producer. Lloyd is co-creator and executive producer of the TV series Modern Family, which he produces with Steven Levitan. Prior to that, Lloyd had an extensive career on many series, primarily Frasier. He has won 12 Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on Modern Family and Frasier. He holds the record for winning the most Primetime Emmy awards as either a comedy or drama series producer.
Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong, MD is an American actor, comedian, producer, writer, television personality, and a licensed physician. He has appeared in Knocked Up (2007), Role Models (2008), Community (2009–2015), The Hangover film series (2009-2013), Furry Vengeance (2010), Ride Along 2 (2016), and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). Jeong was the lead in the ABC sitcom Dr. Ken (2015-2017), of which he is also the creator and for which he was a writer and executive producer.
James Huang is an American film and television actor and producer/director.
Samantha Jo "Mandy" Moore is an American choreographer, dancer, producer, and dance instructor. She is known for her work on the United States reality television series So You Think You Can Dance, having appeared on the show every year since the third season, and Dancing with the Stars. She choreographed the 2016 film La La Land and has also worked on stage musicals and commercials. She has created dance numbers for the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, and Grammy Awards ceremonies. She has been nominated seven times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography, winning in 2017 for her work on Dancing with the Stars and in 2018 for her work on So You Think You Can Dance.
Dustin Lance Black is an American screenwriter, director, film and television producer, and LGBT rights activist. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the biopic Milk (2008).
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