Nicholas Simon

Last updated

Nicholas Simon
Born (1969-03-21) 21 March 1969 (age 55)
Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationFilm producer
Years active1995 - present
Spouse
  • Shawn Simon
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2005;div. 2022)​
Children1

Nicholas Andrew Simon, (born 21 March 1969) known professionally as Nicholas Simon, is a Hungarian-American film producer born in Rockford, Illinois, now currently residing in Bangkok, Thailand. [1] He has been producing feature films, TV series, and commercials in Southeast Asia for two and a half decades. For his work on City of Ghosts , A Prayer Before Dawn , Kong: Skull Island , Avengers: Infinity War , Simon has gained the title of “Hollywood’s man in Southeast Asia.” [2]

Contents

Simon is known for being the founder and managing partner of two production companies, Indochina Productions and Studio Muso.

Early life and education

An American-Hungarian dual national, [1] Simon was born in Rockford, Illinois, and lived on a farm before moving with his family to Beloit, Wisconsin, at the age of three. [2] He attended high school at Phillips Academy, graduating in 1987, before obtaining a B.A. at Columbia University in 1992, specializing in Asia. [3] [4]

Simon was also an active cycler, participating in the 1985 USCF Junior National Championships, the Phillips Academy Varsity Team from 1986 to 1987, and the Columbia University Team from 1991 to 1993. [5]

In 2020, he acquired the certificate of completion for Stanford University's “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” program.

Career

Simon arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, via New York City in 1993 with the intent of becoming a journalist. However, he quickly realized he didn't enjoy writing and sought out other jobs. [2] Simon eventually met the producers of Trần Anh Hùng’s Cyclo and helped out on the film in an informal capacity. In the following year, he founded Sud-Est Productions, a production company based in Vietnam. During his time, he serviced production for and co-produced numerous films, the most notable being Matt Dillon’s City of Ghosts . He sold Sud-Est Productions in 2003, and it is now a fully Vietnamese company. [2] [3]

While working as an independent industry consultant, Simon moved to Bangkok with his wife and daughter in 2009. [1] In 2010, he founded Indochina Productions, which provides production services for projects in Southeast Asia. The company initially provided support for Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, but now provides production services in 14 territories throughout Asia. [2] [6] It has since been dubbed by the NYFA as “the only company in Southeast Asia to produce and service big-budget Hollywood studio films and Fortune 500 advertising commercial needs.” [7]

Simon has been the line producer for Indochina Productions on several major feature films, such as Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and Sam Hargrave’s Extraction , and the executive producer for Indochina Productions on Hong Khaou’s Monsoon and Daniel Roby’s Target Number One . [8] He is also known for his work as a line producer on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame as well as on Kong: Skull Island . [9] [10] [11] Upcoming projects include adapting Jon Swain’s River of Time with Lawrence Osborne as the screenplay writer for a feature film, [12] as well as Lawrence Osborne’s own Hunters in the Dark for the big screen. [13] [14] [15]

Simon has been on the board of Luang Prabang Film Festival since 2012 and a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Production Guild UK since 2015. [1] [16] [17]

In 2020, Simon also founded another production company, Studio Muso. [18]

He has been a jurist and panelist at several industry events since 2003. [19] [20] He has also written op-eds for the Thai Enquirer. [21] [22]

Filmography

YearFilmDirectorRole
1995 Cyclo Trần Anh Hùng Post-Production Producer/Special Thanks
1997Distant SkiesThierry ChabertLine Producer, Vietnam
2000 The Vertical Ray of the Sun Trần Anh Hùng Line Producer
2003 City of Ghosts Matt Dillon Associate Producer
2003 Step into Liquid Dana Brown Line Producer, Vietnam
2003 What Alice Found A. Dean Bell Executive Producer (uncredited) [23]
2004 The Beautiful Country Hans Petter Moland Line Producer, Vietnam
2005Rx Ariel Vromen Producer
2010Ultrasuede: In Search of HalstonWhitney Sudler-SmithProducer
2010 The Best and the Brightest Josh ShelovProducer
2011 Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon Michael Bay Line Producer, Cambodia
2012 Act of Valor Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh Line Producer, Cambodia
2015 Pan Joe Wright Line Producer, Vietnam VFX Unit
2015Kenzhe Ermek Tursunov Line Producer, Thailand
2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron Joss Whedon/Scott Mahaffie (Second unit)Line Producer, Bangladesh
2017Lima Neill Blomkamp Line Producer, Thailand
2017 Kong: Skull Island Jordan Vogt-Roberts Line Producer, Vietnam
2017 A Prayer Before Dawn Jean-Stephane SauvaireProducer
2017/ON HOLD [24] Hue 1968 Michael Mann [25] Co-Producer, Thailand and Vietnam
2018 Avengers: Infinity War Russo Brothers Line Producer and Aerial Unit, The Philippines
2018 Les Confins Du Monde Guillaume Nicloux Co-Producer and Line Producer
2019 Buoyancy Rodd Rathjen Production Consultant, Cambodia
2019 Avengers: Endgame Russo Brothers Line Producer and Aerial Unit, the Philippines
2019 Monsoon Hong Khaou Executive for Indochina Productions, Vietnam
2020 Extraction Sam Hargrave Line Producer for Indochina Productions, Thailand and Bangladesh
2020 Da 5 Bloods Spike Lee Line Producer for Indochina Productions, Vietnam
2020 Target Number One Daniel Roby Executive for Indochina Productions, Thailand
2020 Penguin Bloom Glendyn IvinExecutive for Indochina Productions
2021 Finding 'Ohana Jude Weng Line Producer for Indochina Productions, Thailand
2021 Hunters in the Dark Simon EvanCo-Producer
2021River of TimeTBATBA
2023

(upcoming)

The Symphatizer Park Chan-Wook Co-Producer
2023 The Creator Gareth Edwards Co-Producer
2023Deane's DynastyPatrick CarrProducer, Co-Creator
2023 Meg 2 Ben Wheatley Line Producer
2023Mandalorian Jon Favreau Line Producer, Vietnam - Plate Unit

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laos</span> Country in Southeast Asia

Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. Its capital and most populous city is Vientiane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast Asia</span> Subregion of the Asian continent

Southeast Asia is the geographical southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Australian mainland, which is part of Oceania. Southeast Asia is bordered to the north by East Asia, to the west by South Asia and the Bay of Bengal, to the east by Oceania and the Pacific Ocean, and to the south by Australia and the Indian Ocean. Apart from the British Indian Ocean Territory and two out of 26 atolls of the Maldives in South Asia, Maritime Southeast Asia is the only other subregion of Asia that lies partly within the Southern Hemisphere. Mainland Southeast Asia is entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. East Timor and the southern portion of Indonesia are the parts of Southeast Asia that lie south of the equator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French protectorate of Laos</span> 1893–1953 French protectorate in Southeast Asia

The French protectorate of Laos was a French protectorate in Southeast Asia of what is today Laos between 1893 and 1953—with a brief interregnum as a Japanese puppet state in 1945—which constituted part of French Indochina. It was established over the Siamese vassal, the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, following the Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893. It was integrated into French Indochina and in the following years further Siamese vassals, the Principality of Phuan and Kingdom of Champasak, were annexed into it in 1899 and 1904, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast Asian cinema</span>

Southeast Asian cinema is the film industry and films produced in, or by natives of Southeast Asia. It includes any films produced in Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The majority of the films made in this region came from the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia where its filmmaking industries in these countries are already well-established with film directors such as Lino Brocka, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Joko Anwar are well-known outside of the region. Notable production studios in Southeast Asia include Star Cinema, Viva Films, TBA Studios and Reality Entertainment in the Philippines, GDH 559 and Sahamongkol Film International in Thailand, Rapi Films in Indonesia, Astro Shaw in Malaysia, Encore Films in Singapore, and Studio 68 in Vietnam

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auguste Pavie</span> French colonial civil servant, explorer and diplomat

Auguste Jean-Marie Pavie was a French colonial civil servant, explorer and diplomat who was instrumental in establishing French control over Laos in the last two decades of the 19th century. After a long career in Cambodia and Cochinchina, Pavie became the first French vice-consul in Luang Prabang in 1886, eventually becoming the first Governor-General and plenipotentiary minister of the newly formed French colony of Laos.

The Japanese occupation of Cambodia was the period of Cambodian history during World War II when the Kingdom of Cambodia was occupied by the Japanese. Vichy France, which was a client state of Nazi Germany, nominally maintained the French protectorate over Cambodia and other parts of Indochina during most of the Japanese occupation. This territory of Cambodia was reduced, by concessions to Thailand after the Franco-Thai War, so that it did not include Stung Treng Province, Battambang Province, and Siem Reap Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thrill (TV channel)</span> Southeast Asian pay TV channel

Thrill is a Southeast Asian pay television channel focusing on the horror, thriller, suspense and supernatural fiction genres. It primarily airs imports from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russo brothers</span> American film and television director duo

Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo, collectively known as the Russo brothers, are American filmmakers. They direct most of their work together. They are best known for directing four films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Endgame grossed over $2.798 billion worldwide, briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time.

<i>Avengers: Infinity War</i> 2018 Marvel Studios film

Avengers: Infinity War is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldaña, Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt. In the film, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy attempt to stop Thanos from collecting the six powerful Infinity Stones as part of his quest to kill half of all life in the universe.

<i>Avengers: Endgame</i> 2019 Marvel Studios film

Avengers: Endgame is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In the film, the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse Thanos's actions in Infinity War which erased half of all life in the universe.

Production of <i>Avengers: Infinity War</i> and <i>Avengers: Endgame</i>

Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are American superhero films based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. They are the sequels to The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and respectively serve as the 19th and 22nd films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Both films were directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from screenplays by the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They feature an ensemble cast composed of many previous MCU actors, headlined by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In Infinity War, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy fail to prevent Thanos from collecting the six all-powerful Infinity Stones and he uses them to kill half of all life in the universe. In Endgame, the surviving Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse Thanos's actions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mekong expedition of 1866–1868</span> French exploration of the Mekong River

The Mekong expedition of 1866–1868, conceived and promoted by a group of French colonial officers and launched under the leadership of captain Ernest Doudard de Lagrée, was a naval exploration and scientific expedition of the Mekong River on behalf of the French colonial authorities of Cochinchina. Its primary objective, besides scientific documentation, mapping, and the mission civilisatrice, was an assessment of the river's navigability in order to link the delta region and the port of Saigon with the riches of southern China and upper Siam. Ambitions were to turn Saigon into a successful commercial center such as British controlled Shanghai at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Francesco Panzieri is an Italian-American visual effects compositing supervisor and digital artist. He has worked on the films of J. J. Abrams, James Mangold, Denis Villeneuve and Todd Phillips, among others.

<i>Loki</i> (TV series) 2021 Marvel Studios television series

Loki is an American television series created by Michael Waldron for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name. It is the third television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The series takes place after the events of the film Avengers: Endgame (2019), in which an alternate version of Loki created a new timeline. Waldron served as head writer and Kate Herron directed the first season, with Eric Martin and the duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead serving as head writer and leading the directing team for the second season, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Three</span> 2016–2019 group of superhero films

Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The phase began in 2016 with the release of Captain America: Civil War and concluded in 2019 with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home. It includes the crossover films Avengers: Infinity War, released in 2018, and its sequel Avengers: Endgame, released in 2019. Kevin Feige produced every film in the phase, alongside Amy Pascal for Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Stephen Broussard for Ant-Man and the Wasp. The eleven films of the phase grossed over US$13.5 billion at the global box office and received generally positive critical and public response. Upon release, Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time.

The Luang Prabang Film Festival (LPFF) is a non-profit organization that provides a platform for showcasing Southeast Asia’s film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe)</span> Superhero team in media franchise

The Avengers are a team of fictional superheroes and the protagonists of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963. Founded by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, the team is a United States–based organization composed primarily of superpowered and gifted individuals, described as "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", who are committed to the world's protection from a variety of threats. The Avengers are depicted as operating in the state of New York: originally from the Avengers Tower in Midtown Manhattan and subsequently in the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York. Arranged as an ensemble of core MCU characters originally consisting of Tony Stark / Iron Man, Steve Rogers / Captain America, Thor Odinson, Bruce Banner / Hulk, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Clint Barton / Hawkeye, it later expands to include 16 total members. Regarded as an important part of the franchise, they are central to the MCU's first 23 films, collectively known as the Infinity Saga. The Avengers from alternate universes were depicted in subsequent MCU properties across the Multiverse Saga, including appearances in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021–present) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). A new incarnation of the Avengers are set to return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Both films will be part of the MCU's Phase Six, concluding the Multiverse Saga.

Cinema in Laos emerged later than in nearby Vietnam and Cambodia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Nicholas Simon". Thailand Tatler. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Brzeski, Patrick (18 May 2015). "Cannes: IndoChina Head Talks 'A Prayer Before Dawn' and Shooting in Southeast Asia". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 Fox, Peter (Spring 2021). "A Time Like No Other: Nicholas Simon's Indochina Productions Quietly Yet Boldly Leads The Industry Through Its Most Challenging Period". Venü Magazine. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "Nicholas Simon". LinkedIn. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  5. ↑ Leddin, Adam (2012). "VIGO CYCLES CX 002". The Spoken. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "Home". Indochina Productions. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY (NYFA) WELCOMES CEO OF INDOCHINA PRODUCTIONS AND PRODUCER NICHOLAS SIMON FOR LIZ HINLEIN'S 'THE 20/20 SERIES'". NYFA. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "Our Work". Indochina Productions. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Vu Van Viet (4 April 2016). "Kong: Skull Island: the art of filming to a Vietnamese backdrop". VN Express. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "PH's Banaue Rice Terraces featured in 'Avengers: Infinity War'". Coconuts Manila. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Uy, Jerald (26 April 2018). "Spoiler warning: 'Avengers: Infinity War' features a PH tourist spot". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  12. ↑ Brzeski, Patrick (24 June 2020). "Novelist Lawrence Osborne to Script Film Adaptation of Cult War Memoir 'River of Time'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  13. ↑ Flynn, Gerald (8 November 2019). "Film adaptation of Hunters in the Dark to start shooting in Cambodia next year". Capital Cambodia. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  14. ↑ Ritman, Alex (9 November 2019). "AFM: Alex Pettyfer to Lead 'Hunters in the Dark' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  15. ↑ Brzeski, Patrick (21 February 2020). "Berlin: Lawrence Osborne Thriller 'Hunters in the Dark' Fills Out Cast (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  16. ↑ "About". Luang Prabang Film Festival. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "The Team". Indochina Productions. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  18. ↑ "Our Team". Studio Muso. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  19. ↑ "SIP Judges". Greater Philadelphia Film Office. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  20. ↑ "BKK DOC International Jury". BKK DOC. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  21. ↑ Simon, Nicholas (3 July 2020). "Opinion: Destroying Scala is destroying past hopes and future dreams". Thai Enquirer. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  22. ↑ Simon, Nicholas (9 December 2020). "Thailand must take steps to attract foreign film productions or lose them to regional rivals". Thai Enquirer. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  23. ↑ "Nicholas Simon". IMDb. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  24. ↑ "Author Mark Bowden Revisits the True Story of 'Black Hawk Down'". Military.com. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  25. ↑ Fleming, Mike (6 July 2017). "FX To Turn Mark Bowden Tet Offensive Chronicle 'Hue 1968' Into Limited Series; Michael Mann & Michael De Luca Producing". Deadline. Retrieved 30 March 2021.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.