Oren Koules

Last updated
Oren Koules
Born (1961-01-31) January 31, 1961 (age 63)
La Grange Park, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s) Entrepreneur, film producer, professional sports executive
Spouse Shereen Arazm

Oren Koules (born January 31, 1961) [1] is an American entrepreneur and film producer. He is the co-founder of Evolution Entertainment and produced the Saw film series as well as the CBS television series Two and a Half Men . [2] Koules is also the former owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Helena Bighorns. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Early life

Koules was born and raised in La Grange Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. [1] As a child, he took figure skating lessons where he developed an interest in playing ice hockey, later dropping out of high school to pursue a career as a professional hockey player.

Career

Early career; hockey and commodities

Koules competed in the Western Hockey League from 1979 to 1982. During his career he played for six different teams, including the Medicine Hat Tigers, Portland Winter Hawks, Brandon Wheat Kings, and Spokane Flyers. [6] His final year he played for the Hampton Roads Gulls, Virginia Raiders, and Saginaw Gears. His best year was in 1980 with the Spokane Flyers when he scored 28 goals with 45 assists for a total of 73 points. [1]

Koules was not drafted by an NHL team, but he attended two tryout camps for his hometown Chicago Blackhawks. [7] After his hockey career, Koules became a commodities trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 1983. [6] He was one of the youngest members on the floor and eventually purchased a full membership to the Exchange. He sold his seat and left the exchange in good standing in 1991. [8]

Film career and sports

Upon arriving in Hollywood, Koules was introduced to former Los Angeles Times reporter, Dale Pollock, and the two formed Peak Productions soon after. Together, they produced films like Mrs. Winterbourne and Set It Off . The early success of Peak Productions led Koules to a job as the Senior Vice President of Production at Paramount Pictures. [6] In 1998, Koules founded Evolution Entertainment along with film producer Mark Burg, with their first major production being the 2002 thriller film John Q. starring Denzel Washington. [6] In 2001, Koules became the owner of the Helena Bighorns, a Junior A hockey team, also purchasing the Helena Ice Area. [7] [9]

In 2003, Koules and Mark Burg saw a seven-minute teaser of a film written by Australian screenwriters, Leigh Whannell and James Wan, and agreed to produce the film. The film would later become the original Saw film that was released in 2004. [2] The budget for the film was $1.2 million with $1 million of the funding coming direct from Koules and Burg. Production was done under a newly formed subsidiary of Evolution Entertainment called Twisted Pictures. The film turned in the Saw franchise with the sequel released in 2005 and the franchise making $420 million at the box office by 2007. [6] Evolution Entertainment was also responsible for the production of Two and a Half Men starting in 2003. [2]

In 2007, Koules started his pursuit to purchase the Tampa Bay Lightning from Palace Sports and Entertainment. [10] In 2008, he agreed to purchase the team through OK Hockey LLC, an investment group he controlled, for $206 million. [11] [12] The group sold the team to Jeffrey Vinik, a minority owner in the Boston Red Sox, for $160 million in 2010. [13]

In June 2011, Koules sold his ownership in Evolution Entertainment, but continued to own and oversee the Saw franchise and Two and a Half Men. [14] The Saw franchise has grossed more than $1 billion from box office and retail sales as of 2021. [15]

Koules produced the 2021 horror film Spiral: From the Book of Saw , a spin-off and the ninth installment of the Saw film series. [16] He also produced the 2023 horror film Saw X which served as both a direct sequel to Saw (2004) and a prequel to Saw II (2005). [17] Koules partnered with his son Miles Koules in 2022 to form the film production company Koules Productions. [18] He signed a multi-picture deal with Republic Pictures through Twisted Pictures in 2024. The first film, Trust, began production by both Oren and Miles in 2024. [19] [20]

Personal life

Koules married talent agent Risa Shapiro in 1994. They had one son, Miles, in that same year. [6] Miles Koules is currently a professional ice hockey player, playing for the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL (Columbus Blue Jackets). [21] Koules and Shapiro separated in 2005 and eventually divorced in 2007. [22] In 2008, Koules married Shereen Arazm, a businesswoman and restaurateur. They met by happenstance on a flight from Toronto, where Arazm is originally from, to Los Angeles where Koules was filming Saw II. [23] The pair have two daughters together, Sam and Neve. [24]

Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

YearFilmCreditNotes
1996 Mrs. Winterbourne
Set It Off
1999 Black and White Executive producer
2000 Lockdown
2001 Good Advice
Diary of a Sex Addict Direct-to-video
2002 Run Ronnie Run!
John Q.
MalevolentExecutive producer
2003 Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
Love Don't Cost a Thing Executive producer
2004 Saw
2005 Saw II
2006 Saw III
2007 Dead Silence
Catacombs
Saw IV
2008 Repo! The Genetic Opera
Saw V
VlogExecutive producer
2009 Saw VI
2010 Lottery Ticket
The Tortured
Saw 3D
2013 Jake Squared Executive producer
2017 Jigsaw
2021 Spiral: From the Book of Saw
2023 Saw X
As an actor
YearFilmRoleNotes
2004 Saw Dead CellmateUncredited
2007 Saw IV The Man
Thanks
YearFilmRole
TBA
He Helped Me: A Fan Film from the Book of SawSpecial thanks

Television

YearTitleCreditNotes
2003The Three AmigosDocumentary
2004 The Casino
2005−06 Love, Inc. Executive producer
2008VlogExecutive producer
2003−12 Two and a Half Men Executive producer

Awards and recognition

Koules has been nominated and won numerous awards. He received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his work on Two and a Half Men and won both a TV Land Award for his work on the same and a ShoWest Award for his work on the Saw film series .

Primetime Emmy Awards

YearCategoryNominated workResultRef.
2006 Outstanding Comedy Series Two and a Half Men Nominated [25]
2007 Nominated [26]
2008 Nominated [27]

TV Land Awards

YearCategoryNominated workResultRef.
2009 TV Land Future Classic Award Two and a Half Men Won [28]

ShowWest Awards

YearCategoryNominated workResultRef.
2007 ShoWest Award of Excellence in Producing Saw film series Won [29]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Oren Koules". www.hockeydb.com. The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Lidz, Franz (21 October 2009). "Limbs Pile Up, and Money, Too". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Reitz, Matt (17 August 2011). "Oren Koules contemplates future NHL ownership while son participates in Research and Development Camp". NBC Sports . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  4. ↑ Shockley, Troy (10 June 2014). "Bighorns' Cunningham resigns coaching position". Independent Record . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Helena Bighorns announce new ownership". NA3HL. May 18, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Barry, John (19 August 2007). "In Lightning trio, he's Mr. Hollywood". Tampa Bay Times . Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  7. 1 2 "A miracle brings hockey to Helena". Independent Record . 29 August 2001. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "2009-10 Lightning Media Guide" (PDF). SB Nation. 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Mendyke, Thomas (15 November 2002). "Bighorns making a splash in Helena". Independent Record . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  10. ↑ Barancik, Scott (8 August 2007). "New Lightning owners take risks in careers, sports". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "NHL must still approve sale of Lightning to producer". ESPN. 13 February 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Goodall, Fred (24 June 2008). "Lightning Will Introduce New Coach Today". The Ledger . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Sale of Lightning to Vinik complete". ESPN. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  14. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (23 June 2011). "Evolution's Mark Burg Cashes Out Oren Koules, Names Mike Menchel President". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  15. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (23 May 2021). "'Spiral' Pushes 'Saw' Franchise Past $1 Billion at Global Box Office". Variety. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  16. ↑ Ferme, Antonio. "21 Savage Drops 'Saw'-Inspired Video for 'Spiral': A Look Behind the Scenes". Variety.
  17. ↑ Whitaker, Richard. "The Jigsaw Is Family: Saw X Producers Explain What Makes a Saw Movie". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  18. ↑ Grobar, Matt. "Former Pro Hockey Player Miles Koules Launches Koulest Productions, Will Develop 'Ski Weekend' Thriller With Oren Koules". Deadline.
  19. ↑ Grobar, Matt. "Katey Sagal, Billy Campbell & Rhys Coiro Among Additions To Sophie Turner Thriller 'Trust'". Deadline.
  20. ↑ Galluppo, Maria. "Sophie Turner to Star in Thriller 'Trust' for Republic Pictures (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  21. ↑ Sepich, Scott (9 February 2015). "Winterhawks' Miles Koules 'loving it' in Portland, hoping his pro hockey dream has Hollywood ending". The Oregonian . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  22. ↑ Horn, John (25 June 2007). "Split of Hollywood couple unfolds like a horror film". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  23. ↑ Nelson, Steffie (20 June 2007). "Clubland Empire". LA Weekly . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  24. ↑ Consiglio, Alex (3 June 2013). "Top Chef Canada judge Shereen Arazm Koules always makes it home for dinner". Toronto Star . Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  25. ↑ Weisman, John. "Comedy Series". Variety.
  26. ↑ "Emmys produces names". The Hollywood Reporter.
  27. ↑ Appelo, Tim. "'Two and a Half Men': 5 Reasons the Show Won't Try for a Best Comedy Emmy". The Hollywood Reporter.
  28. ↑ "The Seventh Annual TV Land Awards to Honor 'M*A*S*H,' 'Married with Children,' 'Home Improvement,' 'Magnum P.I.,' 'Knots Landing' and 'Two and a Half Men' Among Others". Paramount.
  29. ↑ Kilday, Gregg. "Burg and Koules to get ShoWest producing nod". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
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