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Stephanie Allain (born October 30, 1959) [1] is an American film producer.
She began her film career in 1985 at Creative Artists Agency, first as a script reader, then as a staff reader. As a story analyst, she worked for 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., and finally in 1989, at Columbia Pictures. There, Allain was one of twelve readers at the studio, and one of only two African-American readers. She rose through the ranks to become Senior Vice President of Production and was influential in encouraging and developing an African-American filmmaking community in Hollywood in the 1990s.
During her tenure at Columbia, Allain launched the careers of several young filmmakers including John Singleton, Robert Rodriguez and Darnell Martin. She personally pitched to Columbia's executives Singleton's Boyz n the Hood (1991). The controversial film would become a critical and commercial hit, garnering Singleton two Academy Award nominations. Among the films under her supervision were Poetic Justice (1993), I Like It Like That (1994), and The Craft (1996).
In 1996, Allain left Columbia Pictures to become President of Jim Henson Pictures. During her 4 years there, she produced Caroline Thompson's Buddy , as well as Henson brand movies, Muppets from Space and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland . After her stint at Henson, Allain joined 3Arts Entertainment, where she developed projects for clients and produced Reggie Rock Bythewood's Biker Boyz .
In 2003, Allain sold her house and founded Homegrown Films. Teaming with John Singleton, Craig Brewer's Hustle & Flow was produced. Hustle & Flow was sold to MTV/Paramount for a 9 million dollars and went on to win the Audience Award at Sundance in 2005, an Academy Award for Best Original Song and earned a Best Actor nomination for Terrence Howard.
In 2006, Allain and Homegrown Films produced another first time director, music video director, Sanaa Hamri's Something New , starring Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker. She also worked again with producer John Singleton, partnering with Craig Brewer and his Southern Cross the Dog production company based at Paramount Pictures. Paramount Vantage released their latest film, Black Snake Moan , starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake on February 23, 2007.
She was the Festival Director for the LA Film Festival from 2011 to 2016. In 2021, he received a first look deal with Endeavor Content. [2]
She was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Year | Film | Credit |
---|---|---|
1997 | Buddy | Executive producer |
1999 | Muppets from Space | Executive producer |
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | Executive producer | |
2000 | Rat | Executive producer |
2003 | Biker Boyz | |
Good Boy! | Executive producer | |
2005 | Hustle & Flow | |
2006 | Something New | |
Black Snake Moan | ||
2009 | Hurricane Season | |
2013 | Peeples | |
2014 | Dear White People | |
Beyond the Lights | Executive producer | |
2015 | French Dirty | Executive producer |
2017 | Burning Sands | |
2018 | The Weekend | |
2019 | Juanita | |
2020 | Really Love | Executive producer |
2023 | The Exorcist: Believer | Executive producer [3] |
TBA | The Woman in the Yard |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | A Boy Called Hate | Ma | |
2015 | French Dirty | Waitress | Uncredited |
Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Crushed | Executive producer | Television film |
2018 | Life-Size 2 | Executive producer | Television film |
2017−19 | Dear White People | Executive producer | |
2020 | 92nd Academy Awards | Television special | |
Women in Film Presents: Make it Work! | Executive producer | Television special | |
2021 | Leimert Park: The Digital Series | Executive producer |
John Daniel Singleton was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing Boyz n the Hood (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, becoming, at age 24, the first African American and youngest person to have ever been nominated for that award.
Baby Boy is a 2001 American coming-of-age hood drama film directed, written, and produced by John Singleton and starring Tyrese Gibson, Snoop Dogg, Ving Rhames, Omar Gooding, A.J. Johnson and Taraji P. Henson. The film follows Joseph "Jody" Summers (Gibson), a 20-year-old bike mechanic as he lives and learns in his everyday life in the hood of Los Angeles.
Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the James Bond film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK.
Sanaa Hamri is a Moroccan-American film, television, and music video director. She has directed music videos for musicians including Prince, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, and Sting. She is known for her 2010 film Just Wright and the 2008 movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, as well as for her music video for the Nicki Minaj song "Super Bass". Hamri made her directorial debut in 2006 with the romantic comedy Something New.
Craig Brewer is an American filmmaker. His 2005 movie Hustle & Flow won the Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and achieved commercial success, along with an Academy Award for Best Original Song, "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp". He is also known for directing the 2011 remake of Footloose, the 2019 film Dolemite Is My Name and the 2021 film Coming 2 America; the latter two starring Academy Award–nominee Eddie Murphy.
Dawn Leslie Steel was an American film studio executive and producer. She was one of the first women to run a major Hollywood film studio, rising through the ranks of merchandising and production to head Columbia Pictures in 1987.
Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress. She has received several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Tony Award and six Emmy Awards. In 2016 and 2024, Time named Henson one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
The Moon and the Sun is a novel by American writer Vonda N. McIntyre, published in 1997. The book combines two major genres: science fiction and historical romance. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1997, beating out A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. The novel was inspired by the short story "The Natural History and Extinction of the People of the Sea", also by McIntyre, which was illustrated by fellow author Ursula K. Le Guin.
Charles "Chuck" Roven is an American film producer and the president and co-founder of Atlas Entertainment.
Virginia Van Upp was an American film producer and screenwriter.
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Hustle & Flow is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton and Stephanie Allain. It stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper. It also stars Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, Paula Jai Parker, Elise Neal, DJ Qualls and Ludacris.
Paramount Players is an American film production label of Paramount Pictures, focusing on "contemporary properties" while working with other Paramount Global brands. The name alludes to the company's earliest origins as Famous Players Film Company, before its 1914 founding by William Wadsworth Hodkinson.
Frank Price is an American retired television writer and film studio executive. He held a number of executive positions including head of Universal TV; president, and later chairman and CEO, of Columbia Pictures; and president of Universal Pictures. In the 1960s, he is credited with helping to develop the "made-for-TV movie" and the 90-minute miniseries television format, including The Virginian (1962–1970).
The Weekend is an American comedy film written and directed by Stella Meghie. It stars Sasheer Zamata, Tone Bell, DeWanda Wise, Y'lan Noel, and Kym Whitley. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2018. Lionsgate released the film in theaters on September 13, 2019.
On the Come Up, published on February 5, 2019, by Balzer + Bray, is a young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It tells the story of Bri, a sixteen-year old rapper hoping to fill the shoes of her father and "make it" as an underground hip-hop legend. Overnight, Bri becomes an internet sensation after posting a rap hit which sparks controversy. As Bri defeats the odds to "make it" she battles controversy to achieve her dreams. It is set in the same universe as Thomas' first book The Hate U Give.
Lynette Howell Taylor is a British film producer for film and television. She was co-nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing A Star Is Born (2018). She founded the production company 51 Entertainment in 2017. She also produced the 92nd Academy Awards with Stephanie Allain.
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Kimberly Hardin is an African-American casting director and film producer. She is known for her casting of films, such as Hustle & Flow, Cadillac Records, Bloodline, Think Like a Man, and One Night in Miami.... She has also worked with several directors and producers, including John Singleton, Regina King, Kerry Washington, Tim Story, F. Gary Gray, Craig Brewer, Lena Waithe, Bruna Papandrea, and Graham King.