NEW YORK, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Keri Putnam has been named president of
production for Miramax Films, by company president Daniel Battsek. Putnam will
oversee the day-to-day development and production of the studio's annual slate
of films. She is based in Los Angeles and will report directly to Battsek.
Putnam comes to Miramax Films from Home Box Office, where she was
executive vice president responsible for overseeing the development and
production of HBO Films for the cable network and for theatrical release. She
is credited for some of HBO's most acclaimed projects. In 2005, the slate she
oversaw was nominated for a record 51 Emmy(R) Awards. Among the winners are
the Best Made for Television Movie Warm Springs, directed by Joseph Sargent
and featuring Kenneth Branagh; The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, directed
by Stephen Hopkins and starring Geoffrey Rush; Lackawanna Blues, featuring the
directorial debut of acclaimed stage director George Wolfe; and the miniseries
Empire Falls, directed by Fred Schepisi and produced by and co-starring Paul
Newman. Her first entry into the theatrical marketplace was Gus Van Sant's
Elephant, winner of the 2003 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
"Keri's extraordinary wealth of experience, as well as her strong talent
relationships and reputation in the entertainment industry make her the
perfect person to lead the talented production and acquisition teams for
Miramax," said Daniel Battsek. "I am absolutely delighted that she is joining
us at such an exciting time at the company."
"I am thrilled to be joining Daniel and his team," said Keri Putnam. "It's
such a vibrant time for the specialty film business, and for Miramax in
particular, and I look forward to the challenge and excitement of putting
together a diverse slate of films."
Originally based in New York, Putnam moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to
oversee HBO Films productions, where the slate of films has garnered
nominations for 197 Emmys(R) and 37 Golden Globes. Among the films are the
2004 Emmy(R)-winner for best film Something the Lord Made, directed by Joe
Sargent and starring Alan Rickman and Mos Def; The Girl in the Cafe, written
by Richard Curtis and directed by David Yates; Hysterical Blindness, directed
by Mira Nair and starring Uma Thurman; Jane Anderson's Normal, starring
Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson; Moises Kaufman's film debut The Laramie
Project, produced with Good Machine; Billy Crystal's 61*; Cheaters, written
and directed by John Stockwell; Sometimes in April, written and directed by
Raoul Peck; And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself, written by Larry Gelbart and
directed by Bruce Beresford; and Iron Jawed Angels, written by Sally Robinson
and directed by Katja von Garnier.
Putnam began her career as an assistant at HBO, but left the company for
two years to live in Washington, D.C., where she worked in the literary
department of the Arena Stage and as director of development for Devillier
Donegan Enterprises. She returned to HBO in 1992 as director of development
for HBO Showcase, the New York drama division of HBO programming that later
became HBO NYC. Putnam was promoted to vice president, HBO NYC Productions in
1995, at the inception of the newly-named film division. Under the HBO NYC
banner, she was responsible for some of the division's most successful
projects, including HBO's highest-rated original movie If These Walls Could
Talk, Christopher Reeve's directorial debut In the Gloaming and Subway
Stories, executive produced by Jonathan Demme and Rosie Perez. In 1999,
Putnam was named senior vice president, HBO Films, and shortly thereafter
moved to Los Angeles.
She is a graduate of Harvard University and lives in Los Angeles with her
husband and two children. Putnam is the recipient of the 2005 Excellence in
Media Award from Women in Film for her work at HBO.
SOURCE Miramax Films
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Related links:
http://www.miramax.com
CONTACT:
Emily Bear of Miramax Films, +1-212-219-4100
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