Paula Wagner
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| Paula Wagner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paula Sue Kauffman 12 December 1946 Youngstown, Ohio, USA |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Spouse | Rick Nicita |
| Children | Jesse, Zachary |
Paula Wagner (born 12 December 1946) is an American film producer and film executive.
Contents |
[edit] Early life and career
Wagner was born Paula Sue Kauffman in Youngstown, Ohio. Her mother, Sue Anna (née Shofstall), was a newsmagazine editor from Oklahoma, and her father, Edmund Jamison "Ned" Kauffman, Jr., was a business owner.[1][2] Wagner began her career at Creative Artists Agency. In 1993, she launched Cruise/Wagner Productions (C/W) with her former CAA client Tom Cruise. C/W's first film, Mission: Impossible, was an international hit that brought the company the 1997 Nova Award for Most Promising Producers. Wagner went on to produce Without Limits, Shattered Glass, Narc, The Others, Vanilla Sky, and The Last Samurai, Mission: Impossible II, Mission: Impossible III, and Steven Spielberg's War Of The Worlds for which she was the executive producer.[3]
Wagner paired Tom Cruise with Oliver Stone for Born on the Fourth of July, paired Val Kilmer with Stone on The Doors, and helped him cast JFK.[4]
Wagner was co-owner and CEO of United Artists from 2006 to 2008.[5] She is a member of the American Cinematheque’s Board of Directors and sits on the board of the National Film Preservation Foundation through the Library of Congress.[3]
[edit] Current
Her current efforts are as founder of Chestnut Ridge Productions, a film production company that is developing motion picture, theater, television and new media projects. Wagner's first project is a film adaptation of Miss Saigon,[6] which was planned for 2011 release (now expected in 2012).[7][8]
[edit] Other work
Wagner has received numerous awards and recognitions for her contributions to entertainment and individual film societies. She was honored in 2001 with Premiere magazine's Women in Hollywood Icon Award and has been featured in Bravo's Women on Top documentary, which profiles exceptional women in entertainment. In 2004, she received the UCLA/Producers Guild of America Visionary Award. She is a recipient of the Excellence in Producing Award at the Sarasota Film Festival, was president of the First-Time Directors Jury at the Venice International Film Festival, co-chaired the Hollywood Film Festival from 2002–2006 and was honored by the Costume Designers Guild with its Swarovski President's Award. She was honored with the Sherry Lansing Award from the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization. In 2007, she and husband Rick Nicita were awarded the ACLU Bill of Rights Award for championing numerous film projects that highlight civil rights and civil liberty issues.[3]
Wagner is married to Rick Nicita, a former agent at Creative Artists Agency, presently co-chairman and COO of Morgan Creek Productions.[9]
Wagner serves on the faculty of the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, her alma mater.
[edit] References
- ^ http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/j/a/m/John-T-Jamison/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0509.html
- ^ http://www.vindy.com/news/tributes/2011/jul/03/edmund-jamison-ned-kauffma/
- ^ a b c "May 7: Hollywood Producer Paula Wagner To Deliver Keynote Address for Tepper School of Business Diploma Ceremony" (Press release). Carnegie Mellon University. 7 May 2010. http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2010/May/may7_wagnertepperkeynote.shtml. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
- ^ Biography – Paula Wagner from Lycos.com
- ^ Fleming, Michael (14 August 2008). "Paula Wagner Leaves UA". Daily Variety. Reed Business Information. http://www.variety.com/VR1117990504.html. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (20 October 2009). "Wagner Heads to 'Saigon' with Daniels". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010180.html?cs=1&query=wagner+heads+to+saigon. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ ""The Movie in My Mind": Miss Saigon on Track for Film Treatment". Playbill. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/133993-The-Movie-in-My-Mind-Miss-Saigon-on-Track-for-Film-Treatment. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ IMDB page for "Miss Saigon", accessed 24 September 2011
- ^ Fleming, Michael (29 July 2008). "Nicita departs CAA for Morgan Creek". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117989714.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
