J. Todd Harris (born March 30, 1959) is an American film producer. Harris is the founder and president of the production studio Branded Pictures Entertainment. Harris has been a member of the Motion Picture Academy since 1999 and is a founding board member of the Napa Valley Film Festival.

Life and career

J. Todd Harris was born in Pittsfield,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, to Robert N. Harris and Eugenie (Schosberg) Harris. His parents soon divorced, and he and his mother moved to

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, where he lived until 1973. While growing up on Manhattan's

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...

, he attended PS 6, PS 198, and the Allen-Stevenson School (grades 4–8). His mother remarried to Jeffrey Gross, and they moved with Todd and new son Jason Gross to

Putnam Valley, New York Putnam Valley is a town in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 11,762 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Results, Putnam Valley town, Putnam County, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/putna ...

. Todd attended James O'Neill High School in Highland Falls, New York, near

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

. Harris attended

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

from 1977 to 1981. He earned his B.A. in political science and produced, directed, and acted in numerous campus stage productions. He also produced concerts for the university, as well as the first Stanford Film Festival in 1980. After graduating in 1981, he was named general manager of TheatreWorks, the Palo Alto-based repertory theater, where he worked for three years, eventually becoming managing director. In 1984, he returned to

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, where he earned his MBA in 1986. Harris moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1986 and worked at

TriStar Television TriStar Television, Inc. (first spelled Tri-Star, and abbreviated as TT) was an American television production studio that was a division of Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. TriStar Television was launched in Marc ...

before starting his own development fund, called Skyline Entertainment Partners (inspired by his rustic college and business school residence in La Honda outside Palo Alto). He soon joined

Davis Entertainment Davis Entertainment (also known as Davis Entertainment Company) is an American independent film and television production company, founded by John Davis in 1984. Davis's three divisions–feature film, independent film, and television–develo ...

as an independent producer, where he stayed for 13 years, founding with partner John Davis the Davis Entertainment Filmworks, the company's independent film division. It was based at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

. There, he produced the first of many independent films, '' Denise Calls Up'', which played the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

's Critics Week and won a Special Mention for the Camera D'Or. For three years, he partnered with the actor

Tim Daly James Timothy Daly (born March 1, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Joe Hackett on the NBC sitcom '' Wings'' and his recurring role as drug-addicted screenwriter J.T. Dolan on ''The Sopranos.'' He starred as Pete ...

in Daly-Harris Productions, based at

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. He went on to produce five Sundance Film Festival entries, including ''

Bottle Shock ''Bottle Shock'' is a 2008 American comedy-drama film based on the 1976 wine competition termed the "Judgment of Paris", when California wine defeated French wine in a blind taste test. It stars Alan Rickman, Chris Pine, and Bill Pullman and is ...

'' and '' The Kids Are All Right''. ''The Kids Are All Right '' was nominated for four

Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...

, including Best Picture, won two

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

and received a 93% positive rating from

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

across 205 reviews. In 2003, he joined Intellectual Properties Worldwide, where he executive produced ''

Piranha 3D ''Piranha 3D'' is a 2010 American 3D horror comedy film that serves as a remake of the comedy horror film '' Piranha'' (1978) and an entry in the ''Piranha'' film series. Directed by Alexandre Aja and written by Pete Goldfinger and Josh Sto ...

'' and a remake of '' It's Alive''. The horror film ''Piranha 3D'' was produced for $24 million and earned over $83 million worldwide. Recent releases include "Shepherd," "12 Mighty Orphans," and "Stage Mother" On the New York stage, Harris produced the musicals '' Heathers: The Musical'', '' Doctor Zhivago'' and ''

American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...

''. He is currently co-producing

Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club was a musical ensemble primarily made up of Cuban musicians, formed in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit (record label), World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and dire ...

and "Soul Train," both of which are due to debut in the 2024-2025 Broadway season. In 2014, he funded Branded Pictures Entertainment, an acquisitions and development company, focused on popular and acclaimed intellectual properties, including such titles as Danny and the Dinosaur,

Rift In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics. Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-graben ...

, and

Dance Dance Revolution (''DDR'') is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, ''Dance Dance Revolution'' is the pioneering series of the rhythm and dance ...

. He has taught producing at

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...

and the

Los Angeles Film School The Los Angeles Film School (informally LA Film School) is a for-profit college in Los Angeles, California, offering associate and bachelor's degrees in majors relating to the entertainment industry. The school encompasses the Los Angeles Record ...

, and was an adjunct professor for

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

's Los Angeles campus. He has also given private seminars around the country. He is a founding board member of the Napa Valley Film Festival and became a member of the Motion Picture Academy producers' branch in 1999. He joined

The Broadway League The Broadway League, formerly the League of American Theatres and Producers and League of New York Theatres and Producers, is the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry based in New York City. Its members include theatre ow ...

in 2015 and

Producers Guild of America The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing the interests Television producer, television producers, Film producer, film producers and emerging media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership inclu ...

in 2016. Harris has produced more than 50 films.

Personal life

He lives in

with his wife

Amy Powers Amy Powers (born 1960) is a lyricist, songwriter and producer who writes songs for film, television, and theater. Career Early life Powers graduated from Vassar College, and then attended Columbia University (M.B.A) and Harvard University (law d ...

(married in 1997) and two sons Jasper (born in 1998) and Cole (born in 2000).

Filmography

Producing filmography

* 1995: '' Denise Calls Up'' (producer) * 1996: ''

Cadillac Ranch ''Cadillac Ranch'' is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, US. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm (group), Ant Farm. The installation consist ...

'' (producer) * 1997: '' Lewis & Clark & George'' (producer) * 1997: ''Digging to China'' (producer) * 1997: ''

Bad Manners Bad Manners are an English Two-tone (music genre), two-tone and ska Musical ensemble, band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary ''Dance Craze'' (1981). They were at ...

'' (producer) * 1999: ''

Dudley Do-Right Dudley Do-Right is a fictional character created by Alex Anderson, Chris Hayward, Allan Burns, Jay Ward, and Bill Scott, who appears as the main protagonist of "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties", a segment on ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullw ...

'' (producer) * 1999: ''

Rites of Passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisation of ''rite ...

'' (producer) * 1999: '' Seven Girlfriends'' (producer) * 1999: ''Dinner at Fred's'' (executive producer) * 2000: ''

Urbania Urbania is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region of Marche, located about west of Ancona and about southwest of Pesaro, next to the river Metauro. Urbania borders the following municipalities: ...

'' (producer) * 2000: ''

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

'' (TV, executive producer) * 2000: ''Partners in Crime'' (producer) * 2000: '' Sordid Lives'' (producer) * 2000: ''Tick Tock'' (producer) * 2001: '' Jeepers Creepers'' (co-producer) * 2001: ''Liberty, Maine'' (executive producer) * 2002: '' 29 Palms'' (producer) * 2002: '' The Burial Society'' (executive producer) * 2003: ''

Happy Hour Happy hour is a marketing term for a time when a venue such as a restaurant or bar offers reduced prices on alcoholic drinks. Discounted menu items like appetizers are often served during happy hour. This is a way for bars and restaurants to ...

'' (producer) * 2003: '' Devil's Pond'' (producer) * 2003: ''

Latter Days ''Latter Days'' is a 2003 American Romance film, romantic comedy drama film about the relationship between a Coming out#Closeted, closeted Mormon missionary and his openly gay neighbor. The film was written and directed by C. Jay Cox and stars ...

'' (executive producer) * 2004: ''

Knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot or knots may also refer to: Other common meanings * Knot (unit), of speed * Knot (wood), a timber imperfection Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Knots'' (film), a 2004 film * ''Kn ...

'' (executive producer) * 2004: ''

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the second single from his fourth studio album, '' Still Crazy After All These Years'' (1975), released on Columbia Records. Backing vocals on the sing ...

'' (producer) * 2005: ''At Last'' (producer) * 2005: ''

Supercross The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from ...

'' (producer) * 2005: '' The Legend of Lucy Keyes'' (producer) * 2006: '' Disappearances'' (producer) * 2007: '' Black Irish'' (producer) * 2008: ''

'' (producer) * 2008: '' Shuttle'' (executive producer) * 2008: '' Yonkers Joe'' (co-executive producer) * 2008: '' It's Alive'' (executive producer) * 2010: '' The Kids Are All Right'' (executive producer) * 2010: '' Miss Nobody'' (producer) * 2011: ''The Family Tree'' (producer) * 2012: '' Crooked Arrows'' (producer) * 2013: ''Hollywood Seagull'' (executive producer) * 2014: '' Lucky Stiff'' (producer) * 2016: '' So B. It'' (producer) * 2017: '' Wheelman'' (executive producer) * 2017: ''Being Rose'' (producer) * 2019: ''SHEPHERD: The Story of a Jewish Dog'' (producer) * 2019: '' Elsewhere'' (producer) * 2019: ''Stage Mother'' (producer) * 2019: ''Butter'' (producer) *2019: Followed (executive producer) * 2019: ''Danny and the Dinosaur'' (producer) * 2019: ''Rift'' (producer) * 2019: ''

12 Mighty Orphans ''12 Mighty Orphans'' is a 2021 American sports film which was directed by Ty Roberts from a screenplay by Roberts, Lane Garrison and Kevin Meyer. It is based upon the non-fiction book ''Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Migh ...

'' (producer) * 2019: ''Dance Dance Revolution'' (producer) * 2024: '' Lilly'' (producer)

Theatre and musical productions

* 2014: '' Heathers: The Musical'' (musical) * 2014: '' Doctor Zhivago'' (musical) * 2016: ''

'' (musical) * ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois, for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featu ...

'' (musical) * ''

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

'' (musical)

References

External links

Branded Pictures Entertainment
*
Pre-Oscars Interview with J. Todd Harris
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, J. Todd 1959 births Living people Film producers from Massachusetts People from Pittsfield, Massachusetts