James D. Stern is an American film and Broadway producer. He won a 2003

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * Hairspray (1988 film), ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** Hairspray (1988 soundtrack), ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundt ...

'', has been nominated for other awards, and was a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

Winner for ''Stomp''.

Life and career

Early life

Before starting Endgame, Stern co-directed and produced the IMAX film ''

Michael Jordan to the Max ''Michael Jordan to the Max'' is an IMAX documentary film released in 2000. The film is about the life and career of basketball player Michael Jordan, focusing mainly on his 1998 NBA Playoffs and other significant achievements in his career. It i ...

'' and

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

's '' It's the Rage''. On stage he produced the twelve-time Tony Award-winning

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

show '' The Producers'' and the eight time Tony Award-winning ''Hairspray''. He produced ''Stomp'', '' The Diary of Anne Frank'' starring Natalie Portman, ''Legally Blonde'', the Tony Award-nominated ''Twilight 1992'', and the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

-winning play ''

The Weir ''The Weir'' is a play written by Conor McPherson in 1997. It was first produced at The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London, England, on 4 July 1997. It opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on 1 April 1999. As well as several oth ...

''. He produced

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer and conductor. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Alan Menken, numerous accolades including winning eight Academy Awards, a Tony Awards, Tony ...

's ''

Leap of Faith In philosophy, a leap of faith is the act of belief, believing in or accepting something not on the basis of reason. The phrase is commonly associated with Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Idiomatic usage As an idiom, ''leap of faith'' ca ...

'' during the fall of 2010. Stern founded and ran the financial investment company and hedge fund Stern Joint Venture, L.P. (SJV). He produced with his company Endgame Entertainment and

FilmDistrict FilmDistrict Distribution LLC was an American independent motion picture company based in Los Angeles. It specialized in acquisitions, distribution, short film production, and financing. It was founded on August 30, 2010 by Bob Berney and Peter S ...

the thriller ''

Self/less ''Self/less'' is a 2015 American science fiction action thriller film directed by Tarsem Singh, produced by Ram Bergman and James D. Stern and written by Alex and David Pastor. The film tells the story of a business tycoon and billionaire diag ...

''. Stern directed the 2018 documentary '' American Chaos''. Stern has a B.A. in directing from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and a M.B.A. in marketing and finance from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Endgame Entertainment

On March 11, 2002, Stern founded Endgame Entertainment as an independent production company to produce, develop and finance films and other forms of entertainment properties. Under his leadership, Endgame Entertainment has financed or cofinanced more than 25 films. Endgame recently wrapped production on '' Seeking Justice'', directed by

Roger Donaldson Roger Lindsey Donaldson (born 15 November 1945) is an Australian and New Zealand film director, screenwriter, and producer. His 1977 debut film, ''Sleeping Dogs (1977 film), Sleeping Dogs'', is considered landmark work of Cinema of New Zealand ...

and starring

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...

January Jones January Kristen Jones (born January 5, 1978) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Betty Draper in ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress – Television Series Drama ...

and

Guy Pearce Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. List of awards and nominations received by Guy Pearce, His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a British Academy Film Aw ...

. Recent releases include ''

An Education ''An Education'' is a 2009 coming-of-age drama film based on a memoir by journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaa ...

'' (

Sony Pictures Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American arthouse film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloo ...

), which garnered three

Academy Award 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 ...

nominations, and ''Every Little Step'' (Sony Pictures Classics), which Stern co-produced and co-directed. The documentary grossed more than $1.7 million and was short listed for an Academy Award. Previous Endgame releases include Summit's ''

The Brothers Bloom ''The Brothers Bloom'' is a 2008 American caper comedy-drama film written and directed by Rian Johnson. The film stars Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi, Maximilian Schell, and Robbie Coltrane. The film went into wide relea ...

'', Sony Pictures Classics' ''Easy Virtue'' and the Bob Dylan biopic ''

I'm Not There ''I'm Not There'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Todd Haynes, who co-wrote the screenplay with Oren Moverman, based on a story by Haynes. An experimental biographical film, it is inspired by the life and music of American singer-so ...

'', featuring an Oscar-nominated performance by Cate Blanchett. Earlier releases include ''

Hotel Rwanda ''Hotel Rwanda'' is a 2004 biographical historical drama film co-written and directed by Terry George. It was adapted from a screenplay by George and Keir Pearson, and stars Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina and h ...

'' and ''

Lord of War ''Lord of War'' is a 2005 Crime drama film, crime-drama film written and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Ethan Hawke, and Eamonn Walker in primary roles. The plot follows an unscrupulous Ukrain ...

'' for Lionsgate, ''Proof'' for Miramax, Universal's ''White Noise'', Hollywood Pictures' '' Stay Alive'', and New Line's ''

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle ''Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' (released in some international markets as ''Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies'') is a 2004 American Buddy film, buddy stoner film, stoner comedy film directed by Danny Leiner, written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayd ...

''. Stern also co-directed and produced the documentaries ''

The Year of the Yao ''The Year of the Yao'' is a 2004 American documentary film based on basketball player Yao Ming's first year in the United States. The film is narrated by his friend and former interpreter Colin Pine, who stayed with Yao during Yao's rookie year, ...

'' (New Line) and '' ...So Goes the Nation'' (IFC).

Filmography

''He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.''

Film

;As director ;Miscellaneous crew ;Thanks

Television

;As director ;Miscellaneous crew ;Thanks

References

External links

*
Endgame Entertainment

C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Stern and Adam Del Deo about ''...So Goes the Nation'', November 5, 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, James D. Film producers from New York (state) Tony Award winners Living people University of Michigan alumni Columbia Business School alumni American film production company founders 1957 births