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Francis "Frank" Anthony Evers (born 1965) is an Irish & American businessman, the CEO of INSTITUTE/The Story Institute, and the president of Evergreen Pictures and Girl Culture Films.


Early life

Evers was born to Francis Anthony Evers ( Frank Evers (GAA)), a senior
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
official, and Theresa Evers (Irish actress, Theresa (Doyle) Evers). His father was born in Menlough, Galway in 1934, and his mother was born in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, USA in 1934 but spent most of her young life in Tuam, Galway. He has six siblings—five sisters and one brother. He grew up in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
and
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
until he moved to the US to attend
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1983. Evers attended secondary school from 1978 to 1983 at Ireland's Gormanston College, and is a graduate of
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
(1987), where he earned a B.A. in East Asian Studies. He holds the Irish Junior Men's record in the pole vault (4.60 m), and has held the record since March 1983.


Career


INSTITUTE (previously Girl Culture Films)

In January 2019, together with his wife, photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, Evers launche
Girl Culture Films
a commercial, branded content and entertainment production company. As stated on the company website, Girl Culture Films "seeks to amplify underrepresented voices in the media with outstanding directors who bring world-class storytelling, authentic vision, and diverse perspectives to the table." The company exclusively represents "A-list directors" such as Lauren Greenfield,
Pamela Adlon Pamela Fionna Adlon (; ; born July 9, 1966) is an American actress. She is known for voicing Bobby Hill in the animated comedy series ''King of the Hill'' (1997–2010), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. She also voiced Baloo in '' Jung ...
,
Catherine Hardwicke Helen Catherine HardwickeAccording to the State of Texas. ''Texas Birth Index, 1903–1997''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. (born October 21, 1955) is an American film director, p ...
, Karyn Kiyoko Kusama,
Juliana Curi Juliana (variants Julianna, Giuliana, Iuliana, Yuliana, etc) is a feminine given name which is the feminine version of the Roman name Julianus. Juliana or Giuliana was the name of a number of early saints, notably Saint Julian the Hospitaller, whi ...
, Marina Zenovich, Heidi Ewing,
Ro Haber Ro Haber is a transgender writer and director of commercial, music, and documentary films based in Los Angeles, California. They attended NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. In 2013, they were selected for the Outfest 2013 Screenwriters Lab for thei ...
, Liz Unna, Dawn Porter, Peggy Sirota, Claire Edmondson, and Barbara Kopple. In November 2022, Girl Culture Films evolved into Institute, broadening its directorial roster to include more underrepresented talent regardless of gender, and offering greater integration with sister companies INSTITUTE ARTIST, the prestigious photo agency, and Girl Culture Studios."


INSTITUTE ARTIST

Founded with Matt Shonfeld in 2009, INSTITUTE ARTIST is an artist management, licensing, and multi-platform production company focused on editorial, cultural and commercial clients. INSTITUTE ARTIST represents filmmakers and photographers, and operates out of Los Angeles and London. In 2015, INSTITUTE ARTIST created a distribution arm called The Story Institute, which focuses on the distribution of long-form photographic stories.


Evergreen Pictures

Since founding the production company in 2003, Evers has run Evergreen Pictures with his wife, photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield. The company's first feature documentary film, '' The Queen of Versailles'', was directed by Greenfield and debuted at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
2012, where it was selected to be the Opening Night film. The film was acquired by
Magnolia Pictures Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor. It is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment 2929 Entertainment, LLC. is an American integrated media and entertainment company co-founded by billionaire entrepreneur ...
and was theatrically released on July 20, 2012 throughout the US, ultimately grossing over $2,400,000 at the box office. The film was also acquired by Bravo for US television broadcast in Spring 2013. Greenfield was awarded the Directing Award by the Sundance Jury, the Grand Jury Prize from the Brisbane International Film Festival, a Best Director Award from the
RiverRun Film Festival The RiverRun International Film Festival is an annual Oscar-qualifying film festival held each spring in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The festival is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and presents a variety of feature-length and short films fro ...
, and the Special Jury Documentary Feature prize from the deadCenter Film Festival. "The Queen of Versailles" was also nominated for Best Documentary Film, 2012 by the International Documentary Association (IDA). In 2015, Evergreen Pictures produced a documentary series in partnership with GQ/Conde Nast Entertainment, called Bling Dynasty (3 million views on YouTube), and a short documentary film called ''Magic City: A Film by Lauren Greenfield'' (over 5 million views on YouTube, TheScene.com & GQ.com). In January 2016, "Magic City" was nominated for Best Video by ASME (the American Society of Magazine Editors). In May 2011, Evergreen Pictures produced "Beauty CULTure", a 30-minute-long documentary film by Greenfield for The Annenberg Space for Photography (
Annenberg Foundation The Annenberg Foundation is a family foundation that provides funding and support to non-profit organizations in the United States and around the world. Some of the Foundation's core initiatives are the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcast ...
). "Beauty CULTure" had its US theatrical debut at the 2012
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was ...
, where it was selected for the Shorts Documentary competition. In December 2010, Evergreen Pictures produced a series of "documercials" for Chiat Day/Gatorade, called BECOME and directed by Greenfield, in conjunction with an accompanying national advertisement print campaign for Gatorade (also photographed by Greenfield). Earlier in 2010, Evergreen Pictures produced a short video, ''Fashion Show'', which debuted on
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
's website, accompanying a photographic portfolio by Greenfield as part of
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
's annual Fashion issue. An exercise in the deconstruction of fashion and fashion week in Paris, Milan and Yew York, "Fashion Show" was screened by the
Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers fr ...
as a short film accompanying
Isaac Mizrahi Isaac Mizrahi (born October 14, 1961) is an American fashion designer, television presenter and chief designer of the Isaac Mizrahi brand for Xcel Brands. Based in New York City, he is best known for his eponymous fashion lines. Mizrahi was prev ...
's documentary film, '' Unzipped'', and the short was screened in a number of film festivals. In 2007, Evergreen Pictures produced "
kids + money Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, leath ...
" a 14-minute series of webisodes for
The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...
, after which it shot additional materials and produced an expanded 32-minute short film, which was sold to HBO, was distributed around the world, and garnered numerous international short film awards. In addition to producing documentary films, Evergreen Pictures has developed Greenfield's books and photography as feature films and television series with
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the multi ...
,
Fox Searchlight Searchlight Pictures, Inc. is an American film production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is part of the Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Inc. for 20th Century Fox (later 20th Century Stu ...
,
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
, and
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
. Evergreen Pictures has also been responsible for the design, production and management of several traveling exhibition programs for Greenfield - ''Fast Forward'', "Girl Culture", and '' Thin'', which have appeared in more than 50 venues worldwide and seen by more than a million visitors. In 2018, Evers produced
Generation Wealth ''Generation Wealth'' is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Lauren Greenfield. It follows Greenfield's 2017 book and photo exhibition of the same name. Release ''Generation Wealth'' was selected to be the opening night film at the 2018 ...
(Amazon Studios), and followed that up in 2019 with The Kingmaker (film) (Showtime Networks). Both films were directed by Lauren Greenfield.


New York Photo Festival

Evers is also the co-founder and former co-chair of the New York Photo Festival (NYPH), a festival dedicated to contemporary photography. The third New York Photo Festival 2010 (NYPH'10) took place from May 12 to May 16, 2010. Evers resigned from the New York Photo Festival in June 2010 to co-create and start up the
Future of StoryTelling Founded in 2012 by Charles Melcher, Founder and CEO of Melcher Media, Future of StoryTelling (FoST) produces content throughout the year, including the two-day, invitation-only FoST Summit; storytelling workshops; curated exhibitions with local a ...
with
Charles Melcher Charles Melcher (born 1965) is a creator, curator, and thought leader in the storytelling and technology space, as well as an early-stage investor in media and technology companies. He is the Founder and CEO of Melcher Media and the Founder and Dir ...
and
Melcher Media Melcher Media is a book packager and publisher in New York City, New York, founded in 1994 by Charles Melcher. The company’s focuses include theater-, movie-, and TV-related books; environmental titles; pop-up books; and DuraBooks. The company ...
.


VII Photo Agency

From late 2004 to mid-2008, Evers stepped in to help effect a turnaround of the
VII Photo Agency VII Photo Agency is an international photo agency wholly owned and governed by its membership. History The photographer owned agency was originally conceived by Gary Knight and John Stanmeyer. They were subsequently joined by Alexandra Boulat, ...
, where his wife (Greenfield) was an owner-member at the time. During this period, the agency expanded its roster and sales operation, opening offices in New York and Los Angeles, while creating a number of branded initiatives, including the VII Network, VII Masterclass, VII Seminar, VII gallery, VII bookstore, and VII Visionaires. He left to launch an artist management company, INSTITUTE. Greenfield subsequently left VII in September 2009 to join INSTITUTE.


Videogame production

Before entering the photography business, Frank ran video game production studios producing over 100 interactive games for
Sierra Entertainment Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher founded in 1979 by Ken Williams (game developer), Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is k ...
,
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...
and
Disney Interactive Disney Interactive is an American video game and internet company that oversaw various websites and interactive media owned by The Walt Disney Company. History 1995–1996: Formation and beginnings In December 1994, Disney announced that it ...
(1995–2002). His most successful video game series were MechWarrior, Interstate '76,
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...
and the
Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square E ...
series (over 10 million units sold generating over $500 million in retail sales), a joint venture between
Disney Interactive Disney Interactive is an American video game and internet company that oversaw various websites and interactive media owned by The Walt Disney Company. History 1995–1996: Formation and beginnings In December 1994, Disney announced that it ...
and Square Japan. In addition to producing games, he was also the Director of Silent Thunder: A-10 Tank Killer II and The Mask, one of the first CD-ROM interactive comic books.


Film production

Earlier in his career, Evers was the film executive responsible for finding the script and packaging the movie '' Swimming with Sharks'', while also handling finance and distribution for a small independent film company, Cineville, which produced "The Crew" (1994) and "Mi Vida Loca" (1993).


Personal life

Evers is married to photographer and director Lauren Greenfield, with whom he has two sons, Noah and Gabriel. They reside in
Venice, California Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city unti ...
.


References


External links


Frank Evers
at
MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evers, Frank 1965 births American chief executives American video game producers Harvard University alumni Harvard College alumni Irish film producers Irish producers Irish documentary filmmakers Living people People from County Galway Video game producers