Jeffrey Ian Pollack (November 15, 1959 – December 23, 2013) was an American film director, screenwriter, television producer and writer. As a film director he directed the films ''

Above the Rim ''Above the Rim'' is a 1994 American sports drama film co-written and directed by Jeff Pollack in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Barry Michael Cooper, adapted from a story by Benny Medina. The film stars Duane Martin, Tu ...

'' (1994), ''

Booty Call ''Booty Call'' is a 1997 American buddy comedy film, written by J. Stanford Parker (credited as Bootsie) and Takashi Bufford, and directed by Jeff Pollack. The film stars Jamie Foxx, Tommy Davidson, Vivica A. Fox, and Tamala Jones. Plot Rus ...

'' (1997) and '' Lost & Found'' (1999). Pollack served as executive consultant on ''

The Tyra Banks Show ''The Tyra Banks Show'', also known as and shortened to ''Tyra'' or ''The Tyra Show'', was an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks that aired from 2005 to 2010. While Banks's show covered a variety of topics, there was a sensationalized focus ...

''. He was a frequent collaborator with

Benny Medina Benny Medina (born January 24, 1958) is an American record executive, talent manager, and television producer. Early life and education Medina was born in East Los Angeles, California, of Dominican parents into a poor family. The death of hi ...

. He was an alumnus of

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

film school.

Career

Following graduation from

's Film School in the early 1980s, Pollack traveled through Asia both as a tourist and documentarian. After three years on the road — and in the rice fields and jungle— Pollack returned to the U.S., dabbling in

real estate development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

before devoting himself to an entertainment career. Pollack and Benny Medina launched and ran a management/production company together, Medina/Pollack Entertainment (later becoming Handprint), with clients that included Jennifer Lopez,

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the ...

and

Tyra Banks Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15, and was the first Africa ...

. Pollack produced two

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of t ...

ceremonies in 1992 and 1993, produced the TV documentary ''Jennifer Lopez in Concert'', and worked with Banks on her talk show. In 1994, under the banner of Medina/Pollack Entertainment, Pollack wrote, produced and directed the urban feature film ''

'' starring

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

Leon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again ...

Duane Martin Duane Martin (born August 11, 1965) is an American actor. Early life and education Martin was born in Brooklyn, New York, and he graduated from New York University. He played NCAA Division III basketball at NYU and was signed as an undraf ...

and

Marlon Wayans Marlon Lamont Wayans (born July 23, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Wayans began his career portraying a pedestrian in ''I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'' (1988). He went on to regularly collaborate with his brother Shawn W ...

. In 1995, Pollack and Medina renamed their company Handprint Entertainment, which has grown into one of Hollywood's most successful full-service management and production companies. Since that time Pollack took a production role on the Fox sitcom ''

Getting Personal ''Getting Personal'' is an American sitcom created by Jeff Greenstein and Jeff Strauss, that aired on Fox from April 6 to October 16, 1998. Premise A creative director at Old Dog Productions, an ad company in Chicago gets a new boss: the woman ...

'' and remained behind the camera as director of the 1997 film ''

''. His

spec screenplay A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...

, ''Gifted'' was one of Spec Scout's top 2013 submitted scripts, scoring above 90% of the scripts circulating by A-list agents and managers.

Death

Pollack was found dead after jogging on the Greenbelt in

Hermosa Beach, California Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Bay region of ...

, on December 23, 2013. It was assumed he died of natural causes; he was 54.

References

External links

* 1959 births 2013 deaths American film directors American film producers American male screenwriters American television producers American television writers USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni American male television writers {{US-tv-producer-stub