Steven Aaron Golin (March 6, 1955 – April 21, 2019) was an American film and television producer and the founder and CEO of Anonymous Content LLP, a multimedia development, production and talent management company and co-founder and CEO of Propaganda Films. Golin graduated from the

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1976 and attended the AFI Conservatory. He won Best Picture at the 2016 Academy Awards for ''Spotlight''.

Career

Propaganda Films

Golin and partner Joni Sighvatsson launched Propaganda Films, a talent management, advertising, and video production company, in 1986. They built Propaganda into the largest music video and commercial production company in the world, winning more MTV Video Awards and Cannes

Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...

Awards than any other company and quickly became a home for the most sought-after young music video and commercial directors. One of its first discoveries was

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, David Fincher filmography, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have collectiv ...

, then an unknown video director. Not long afterward, a young filmmaker showed up with a reel containing a Donny Osmond video and a spec Coke commercial. Golin watched the clips and told

Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special eff ...

, "Nice to meet you. You're hired." After seeing a couple of skateboard videos he liked, Golin brought

Spike Jonze Adam Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze (), is an American Filmmaking, filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes films, commercials, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze ...

into the fold. Other discoveries included Antoine Fuqua,

Gore Verbinski Gregor Justin "Gore" Verbinski (born March 16, 1964) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for directing ''Mouse Hunt'', '' The Ring'', the first 3 ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' films, and '' Rango''. For '' ...

, and

Alex Proyas Alexander Proyas ( ; born 23 September 1963) is an Australian film director. He is known for directing the films ''The Crow (1994 film), The Crow'' (1994), ''Dark City (1998 film), Dark City'' (1998), ''I, Robot (film), I, Robot'' (2004) and '' ...

. Golin and Sighvatsson sold the company to PolyGram, but when PolyGram was sold to

Seagram The Seagram Company Ltd. (which trade name, traded as Seagram's) was a Canadian multinational beverage and during the last few years of its existence, entertainment Conglomerate (company), conglomerate formerly headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. ...

in 1998, Golin lost control of the company and exited in 1999.

Anonymous Content

Golin's next company, Anonymous Content, located in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, was launched in early 2000. Golin has guided the company's commercial division to become one of the top commercial production entities in the industry, producing spots and campaigns for

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

, Citibank,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

, Ford,

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...

, Nike,

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

, and others. Its music video division, which earned Best New Artist Clip (Hard Rock category) at the 2000 Billboard Music Video Awards for

A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool (band), Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle released three of their ...

's "

Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...

" (2000), directed by

, has also produced projects for

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi ...

, Filter, Smashmouth, Third Eye Blind, and

The Wallflowers The Wallflowers are an American rock music, rock solo project of American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Dylan. The Wallflowers were originally a roots rock band formed in Los Angeles by Dylan and guitarist Tobi Miller. It ha ...

, among other artists. Under Golin's leadership, the company's management division has grown to represent more than 50 writers, directors, and actors. Fincher also worked with the company to produce " The Hire", a series of adverts for

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

, which were only available online. Golin has also produced a number of feature films and television shows, some of which were produced with Anonymous Content and others through Propaganda Films. These include

's '' The Game'' (1997),

's ''

Being John Malkovich ''Being John Malkovich'' is a 1999 American surrealist fantasy comedy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, both making their feature film debut. The film stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, wit ...

'' (1999),

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...

's ''

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' is a 2004 American surrealist science fiction romantic drama film directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman from a story by Gondry, Kaufman, and Pierre Bismuth. Starring Jim Carrey a ...

'' (2004),

Alejandro González Iñárritu Alejandro González Iñárritu (born 15 August 1963) is a Mexican filmmaker primarily known for making modern psychological drama (film genre), psychological drama films about the human condition. His most notable films include ''Amores perros ...

's '' Babel'' (2006), and Gavin Hood's '' Rendition'' (2007), Nic Pizzolatto's ''

True Detective ''True Detective'' is an American Anthology series, anthology Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Nic Pizzolatto for the premium cable network HBO. The series premiered on January 12, 2014, and ...

'' (2014), Sam Esmail's ''

Mr. Robot ''Mr. Robot'' is an American drama thriller television series created by Sam Esmail for USA Network. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, clinical depression, and dissoci ...

'' (2015) and Tom McCarthy's '' Spotlight'' (2015). Golin received

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 for Best Picture for producing '' Babel'', '' The Revenant'', and '' Spotlight'', the latter of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Personal life

Golin was

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and had two children, Ari and Anna. He initially was a cancer survivor. However, Golin died of Ewing's sarcoma on April 21, 2019, at the age of 64.

Filmography

Producer

* '' Nickel Mountain'' (1984) (line producer) * '' Hard Rock Zombies'' (1985) (associate producer) * ''American Drive-In'' (1985) (associate producer) * '' P. I. Private Investigations'' (1987) * '' The Blue Iguana'' (1988) * '' Kill Me Again'' (1989) * '' Fear, Anxiety & Depression'' (1989) * '' Daddy’s Dyin’ … Who’s Got the Will?'' (1990) * '' Salute Your Shorts'' (pilot, 1990) * '' Wild at Heart'' (1990) * '' In Bed with Madonna'' (documentary, 1991) (supervising producer) * ''

Ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...

'' (1992) * '' A Stranger Among Us'' (1992) * '' Candyman'' (1992) * '' Red Rock West'' (1993) * '' Kalifornia'' (1993) * '' Final Combination'' (1994) * '' Sleepers'' (1996) * '' The Portrait of a Lady'' (1996) * '' The Game'' (1997) * '' A Thousand Acres'' (1997) * '' Return to Paradise'' (1998) * '' Your Friends & Neighbors'' (1998) * ''

'' (1999) * '' Nurse Betty'' (2000) * '' Bounce'' (2000) * '' 50 First Dates'' (2004) * ''

'' (2004) * '' Babel'' (2006) * '' Smiley Face'' (2007) * '' In the Land of Women'' (2007) * '' Rendition'' (2007) * '' Cleaner'' (2007) * '' Married Life'' (2007) * ''All God’s Children Can Dance'' (2008) * '' Case 39'' (2009) * '' 44 Inch Chest'' (2009) * '' The Lazarus Effect'' (documentary, 2010) * '' The Beaver'' (2011) * ''The Last Elvis'' (2012) * '' Big Miracle'' (2012) * '' Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'' (2012) * '' Breakup at a Wedding'' (2013) * '' Uwantme2killhim?'' (2013) * '' The Fifth Estate'' (2013) * '' Laggies'' (2014) * '' Spotlight'' (2015) * '' The Revenant'' (2015) * ''

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as () in French, though ''la fête nationale'' is also u ...

'' (2016) * '' Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot'' (2018) * '' Boy Erased'' (2018) * '' The Beach Bum'' (2019) * '' Stillwater'' (2021)

Executive producer

* '' Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Brokenhearted'' (video, 1990) * '' Dream Lover'' (1993) * ''A Pig’s Tale'' (video, 1994) * '' Lord of Illusions'' (1995) * '' The Match'' (1999) * '' Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus'' (documentary, 2003) * ''

Lake of Fire The lake of fire is a concept that appears in both the ancient Egyptian religion, ancient Egyptian and Christianity, Christian religions. In ancient Egypt, it appears as an obstacle on the journey through the underworld which can destroy or refres ...

'' (documentary, 2006) * '' Girl Most Likely'' (2012) * '' Little Red Wagon'' (2012) * '' Fun Size'' (2012) * ''

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma surrounding ...

'' (2014) * '' The Loft'' (2014) * '' The Age of Adaline'' (2015) * '' Len and Company'' (2015) * '' The Meddler'' (2015) * '' Triple 9'' (2016) * '' Outlaw King'' (2018)

Television

* ''

Heat Wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

'' (1990) * ''Memphis'' (1992) * ''Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell'' (documentary, 1993) * ''Due East'' (2002) * ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama series that aired on Showtime in the United States from 2004 to 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated wit ...

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2014–2019) * ''

'' (2015–2019) * ''

Quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

'' (2016) * '' Berlin Station'' (2016–2018) * ''

13 Reasons Why ''13 Reasons Why'' (also stylized as ''TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY'') is an American teen drama television series based on the 2007 novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. Developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and with Selena Gomez ser ...

'' (2017–2020) * '' The Alienist'' (2018) * '' Flint Town'' (2018) * '' Catch-22'' (2019) * '' Shantaram'' (2022) * ''

Disclaimer A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship. In contrast to other terms for legally operative langua ...

'' (2024)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Golin, Steve 1955 births 2019 deaths 21st-century American Jews People from Geneva, New York Film producers from New York (state) 20th-century American Jews Television producers from New York (state) Deaths from cancer in California Filmmakers who won the Best Film BAFTA Award Golden Globe Award–winning producers Tisch School of the Arts alumni AFI Conservatory alumni Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film production company founders Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Jews from New York (state) Businesspeople from New York (state) Jewish American film people