September 30, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000
                      lunger@oscars.org

Slate of Outstanding Film Producers Scheduled for Academy Seminar

Beverly Hills, CA - A who's-who of today's top motion picture producers has signed on to participate in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Producers on Producing" seminar, which kicks-off its four session run on Wednesday, October 23, at 7 p.m., in the Academy Little Theater. Subsequent sessions will be held on the following consecutive Wednesdays, through November 13.

Each of four weeks will focus on a different topic, with all of the sessions including film clips and discussion between the featured producers and the audience. The seminar series is open to the public, though seating is extremely limited.

Following are the schedule and expected participants (subject to availability):

October 23: "Conquering Development," with Marc Abraham, Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher. Abraham's credits include "Spy Game" (2001) and "A Thousand Acres" (1997). Shamberg earned his first Best Picture nomination in 1983 for "The Big Chill." In 2000, he and Sher were nominated for producing "Erin Brockovich." They also share producing credits for "Man on the Moon" (1999), "Out of Sight" (1998) and "Get Shorty" (1995).

October 30: "Navigating Studio Politics," with Lindsay Doran and Saul Zaentz. Doran produced the 1995 Best Picture nominee "Sense and Sensibility," as well as "Leaving Normal" (1992) and "Dead Again" (1991). Zaentz has won three Best Picture Oscars: "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), "Amadeus" (1984) and "The English Patient" (1996). He is also the recipient of the Academy's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which recognizes "a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production."

November 6: "Maintaining Technological Edge," with Gale Anne Hurd, Mark Johnson and James Jacks. Hurd's credits include "Armageddon" (1998), "Dante's Peak" (1997), "The Abyss" (1989) and "The Terminator" (1984). Johnson won an Academy Award in 1988 as producer of "Rain Man" and he was nominated again in 1991 for "Bugsy." Jacks' credits include "The Scorpion King" (2002), "The Mummy Returns" (2001) and "A Simple Plan" (1998).

November 13: "Recruiting Cast and Crew," with David Foster and Larry Mark. "Collateral Damage" (2002) and "The Mask of Zorro" (1998) are among the films Foster has produced. Mark received an Academy Award nomination in 1996 as producer of "Jerry Maguire." His other credits include "Riding in Cars with Boys" (2001) and "Finding Forrester" (2000).

Registration for the four-week seminar is $80 for the general public and $60 for Academy members and students with valid identification. Interested individuals may register in person at the Academy during regular business hours or by mail. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3000, ext. 111.