About The Filmmakers

JOHN LEE HANCOCK (Director/Screenwriter) previously directed the "The Rookie," starring Dennis Quaid, which won the 2002 ESPY Award for Best Sports Movie. He also directed and co-wrote the historical drama "The Alamo," starring Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton.

Hancock most recently co-wrote the screenplay for the musical drama "The Goree Girls," to star Jennifer Aniston, which is slated for release in 2010. His upcoming films also include the drama "The Starling," which he is set to direct, and the fact-based Hurricane Katrina drama "The American Can," which he is co-writing and will direct.

Originally from Texas City, Texas, Hancock earned a law degree from Baylor University. Upon moving to Los Angeles, he traded his legal career for the chance to start the theatre company Legal Aliens, with actor Brandon Lee. He wrote and directed several original stage plays there before launching his film and television career.

Hancock's first major motion picture screenplay, "A Perfect World," was directed by Clint Eastwood, who also produced and starred alongside Kevin Costner and Laura Dern. Hancock then wrote "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," the screen adaptation of the acclaimed book, also directed by Eastwood. He made his producing debut with the family drama "My Dog Skip," starring Kevin Bacon, Diane Lane and Frankie Muniz, under the direction of Jay Russell.

For television, Hancock created the CBS series "L.A. Doctors," on which he was an executive producer, director and writer. Later, he served as executive producer of the network's drama series "Falcone," also directing episodes.

Hancock is currently an advisor at the Sundance Institute Screenwriting Lab.

GIL NETTER (Producer) most recently produced the box office hit "Marley & Me," starring Jennifer Aniston and Luke Wilson. In addition, he served as an executive producer on the fantasy adventure "Eragon."

Netter's credits as a producer also include the romantic comedy "Fever Pitch," starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon; the family film "Flicka," starring Tim McGraw and Maria Bello; the thriller "Phone Booth," directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Colin Farrell; and the comedy "Dude, Where's My Car?," starring Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott.

Netter earlier served as president of Zucker Brothers Productions for seven years. During his tenure, he executive produced such films as "My Best Friend's Wedding," "First Knight," "Naked Gun 331/3: The Final Insult," "Naked Gun 2: The Smell of Fear," "My Life" and "A Walk in the Clouds."

ANDREW A. KOSOVE (Producer) and BRODERICK JOHNSON (Producer) are co-founders, co-presidents and co-CEOs of Alcon Entertainment, which has financed and/or produced a wide range of films.

Under the Alcon banner, Kosove and Johnson are currently producing "The Book of Eli," directed by Albert and Allen Hughes and starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis. The film is slated for release in January 2010. They are also producing the comedy "The Lottery Ticket," directed by Erik White and starring Bow Wow and Ice Cube, which will open later in the year.

Alcon earlier produced the acclaimed family film "My Dog Skip," which led to an ongoing Warner Bros. Pictures distribution deal. Alcon's subsequent titles included the comedy "Dude, Where's My Car?," starring Ashton Kutcher; Christopher Nolan's thriller "Insomnia," starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank; and the family film "Racing Stripes," which blended animation and live action.

More recent Alcon titles include the ensemble hit "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and its sequel, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," both starring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrara, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel; the action-thriller "16 Blocks," starring Bruce Willis; and the romantic comedy-drama sleeper hit "P.S. I Love You," starring Hilary Swank and directed by Richard LaGravenese, which grossed more than $150 million worldwide.

Alcon's longstanding distribution deal with Warner Bros. Pictures was recently renewed for another five years, encompassing a 15-film slate.

MICHAEL LEWIS (Author) has published nine books on various subjects, all but one of them New York Times best sellers. Prior to The Blind Side, originally published in 2006, he wrote Moneyball, a book ostensibly about baseball but also about the way markets value people. His other works include The New New Thing, about Silicon valley during the Internet boom; Losers, about the 1996 Presidential campaign; and Liar's Poker, a Wall Street story based in part on his own experience working as an investment banker for Salomon Brothers.

He is a contributing writer to Vanity Fair, and also writes often for The New York Times Magazine. His articles have also appeared in The New Yorker, Gourmet, Slate, Sports Illustrated, Foreign Affairs, and Poetry Magazine. He has served as editor and columnist for the British weekly The Spectator and as senior editor and campaign correspondent for The New Republic. In addition, he has filmed and narrated short pieces for ABC-TV's "Nightline," and made a four-part documentary on the social consequences of the Internet for the BBC.

Lewis grew up in New Orleans and remains deeply interested and involved in the city. He holds a B.A. in Art History from Princeton and an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics. He lives in Berkeley, California with his wife, Tabitha Soren, and their three children: Quinn, Dixie and Walker. His most recent book is Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood, about his attempts to raise them.

MOLLY SMITH (Executive Producer) is currently developing several projects under her own 2S Films banner, including adaptations of the New York Times bestseller Something Borrowed, by Emily Giffin, and the international bestseller French Women Don't Get Fat, by Mireille Guiliano.

Smith developed her passion for filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she began to build her resume by working on productions throughout her college years. She started her career working on several Alcon Entertainment productions, including "The Affair of the Necklace," starring Hilary Swank; Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia," starring Swank, Al Pacino and Robin Williams; and Troy Beyer's "Love Don't Cost a Thing."

Later becoming a production executive at Alcon, Smith helped oversee the productions of "Chasing Liberty," starring Mandy Moore, and the successful family film "Racing Stripes," filmed on location in South Africa. Upon wrapping these two films, she began to freelance in production and went to work on such projects as the dance movie "Step Up" and the ABC pilot "Traveler."

In the fall of 2007, Smith joined Wendy Finerman and Alcon Entertainment to produce her first film, "P.S. I Love You," written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler.

TIMOTHY M. BOURNE (Executive Producer) produced the hit drama "Drumline," and has also served as an executive producer on such films as "Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins," "One Missed Call," "ATL," and "Mr. 3000." He is currently in production as an executive producer on the comedy "The Lottery Ticket," starring Bow Wow and Ice Cube, and slated for release in Summer 2010.

Bourne has worked on many of director Penny Marshall's films, serving as coproducer for "Renaissance Man," "The Preacher's Wife" and "Riding in Cars with Boys," and as production manager for "Big," "Awakenings" and "A League of Their Own." Additionally, Bourne served as a co-producer on Andy Tennant's "Ever After," and on the Jim Henson Company's "Muppets from Space" and "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland."

He previously collaborated with director Mike Nichols on "Heartburn" and "Working Girl," and with Barbra Streisand on "The Prince of Tides." Bourne's film work also includes "A Walk to Remember," "Summer Catch," "Bastard Out of Carolina," "Sleeping with the Enemy," "Everybody Wins" and "The Muppets Take Manhattan."

Bourne began his career scouting locations for Woody Allen's "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy," and subsequently worked on Allen's "Zelig," "Broadway Danny Rose," "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Radio Days." The son of Oscar®-nominated production designer Mel Bourne, he was born and raised in Manhattan.

ERWIN STOFF (Executive Producer) has worked on a range of high-profile film and television projects as a producer or executive producer. He is also a principal partner in the leading management firm 3 Arts Entertainment, which he co-founded more than 20 years ago.

As a producer, Stoff's recent credits include last year's worldwide hit remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and the actioner "Street Kings." He also executive produced the blockbuster sci-fi drama "I Am Legend," directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Will Smith.

Previously, he produced writer-director Richard Linklater's "A Scanner Darkly"; "Guess Who," starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher; Francis Lawrence's "Constantine"; "Biker Boyz," starring Laurence Fishburne; "Sweet November," with Charlize Theron; and "Picture Perfect," starring Jennifer Aniston. His credits as an executive producer include "The Lake House," "Hard Ball," "The Replacements," "The Matrix," "The Devil's Advocate," "Feeling Minnesota," "Chain Reaction," "National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1," and "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me."

For the small screen, Stoff recently served as executive producer on NBC's critically acclaimed drama series "Kings." In addition, 3 Arts Entertainment has produced such television projects as the USA Network miniseries "The Starter Wife" and the HBO series "Carnivale."

ALAR KIVILO (Director of Photography) recently lensed the acclaimed HBO movie "Taking Chance," starring Kevin Bacon, and Harold Ramis' comedy "Year One."

A native of Montreal, Kivilo began his cinematography career shooting documentaries and short films, including "Boys and Girls," which won an Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short in 1984. Kivilo next began shooting music videos, which eventually led to commercials and the formation of his own company, Propeller. For the next ten years, he directed and shot many Bessie, Clio and Cannes Award-winning commercials.

In 1987, Kivilo lensed his first feature, "Da," followed by Sam Raimi's "A Simple Plan." He has since served as the director of photography on such films as "Frequency," "The Glass House," "Hart's War," "Aurora Borealis," "The Ice Harvest," "The Lake House" and "The Lookout."

For his work on the small screen, Kivilo earned Emmy and American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Award nominations for the HBO biopic "Gotti," and an ASC Award nomination for the miniseries "The Invaders." His television credits also include the HBO movies "Normal," "Weapons of Mass Distraction" and "Rebound."

MICHAEL CORENBLITH (Production Designer) has been honored with two Academy Award® nominations, the first for his work on Ron Howard's true-life drama "Apollo 13" and another for the imaginative creation of Dr. Seuss' Whoville in Howard's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." He also won a BAFTA Award for "Apollo 13" and received an Art Directors Guild (ADG) Award nomination for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." He more recently earned another ADG Award nomination for his work on Howard's "Frost/Nixon."

Corenblith's collaborations with Ron Howard also include "Ransom" and "EDtv." He previously worked with John Lee Hancock on the historical drama "Alamo," for which he won an award from the Alamo Battlefield Association in recognition of his recreations of San Antonio de Bexar and the Alamo, the largest standing sets ever built in North America. His additional feature credits include "Wild Hogs," "Be Cool," the remake of "Mighty Joe Young," "Cool World" and "He Said, She Said."

For television, Corenblith won an Emmy Award in 1983 for his work as a set designer on the 55th Annual Academy Awards® show. He more recently worked on the series "Dexter" and "Eerie, Indiana."

A graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, Corenblith studied design at UCLA and entered the entertainment industry as a television lighting designer. Segueing to films, he started out as a set designer or art director on such films as "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," "Cat People," "Burglar," "Red Heat" and "Die Hard 2: Die Harder."

DANIEL ORLANDI (Costume Designer) has frequently collaborated with director Ron Howard, most recently on "Angels and Demons," starring Tom Hanks, and the award-winning drama "Frost/Nixon," starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen. He previously worked with Howard on "The Da Vinci Code" and "Cinderella Man," starring Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger.

His film credits also include John Lee Hancock's historical epic "The Alamo"; the 1960s-styled "Down with Love," starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor; the Joel Schumacher-directed thrillers "The Number 23" and "Phone Booth"; Jerry Bruckheimer's "Kangaroo Jack"; and "Last Holiday" starring Queen Latifah. He also worked three times with actor Robert De Niro, on the films "Meet the Parents," "Flawless" and "The Fan."

For television, Orlandi won a 1989 Emmy Award for his work on "The Magic of David Copperfield XI." His additional television credits include the first season of the comedy series "Ed," and such telefilms as "Witness to the Mob" and "Marilyn and Me."

A graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University, Orlandi got his start working with Bob Mackie on the film "Pennies from Heaven" and numerous television specials, as well as on Mackie's successful couture collection.

MARK LIVOLSI (Editor) worked with director David Frankel as an editor on the recent hit comedies "Marley & Me" and "The Devil Wears Prada," earning an Eddie Award nomination from the American Cinema Editors for the latter. He had received his first Eddie Award nomination for his work on David Dobkin's smash hit comedy "Wedding Crashers," and more recently collaborated with Dobkin on "Fred Claus."

Livolsi's additional feature credits include "My Suicidal Sweetheart," "The Girl Next Door" and "Pieces of April." His first film as an editor was "Vanilla Sky," directed by Cameron Crowe, with whom he also collaborated as additional editor on "Elizabethtown" and associate editor on "Almost Famous."

As an assistant editor, Livolsi worked on the Woody Allen films "Deconstructing Harry," "Shadows and Fog," "Alice" and "Crimes & Misdemeanors." His credits as an assistant editor also include "Meet Joe Black," "Marvin's Room," "French Kiss," "The River Wild," "Heaven & Earth" and "Funny Farm."

CARTER BURWELL (Composer) recently composed the score for Spike Jonze's acclaimed feature "Where the Wild Things Are," and the hit thriller "Twilight." He previously worked with director John Lee Hancock on the films "The Rookie" and "The Alamo." Burwell has also written the music for virtually all of the Coen brothers' films, including the Oscar®-winning Best Picture "No Country for Old Men." Among their other collaborations are "A Serious Man," "Burn After Reading," "Intolerable Cruelty," "The Man Who Wasn't There," "The Big Lebowski," "Fargo," "The Hudsucker Proxy," "Barton Fink" and "Miller's Crossing."

Burwell graduated from Harvard College in 1977. While there, he studied animation with Mary Beams and George Griffin and electronic music with Ivan Tcherepnin, and pursued a course of independent study at the MIT Media Lab. After graduation he became a teaching assistant in the Harvard Electronic Music Studio.

Burwell began his film composing career in 1984 with "Blood Simple," which also began his work with the Coens. His film composing credits also include "This Boy's Life," "Kalifornia," "Rob Roy," "Conspiracy Theory," "The Spanish Prisoner," "Gods and Monsters," "Being John Malkovich," "Three Kings," "Before Night Falls," "Adaptation," "Kinsey," "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and "In Bruges."

In addition to his film work, Burwell continues to compose dance and theatrical projects, most notably "The Return of Lot's Wife," "Cara Lucia" and "Theater of the New Ear."

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