Cary Granat

Not to be confused with Cary Grant.

Cary Granat is an American film producer who co-founded Walden Media, a production company focused on educational family films. He served as the company's CEO from 2001 to 2009. Granat began his film career at Warner Bros. and then went on to serve as an executive at MCA/Universal before starting his tenure as president of Miramax Films' Dimension Division.

Career

As president of Miramax Dimension Division, Granat worked closely with Bob Weinstein to build Dimension into one of the most recognizable brands in the entertainment business. He oversaw such projects as the successful Scream, Scary Movie and Spy Kids franchises. He also established an alliance with Sony and Capitol/EMI in forming Miramax/Dimension Records.

As CEO of Walden Media, Granat has overseen the production of several films for children, including securing the rights to C. S. Lewis's beloved Chronicles of Narnia and overseeing the production of the Academy Award-winning The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the first film in the franchise.

Granat is also a chairman on the board of the Tufts University Communications and Media Studies Program, of which he is alumni (and where in 1990 he received The Paul and Elizabeth Montle Prize for Entrepreneurial Achievement), and serves on the board of directors of World Information Transfer (WIT), a non-governmental organization in general consultative status with the United Nations. He resides in Los Angeles, California and Woodstock, Illinois with his wife and three children.

Awards

In 2005, Granat received the P.T. Barnum Award from Tufts University for his exceptional work in the field of media and entertainment.

Sources

• Taddonio, Patrice (5 December 2005). "For Them, Filmmaking Is An Open Book". Profile: Walden Media. Tufts University.