FOCUS Features announced today that Academy Award®-nominated and Golden Globe® winning producer and executive Jim Burke has been named President of Production. Burke's appointment continues FOCUS Features diversification and expansion of its film slate to include a greater number of specialty and wide release films. Additionally, current FOCUS Features Senior Vice President of Production, Josh McLaughlin, has been promoted to Executive Vice President, reporting to Burke. FOCUS Features CEO Peter Schlessel, to whom Burke will report, made the announcement.
"I have known Jim for many years and not only does he have a tremendous talent for both developing and producing films, he's also a passionate advocate for filmmaking talent," said Schlessel. "Jim's breadth of experience is the perfect fit to lead our production efforts as we continue to grow the FOCUS Features brand with a mix of both specialty films and wide releases. Josh's contributions since I joined the company have been invaluable and I am pleased to announce his promotion, one that he earned by taking stewardship of our production slate while the company transitioned under our new mandate." Jim Burke's film and television career spans several genres and formats from prestige pictures to wide release films and television programming. Most recently he produced the Golden Globe winning feature THE DESCENDANTS which was also nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture; and a win for Best Adapted Screenplay. Burke also produced the film CEDAR RAPIDS and served as executive producer on the Academy Award-nominated film THE SAVAGES. In 2004, Jim, along with Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, created the production company Ad Hominem.Videos