A Company History
ShadowCatcher produced its first feature film in 1997, the award winning Smoke Signals, which was purchased by Miramax. ShadowCatcher produced the next two feature films in 1998: The Book of Stars and Getting To Know You, both of which were bought for worldwide distribution. ShadowCatcher expanded its entertainment slate in 2002 by investing in the successful Broadway revival, Frankie and Johnnie in the Clair de Lune, and taking an Associate Producer role in two Off-Broadway shows, Debbie Does Dallas and Tuesdays with Morrie. The Company landed an experienced producer, Tom Gorai, who has significantly enlarged ShadowCatcher’s operating base and expanded its relationships within the entertainment world through his office in New York and well-established relationships in Los Angeles.
In 2003 ShadowCatcher sold the screenplay, The Skeleton Key, to Universal Studios. The Iain Softley film stars Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard and John Hurt. The Company continued to expand its film projects with the development of American Pastime, as well as investing in a new Broadway production of the classic musical, Fiddler on the Roof, which opened at the Minskoff Theatre with Alfred Molina.
In January of 2004 ShadowCatcher invested in The Araca Group’s production of Match (starring Frank Langella, Ray Liotta and Jane Adams), and entered into an agreement with Lydia Pilcher to adapt Alice Hoffman’s novel, The Probable Future. ShadowCatcher worked as an Executive Producer on a Mike Hoffman film, Game Six, with Michael Keaton, Robert Downey, Jr. and Bebe Neuwirth; script by Don Delillo. The film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. The Company optioned the Jeannette Haien’s popular novella, The All of It, which has been adapted by the respected screenwriter, Lew Carlino.
In 2005 the Company began a working relationship with the experienced film and television producer, Norman Stephens. ShadowCatcher also optioned Dave Hunsaker and Allesandro Camon’s coming-of-age story, Inside Passage, for which Hunsaker has written the screenplay. ShadowCatcher also hired Mr. Hunsaker to write The High Road, a fictionalized account of the 1968 adventures of the heroic Mr. Katayama, his Datsun 510 and a crazy crew at the Baja 1000.
In 2006 ShadowCatcher produced two films: Outsourced, which was filmed in Mumbai, India, and American Pastime, which was shot in and around Salt Lake City.
In 2007 the Company optioned Barry Unsworth’s novel, Losing Nelson, which has been adapted by Lew Carlino and began working on Donna Williams’ extraordinary script, Nobody, Nowhere, which is based on her autobiography by the same title. The Company has also hired Dave Hunsaker to write an original screenplay based on events in the life of Edward S. Curtis, the renowned photographer and ethnographer of the American Indian.
In 2008 ShadowCatcher optioned and began developing Dave Marko’s spec script, West Liberty, as well as the story rights for Randy Grim, whose work with abused dogs in the Saint Louis community has earned him national recognition. The Company’s first feature documentary about the extraordinary Seattle artist, Ginny Ruffner, begins filming in February of 2009.
The People
DAVID SKINNER
Executive Producer
As the co-founder, owner and manager of ShadowCatcher Entertainment, David is responsible for the Company’s strategic and financial planning, as well as overseeing the development, financing and production of the company’s film projects. He has worked as an Executive Producer on Smoke Signals, The Book of Stars, Getting To Know You, Game 6, Outsourced and American Pastime.
TOM GORAI
Producer
Tom is ShadowCatcher’s producing partner. His feature film producing credits include Arlington Road (Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins) and Going All the Way (Ben Affleck, Jeremy Davies). Tom has also produced the documentaries Father’s Daze, Single Video Theory, and American Mullet, and served as Executive Producer on No Maps for These Territories, a feature length documentary about William Gibson, the “father of cyberspace.” Tom is responsible for attracting and developing many of the Company’s feature film projects and was the lead producer for Outsourced and a producer on American Pastime.
NORMAN STEPHENS
Producer
Norman has joined the ShadowCatcher team as an independent producer working out of Reno, Nevada, and Los Angeles. With a background as a Broadway producer, literary agent and senior studio executive (Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs for Warner Bros. Television, and Executive Vice President, Film and Television, Village Roadshow Pictures) he now focuses on independent television/cable movies and theatrical films. He produced the Orson Welles-scripted The Magnificent Ambersons for A&E Network; Executive Produced Benedict Arnold, starring Aidan Quinn and Kelsey Grammer, also for A&E.; Executive Produced Bang Bang You’re Dead for Showtime, which won five Emmy Awards, including Best Family Movie and recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in television programming. Waiting for a CBS airdate is Norman’s production of the remake of Sybil, starring Jessica Lange, Tammy Blanchard and JoBeth Williams, directed by Joseph Sargent. Norman recently brought Donna Williams’ groundbreaking, autobiographical screenplay, Nobody, Nowhere.