Dan Halsted is an American film producer, and manager.
He was born in New York on July 12, 1962, and moved to Beverly Hills, California in 1976. He graduated from the UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science. His Hollywood career started in 1984 as an assistant to Scott Rudin at 20th Century Fox before later becoming an agent at United Talent Agency (formerly Bauer Benedek Agency).[1][2]
While at 20th Century Fox and UTA, Halsted packaged and sold films such as There's Something About Mary, New Jack City, The Fabulous Baker Boys, K-9, RoboCop, Casualties of War, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Predator and The Untouchables.[3][4]
Halsted left the representation business in 1990 to work at Hollywood Pictures, a division of The Walt Disney Company. While there, he oversaw projects such as The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,[2]Tombstone, Evita, Mr. Holland's Opus, Encino Man, Son in Law, The Joy Luck Club And While You Were Sleeping.
Halsted partnered with filmmaker Oliver Stone in 1995 to create Illusion Entertainment, a joint production company.[5] Together, they produced films such as Nixon, U Turn, The Art of War, The Corruptor, Beyond Borders, Freeway, Any Given Sunday and the documentary The Last Days of Kennedy and King for TBS.
In 1999, Halsted ventured out on his own with Halsted Pictures,[6] a multi-year, first-look production deal with Mandalay Pictures.[5] That same year, he produced The Virgin Suicides and the action film S.W.A.T.. During this time, Halsted also executive produced both the TNT television pilot[6] and series Witchblade, and the movie Serving Sara.
One of Halsted’s final projects as a full-time producer was the award-winning Garden State.[2] Halsted helped find buyers for the film, which started as a relatively unknown independent and eventually sold for $5 million to Miramax Films and Fox Searchlight Pictures at Sundance 2004.[7][8]
In 2004, Halsted formed his own company, Manage-ment,[2] representing film and television writers[9] and directors.
Manage-ment television clients are past and current writers and producers of such shows as MAD MEN, BREAKING BAD, ROYAL PAINS, FAIRLY LEGAL, U.S. OF TARA, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, RESCUE ME, THE INBETWEENERS. Manage-ment represents many established and celebrated writers and directors of such films as the upcoming THE KILLER ELITE, starring Robert De Niro, Clive Owen and Jason Statham, BLUE VALENTINE, GREEN LANTERN, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, WALL STREET, NOTORIOUS, BEE MOVIE, EAGLE VS SHARK, 9 1/2 WEEKS, WHAT LIES BENEATH, GLORY ROAD, OBSELIDIA, GAS LAND and W. Currently, Manage-ment is producing the television shows OVER/UNDER with USA Network, starring Steven Pasquale, Caroline Dhavernas and Anthony Carrigan; and THE ENCLAVE, from the co-executive producers of MAD MEN, with Fox TV Studios and USA. Manage-ment is actively developing several films, including DOWN at Relativity and F***ING ENGAGED starring Jessica Biel.
Halsted and Manage-ment also provide equity consulting and investment banking services to financiers, with services provided on such films as Michael Clayton, The Namesake, Garden State, the 2010 Best Documentary Emmy nominee Crips and Bloods: Made in America[10] and Samsara, the sequel to Baraka.
At the end of 2011, Halsted signed a first-look development deal as a producer with Fox Television Studios.[2]