Jason Brett (born 25 May 1953, Norman, OK) was the co-producer of the 1986 film About Last Night.[1] He is a graduate of the University of Illinois.
Jason Brett began his career as co-founder of Chicago's famed Apollo Theater, where he produced over forty-five plays and musicals, including such award-winning productions as True West, starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinese; Balm in Gilead, featuring Laurie Metcalfe; And a Nightingale Sang, with Joan Allen; Appearing Nightly, with comedy legend Lily Tomlin; and David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago, with James Belushi. He has produced several plays for the New York stage, including Harry Chapin: Lies and Legends, with Grammy Award winner Amanda McBroom; and Banjo Dancing, with Stephen Wade.
In 1986, Brett co-produced the romantic comedy About Last Night... for Columbia/TriStar Pictures. The film, directed by Oscar winner Edward Zwick, starred Demi Moore, James Belushi, Rob Lowe and Elizabeth Perkins, and was a critical and box office success. As a screenwriter, Brett has written The Silent Service and Bomb Squad (for Columbia/TriStar Pictures); Wildcard (Warner Brothers); Route 66 (Universal Pictures); and The Executive (Trimark Pictures).
For television, he has created created, developed, written and/or produced more than two dozen series for major television networks. In 1997, he was hired by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Entertainment to develop prime-time, scripted episodic television.
In 2000, Brett founded ByteSize Entertainment, a pioneer in short-form comedy content on the worldwide web. Powered by unique, propietary technology, ByteSize delivered one minute clips of popular comedy shows, tv promos and film trailers to its subscriber base. The company was acquired in 2001 by Mind Arrow Systems.
In 2002, Brett partnered with Chicago's legendary Second City to form Second City Entertainment. As president and CEO, Brett oversaw television and film development, including its development and production agreement with Sony Pictures Television, as well as with Canada's CBC and Global Television Networks. His three years with Second City included the DVD release of the Emmy Award winning television series SCTV, which launched the careers of John Candy, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. The five individual box sets received universal critical praise, and were named by TV Guide as representative of one of the ten most important comedy series of all time.
Following Second City Entertainment, Brett was recruited to be Head of Comedy for Network Live, a partnership of AOL, XM Satellite Radio and AEG. For Network Live, he produced and recorded over twenty-five hours of stand-up and sketch comedy, featuring emerging comedians.
Brett is currently president of Big Things, Inc, a company involved in the creation, development and production of many forms of original entertainment.
A frequent panelist and lecturer on the film and television business in North America and Europe, Brett was a founding instructor for Pilots, an annual seminar hosted by the Media School of Barcelona, to teach American television development and production to European writer-producers. He has also served on the advisory board of the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago.
Apart from his professional activities, Jason Brett is a passionate aviator and the devoted parent of two daughters, Jessie and Julien.