Kevin Sullivan (producer)

Kevin Roderick Sullivan (born c. 1955) is a Canadian producer and director of film and television programs.

Kevin Sullivan began his filmmaking career at an early age of 24. His first foray into filmmaking was with a half-hour Hans Christian Andersen Christmas special titled The Fir Tree (1979) in which he edited and also had a small acting role.[1] From there Sullivan wrote, produced and directed the docu-drama Kreighoff (1979), a widely-acclaimed drama on the life of the prominent illustrator of 19th century Quebec. He wrote, produced and directed Megan Carey (1980), a film about a young Irish immigrant indentured on a farm in 19th century Canada. His first feature film was The Wild Pony (1982), a turning point for Sullivan, but also the first feature-length movie to be made exclusively for pay-TV in Canada. In 1984, he purchased the rights to Anne of Green Gables and completed the four-hour miniseries in 1985.

Sullivan graduated from the University of Toronto in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. That year, he founded Sullivan Entertainment with Trudy Grant[2] (to whom he is now married).[3] During this time, he also pursued an interest in Art History and Baroque Architecture and spent several months pursuing field studies in Austria and Bavaria. This interest in the 18th century most recently inspired his desire to create a contemporary feature film of Mozart’s classic opera The Magic Flute, entitled Magic Flute Diaries.[4]

Over his career, Sullivan has won three Emmy Awards,[5] and his films have been screened in over 150 countries. Sullivan is also the author of Beyond Green Gables, a behind-the-scenes look at the production design and inspiration for his films. Sullivan also was involved in a lawsuit with the heirs of Lucy Maud Montgomery, bringing them to court on a $55 Million defamation suit after they claimed he withheld royalties owed to the heirs.[6][7][8] The Court stated: It is not clear from a legal point of view why permission from the heirs of the author or its related entity the Anne of Green Gables Licensing (AGGLA) authority was necessary.[9]

Contents

Selected filmography

Director

Executive Producer

Writer

List of Awards

[11]

References

  1. ^ "The Fir Tree (1979) - Full cast and crew". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289949/fullcredits. Retrieved 20 February 2009. 
  2. ^ "Academy Award-Winning Actress Shirley MacLaine joins the cast of CTV's Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning". CTV News. October 23, 2007. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20071022/ctv_release_20071023/20071023. 
  3. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838195/bio
  4. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0834927/
  5. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0838195/awards
  6. ^ Judge throws out case against Montgomery's heirs, The Globe and Mail, January 20, 2004
  7. ^ Sullivan Entertainment Group Inc. v. MacDonald Butler, 2004 CanLII 8939 (ON S.C.)
  8. ^ The case can be found here.
  9. ^ Japanese court decision
  10. ^ John J. O'Connor (June 2, 1989). "TV Weekend; A Coming-of-Age Film and Martin Short". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE4D81131F931A35755C0A96F948260. 
  11. ^ Kevin Sullivan Awards, IMDB

External links