'Kirk Shaw (born May 23, 1956) is a Canadian-born producer [1] who founded Insight Films in 1990. Insight Films was Canada's largest independent production house.[2] Through Insight Films, Shaw has produced more than 100 award-winning films, including “Helen”, a 2009 Drama starring Ashley Judd that won a Leo Award in 2009 for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama and was also nominated for Best Feature Length Drama.[3] Shaw was part of the production team for the 2008 project, "The Hurt Locker", directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes and Evangeline Lilly, which reached international acclaim at the 82nd Academy Awards. It was nominated for nine Oscars including Best Picture and won six including Best Director for Bigelow, the first woman to win this award. The film earned numerous awards and honours from critics' organizations, festivals and groups, including six BAFTA Awards, and was also nominated for three Golden Globes in 2010.[4]
Shaw also produced such notable films such as Battle in Seattle in 2007, directed by Stuart Townsend and starring Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson and Joshua Jackson; the 2008 film Kill Switch with Steven Seagal; and two popular TV series: Blood Ties and Painkiller Jane.
Insight Films generated $500 million in film and television projects from 2005 to 2008.[5]
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Shaw completed a journalism diploma at Douglas College in BC with the initial intent of becoming a writer.[6] He landed on the administrative side of journalism, and was part of the management that launched the tabloid Edmonton Sun in 1978.[7] Upon his return to Vancouver in the mid-1980s, Shaw spent 12 years in the computer business before launching Insight Films.[8]
Shaw initially launched Insight Films to produce self-guided audio tours for museums and branched into video after he was approached by the Museum of Vancouver to produce display videos.[9]
In 1994 Shaw began to produce his own documentaries, with Insight’s first dramatic feature film released in 2001, Maximum Surge.[10]
| Year | Award | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | NSI Drama Prize | Winner |
| 1998 | VCAMMA Advertising Creative Awards | Certificate of Excellence |
| 2001 | Banff Film Festival HDTV Award | Winner |
| 2005 | BC Export Awards – New Media & Entertainment | First Place Winner |
| 2007 | Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year | Finalist - Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment |
| 2007 | BC Export Awards – New Media & Entertainment | First Place Winner |
| 2007 | Playback Annual Survey | Largest Production Company in Canada |
| Year | Award | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | AMTEC (Association of Media Technology in Education | Nominee - Battle in Seattle |
| 2006 | Leo Awards Best Documentary Program or Series | Nominee - Secret Files of the Inquisition |
| 2007 | Gen Art Film Festival Audience Award | Won - Numb |
| 2007 | Park City Film Festival Medal for Excellence for Outstanding Achievement in Film Music | Won Gold - Numb |
| 2007 | Berlin International Film Festival Golden Berlin Bear | Won - When a Man Falls in the Forest |
| 2007 | Leo Awards Best Musical Score in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - When a Man Falls in the Forest |
| 2007 | Leo Awards Best Picture Editing in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - When a Man Falls in the Forest |
| 2007 | Leo Awards Best Production Design in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - When a Man Falls in the Forest |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series | Nominee - Painkiller Jane |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Musical Score in a Dramatic Series | Won - Painkiller Jane |
| 2008 | Gemini Awards Best Original Music Score for a Program or Series | Nominee - Blood Ties |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Cinemetography in a Dramatic Series | Nominee - Blood Ties |
| 2008 | WorldFest Houston Special Jury Award | Won Gold - Blood Ties |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Battle in Seattle |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Costume Design in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Battle in Seattle |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Production Design in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Battle in Seattle |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Devil's Diary |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Devil's Diary |
| 2009 | Leo Awards Best Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Helen |
| 2009 | Leo Awards Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama | Won - Helen |
| 2009 | Leo Awards Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Helen |