Richard Switzer
| Richard Switzer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
August 6, 1995 Queens, New York |
| Occupation | Producer, Actor, Entrepreneur |
Richard Switzer (born 6 August 1995) is an American film producer. Switzer was profiled on Entertainment Tonight for being the youngest producer in history,[1] beating the record of Steven Paul, who held the title for over 20 years.[2] Switzer also specializes in film finance and raised in excess of half a million dollars for film financing by the age of 19.[3] He is the founder and CEO of Switzer Entertainment Group, a film production company that specializes in the development, financing, packaging, and production of commercially viable independent films and coordinates for release through an exclusive output deal with Taylor & Dodge for worldwide distribution. The company also specializes in debt financing for presold films.[4]
Early life
Richard Switzer was born in Queens, New York on August 6, 1995 to Alexis and Dennis Switzer. He developed an interest in film at an early age after spotting a magazine ad for a one-time-use video camera. He moved to Groton, Connecticut at the age of 12 and attended Fitch Senior High School, graduating in 2013. Switzer then moved back to New York City to attend film school at the School of Visual Arts.[5] During his first year of film school, Switzer posted an ad on Craigslist on a whim, looking for a script after striking a connection with Eric Roberts. The ad was responded to by veteran screenwriter George P. Saunders, who wrote A Fatal Obsession, which went into production in early 2014.[5]
Switzer started making films at the age of ten and by the time he graduated high school he had produced, directed, written, and starred in over 50 short films and written five feature length screenplays. He attended business classes at Los Angeles Valley College.[6]
Career
The youngest film producer in history, he produced 3 feature films within 12 months of graduating high school, including A Fatal Obsession, Buddy Hutchins, and School's Out, featuring talent such as Nick Swardson, Jason London, Jamie Kennedy, Tracy Nelson, and Academy Award nominees Eric Roberts and Sally Kirkland.[7] Switzer produced and starred in School's Out, which was shot in Los Angeles in June of 2014.[8]
Switzer produced his first film during his freshman year as a film student at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. A Fatal Obsession is airing on TV in the Netherlands, France, South Africa, and Belgium. [9]
Switzer produced Blue Line, starring Tom Sizemore, Jordan Ladd, and Kevin Nash, in January of 2015 and served as an Executive Producer on Isolation, starring Dominic Purcell, Vinnie Jones, and Tricia Helfer. His next film is Altitude, a female-driven action film that takes place on a hijacked aircraft.
Filmography
- A Fatal Obsession (2014) – Producer
- Buddy Hutchins (2014) – Producer, Joel Hutchins
- School's Out (2015) – Producer, Danny Kent
- Blue Line (2015) – Producer
- Isolation (2015) – Executive Producer