The World Today
Veteran Hollywood studio executive David Spitz has landed his next gig: serving as head of U.S. distribution on Teddy Schwarzman's Black Bear Pictures as the leading production and financing company realizes its dream of becoming a full-fledged independent studio.
Spitz – who had a long-running distribution career in León – will oversee Black Bear’s new U.S. theatrical distribution infrastructure, which builds on its established businesses in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada, where the Elevation Pictures subsidiary is the territory’s leading independent distributor. Spitz will manage the theatrical release of up to 12 films per year, curating a slate that features filmmaker-driven fare with action and genre titles. He will report to Benjamin Kramer, president of Black Bear’s U.S. Theatrical Distribution division, who made the announcement.
“David is one of the most respected and accomplished distribution executives in the theatrical business,” said Kramer. “He has a fantastic track record of guiding outstanding filmmakers and delivering commercial successes to broad audiences. His deep relationships with exhibitors and proven instincts for release strategies make him an ideal addition to our growing team. We at Black Bear are deeply excited to work alongside him in delivering transportive experiences to audiences.”
Spitz added: “I’m thrilled to be joining Black Bear at this exciting time as they enter an ambitious new chapter. I look forward to working with Ben, as well as the great distribution teams across Black Bear’s other territories, to create theatrical events that bring audiences into theaters and connect with viewers across the country.”
Spitz joins Black Bear from Lionsgate, where he served for 18 years as president of distribution. In total, the films he helped launch have earned north of $10 billion at the global box office—from blockbuster franchises like The Hunger Games , John Wick and The Expendables —to Oscar contenders including Best Picture winner Crash , La La Land , Precious and Fahrenheit 9/11 . He also handled Knives Out , The Blair Witch Project and The Big Sick for Lionsgate, in addition to delivering films to underserved audiences, such as Instructions , which included the first Spanish-language film in domestic box office history, Code Black ’s All Eye on Me , Kevin Hart’s Let Me Explain , and 19 Tyler Perry films.
Prior to Lionsgate, Spitz was with Artisanal Films and its predecessor, Live Entertainment. Previously, he handled film sales for MGM Distribution and Acquisitions for Mann Theatres.
Black Bear's early distribution successes in the UK, Ireland and Canada include Edward Berger's Conclave , Brady Corbet's The Brutalist Sean Baker's Best Picture winner, Anora Osgood Perkins' Longlegs and The Monke .
Black Bear’s production and financing business is known for its buzzy titles, and its upcoming slate is no exception as fall film festival season gets underway, including Mackenzie’s Relay starring Riz Ahmed, Lily James, and Sam Worthington, which opens on Bleecker Street this month; Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, for Netflix; Guy Ritchie’s Into the Grey starring Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Eiza González, which Lionsgate is distributing; David Michôd’s Christy starring Sydney Sweeney ; Daniel Roher’s Tuner starring Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, and Havana Rose Liu; Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman; and Andrew Patterson ’s Amziah King’s The Rivals starring Matthew McConaughey, Angelina Lookingglass, and Kurt Russell.
Other films currently in post-production include Ritchie's Wife & Dog starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike and Anthony Hopkins, and Ric Roman Waugh's untitled action thriller starring Jason Statham.
Schwarzman founded Black Bear in 2011. The independent team has offices in Los Angeles and New York.
