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RENA RONSON:

WILLIAM MORRIS INDEPENDENT

Rena Ronson, a veteran of international co-production and distribution, is Senior Vice President of Motion Pictures and Co-head of William Morris Independent, the independent film packaging and financing division of The William Morris Agency. A preeminent specialist in raising financing and selling world rights for independent films around the world, Ronson has been active in putting together some of the most important independent films of the last few years. Her relationships within the talent, production, financial and distribution communities have become invaluable resources in helping to set up films. Ronson's involvement in international co-production and co-financing has made her one of the most passionate and active players in the marketplace and a dynamic supporter of independent cinema. Her extensive experience abroad and in the United States gives her powerful insight concerning the global film market and the expanding economics of this business. Ronson has helped launch the careers of many directors, helping them package and structure the financing for their directorial debuts. Some of these include Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's Half Nelson, Sarah Polly's Away From Her, Brian Dannelly's Saved, Dan Harris' Imaginary Heroes, Ed Solomon's Levity, and Jill Sprecher's 13 Conversations About One Thing. She was also instrumental in the financing and sale of many other independent films including Jason Reitman's Thank You For Smoking, Mark Forster's Monster's Ball (which went on to earn Halle Berry an Academy Award for Best Actress), Miguel Arteta's The Good Girl starring Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhal, Wayne Kramer's The Cooler, David Slade's Hard Candy, Nicole Cassell's The Woodsman, and Jacob Estes' Mean Creek. Ronson has also worked with many established directors, having put together creative financing structures for Gus Van Sant's Gerry starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck and raising the financing for Woody Allen's Curse of the Jade Scorpion and Hollywood Endings. She also arranged and negotiated the financing for several production companies including Lauren Shuler Donner and Dick Donner's The Donner Company and Mark Canton's production company, The Canton Company with German distributor and financier Senator Films. Most recently, she helped launch El Camino Pictures, a film finance company owned by financier Bob Yari and co-run by William Morris Independent, that helps finance films with budgets $15 million and under. Films produced under the El Camino banner include Shainee Gabel's A Love Song for Bobby Long starring John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson (who received a Golden Globe nomination for her role), Frank E. Flower, Haven starring Orlando Bloom, Mark Fergus' First Snow starring Guy Pierce, Susan Kramer's Gray Matters (starring Heather Graham, Alan Cumming and Sissy Spacek), and Arie Posin's Chumbscrubber starring Glenn Close, Jamie Bell and Ralph Fiennes. Prior to joining The William Morris Agency, Ronson ran Lakeshore International, a division of Lakeshore Entertainment she helped launch after spearheading the sale of the Trans Atlantic Library to Lakeshore. She launched the company in October 1996, positioning it as one of the leading independent foreign sales companies. Ronson handled such diverse productions as Mark Pellington's suspense thriller Arlington Road, Tom DiCillo's The Real Blonde, and Theresa Connely's Polish Wedding. She has also spearheaded the acquisition of several highly regarded independent films such as Lynn Stopkewich's controversial Kissed, Finn Taylor's Dream with the Fishes, and Lisa Krueger's Manny & Lo starring Scarlet Johansson. In additional to her career in foreign distribution, Ronson produced the film Twin Falls Idaho, which she developed with writer/directors Mark and Michael Polish and was released in the U.S. by Sony Classics, and served as Executive Producer on several independent features including Susan Streitfield's sexual psychodrama Female Perversions and Salome Breziner's Tollbooth. Ronson received an M.A. in International Educational Development and Media Studies at Columbia University. Her distinct background also includes employment and studies abroad in Spain and Latin America.

 

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