Cary Granat

Cary Granat is a leader, innovator and pioneer in the entertainment industry with over 55 films and $5.8 billion in box office revenues and a track record for creating new business models in 3D cinema, global film production and education.

He is best known for co-founding and serving as CEO for Walden Media from 2000 to 2009 and acting as President and COO of Miramax Films’ Dimension Division from 1995 to 2000. While at Walden Media, Granat secured the rights to C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series and oversaw production on the successful first film of the franchise, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Granat’s other films include Scream, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Scary Movie, Amazing Grace, and Spy Kids.

Cary Granat worked at MCA/Universal first as Director of Development from 1992 to 1995. He worked on films such as Babe and Casino, as well as acquired the original Meet the Parents, a Gregg Glienna film, for remake. While working in the film group under Hal Lieberman and Casey Silver, Granat also found himself evaluating corporate deals for the company. While this was outside his job purview, it built a mentor relationship for Granat with company chairman Tom Pollock.

After Universal, Granat joined Dimension Films as Head of Creative and then later as President and COO from 1995 to 2000. Granat worked closely with and for Bob Weinstein to build Dimension into one of the most recognizable brands in the entertainment business, managing a roster that became distinguished for both its trend-setting content and international box-office success. This includes the blockbuster Scream franchise, the Wayans' Scary Movie franchise and Dimension’s launch of Robert Rodriguez’s highly successful Spy Kids franchise. During this time Dimension re-established the studio system of the 30’s and 40’s, building an exclusive family of artists including Guillermo del Toro, Robert Rodriguez, Wes Craven, Kevin Williamson, Ehren Kruger, and Ben Affleck. In addition to films, Dimension capitalized on the synergy between music and film, establishing the alliance of Sony and Capitol/EMI in the formation of Miramax/Dimension Records. The Dimension Executive team of the 1990’s was a highly collaborative group of executives who all fought for the success of the projects; such as Andrew Rona, Andrew Gumpert, Michael Helfant, Richard Potter, Randy Spendlove, Brian Burkin, and Josh Greenstein.

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