EVAN HAYES TO JOIN AS PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 3, 2014) – Parkes/MacDonald Productions and Image Nation Abu Dhabi announced today the extension of their joint venture with a new five year deal.
As a result of this expansion, Evan Hayes has been appointed President of Production at Parkes/Macdonald. In his new role, Hayes will oversee the company’s large slate of feature film projects as well as supervise all aspects of production and creative development.
The new 5 year deal extends and expands on the relationship between the two entities, which began in 2010 with a $10 million revolving financing fund which gave the production company the opportunity to acquire and develop a slate of projects at a time when the US studios were cutting back on development spending. The relationship expanded in 2012 when Parkes+MacDonald/Image Nation was formed, a new joint which built on the fund by providing overhead and a first-look deal to develop, acquire and produce projects.
The next Parkes+Macdonald/Image Nation project is the untitled feature length documentary about Malala Yousafzai directed by Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth). This follows the box-office hitsFlight and Men in Black 3. Next up isKeeping Up with the Joneses, written by Mike Lesieur, which the partnership developed through their $10 million fund, and is now slated for production at Fox 2000 with Greg Mottola (Superbad) directing and Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) and Isla Fisher (The Great Gatsby) starring.
The Parkes+Macdonald/Image Nation partnership is also developing a number of other independent and studio projects, including a live action comedy feature based on “Barbie”, the most successful girls’ toy line in history, being produced with Mattel set up at Sony Pictures.
Other projects in production or pre-production for Parkes/MacDonald include NBC’s The Slap, which is currently shooting in Brooklyn, New York, and Paramount’s Ring 3 with director F. Javier Gutierrez (Before the Fall), slated to begin principal photography in Atlanta in early March.
“We’ve worked with Walter and Laurie for a number of years now and the new deal is the natural extension of our great partnership. In joining the team, Evan brings a wealth of experience in independent productions, which will allow us to broaden our focus.
The Parkes/Macdonald team will continue to work closely with us in Abu Dhabi, bringing their creative vision and expertise to bear on our local productions. We look forward to the release of the Malala documentary next year and to developing and producing more exciting projects in the future,” said Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation Abu Dhabi.
Evan Hayes was most recently partner and the President of Production at Story Mining & Supply Co. While at Story Mining, Hayes oversaw a large slate of projects, including the Starz original series Outlander, created by Ron Moore, the war drama The Yellow Birds written by David Lowery, the true crime thriller The Fence, written by Dennis Lehane & George Pelecanos, and the St-Cyr & Kohler series from author J. Robert Janes with Gideon Raff (Homeland, Tyrant, Dig) show running, among others.
In addition, Hayes developed and is an Executive Producer of Everest for Universal Pictures & Working Title Films. The film is currently in post-production and will be released by Universal in September, 2015. Baltasar Kormakur (The Deep, Contraband, Jar City) directed the film, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Keira Knightley, Robin Wright and Sam Worthington, from a script by Simon Beaufoy & Bill Nicholson.
Prior to joining Story Mining & Supply, Hayes was a longtime executive at Working Title Films where he worked on such films as Contraband, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, Paul, United 93, Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, Definitely Maybe, State of Play, Green Zone, Senna, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, Frost/Nixon, The Interpreter and Love Actually.
“I have long admired Walter & Laurie's impeccable taste and diverse interest in material, and I am thrilled to be working with them at Parkes/MacDonald” said Evan Hayes. “We have the shared desire to produce character driven material with visionary filmmakers across a multitude of genres, and the support of Image Nation Abu Dhabi will only enhance us in our efforts to bring these types of films to life.”
“We are thrilled to add such an experienced and successful film executive to our team,” noted Walter Parkes. “Evan has worked closely with some of the strongest creative talent in town. His relationships and expertise will be invaluable here in the coming years.”
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About Parkes/MacDonald Productions:
A three-time Academy Award nominee, Walter Parkes is a motion picture producer, writer and former studio head at DreamWorks Pictures, which he ran from the company’s inception to 2005 along side his wife & producing partner, Laurie MacDonald.
Films produced or executive-produced by Parkes & MacDonald include GLADIATOR, AMISTAD, MEN IN BLACK I & II, MINORITY REPORT, THE MASK OF ZORRO, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, LEMONY SNICKET’S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, THE TERMINAL, ROAD TO PERDITION, THE RING, THE KITE RUNNER, and Stephen Sondheim’s musical thriller, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, among many others. In total, films produced or executive-produced by Parkes and MacDonald have earned in excess of $6 billion in worldwide box office. The upcoming production slate includes NBC’s The Slap, RING 3 and KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES, both scheduled for production early 2015.
In 2009, Parkes/MacDonald teamed with Abu Dhabi Media Company to form Parkes + MacDonald/Image Nation and create a financing structure that would allow partners to fund and collaborate directly with authors and rights-holders in the development of screenplays.
About Image Nation:
Since launching in 2008 as a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media, Image Nation has become one of the leading content creators in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. The company commissions and produces filmed content across a wide range of platforms, with a particular focus on audiences in the UAE and Gulf region.
Image Nation fulfills four key commitments: Developing Emirati filmed entertainment; growing the local film and television industry through training and internship programs; supporting Abu Dhabi entities in creating content to meet strategic and marketing objectives; and co-producing an aggressive slate of international films through several strategic partnerships.
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