Cami Winikoff
American film and television producer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cami Sarah Winikoff is an American film and television producer and the current president and co-founder of Sobini Films. She was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2019.[1]
Cami Winikoff | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Producer |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Employer | Sobini Films |
| Spouse | Scott Greco |
| Children | Monika Wesley Steven Greco |
Career
Independent
Winikoff began an independent producer.[2] Her first feature Scarecrows was released in 1988.[3]
Trimark Pictures
Winikoff joined Trimark Pictures in August 1990.[2] She was appointed director of production in 1991, promoted to vice president of production in 1995, and again to senior vice president in January 1997.[2] Winikoff began to serve as executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Trimark in September 1997, where she oversaw all business, legal affairs, production, post-production, servicing and administration for the company.[2][4] She also sat on the board of directors of CinemaNow.com, dedicated to the streaming and production of niche-oriented independent films.[2][4]
Winikoff was promoted to chief operating officer at Trimark in 2000 and oversaw all operational facets of the company including its production arm and green-light process.[2][4] This included the administration of theatrical, television, and home entertainment productions.[5] She helped build the company and was a key player in negotiations with its merger with Lionsgate in late 2000.[5]
At Trimark, she headed the production of over 75 films.[6] Her production credits include Eve's Bayou, winner of Independent Spirit Awards), directed by Kasi Lemmons, starring Samuel L. Jackson; Frida, winner of two Academy Awards, starring Salma Hayek; Love and a .45 starring Renée Zellweger and Gil Bellows; Kicking and Screaming by Noah Baumbach; Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love by Mira Nair; and the Leprechaun film series.[3]
Lionsgate
After the merger with Lionsgate, Winikoff served as its executive vice president, where she helped build the company's executive team and business plan.[6]
Sobini Films
Winikoff was tapped as the president of Sobini Films in 2002.[5] In her time at Sobini, she has developed a diverse range of feature films and franchises.[6] Her credits include JT Leroy starring Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern; I'd Kill for You with her daughter Monika Wesley; Mary Shelley starring Elle Fanning; Miles Ahead starring Don Cheadle; Good Kill starring Ethan Hawke; Stonehearst Asylum starring Kate Beckinsale; An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong for HBO, recipient of the National Parenting Publications Gold Award; and Streets of Legend.[3] She also produced the documentary Jujitsu-ing Reality, shortlisted for the 2013 Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award.[3][7]
She produced The Prince & Me starring Julia Stiles for Paramount Studios and its sequels.[8] As the producer of Peaceful Warrior starring Nick Nolte,[9] she was inspired by the film, and not satisfied by its minimal exposure, worked with Adam Fogelson of Universal Pictures to test a new marketing plan, giving away tickets at Best Buy to gain a wider audience.[10][11][12]
She is currently developing Z, a reboot of the Zorro franchise.[13]
Activism
Winikoff has been active in promoting dark skies in Malibu, California, as president of the Malibu Community Alliance (MCA). She negotiated with local agencies for five years to develop a new dark skies ordinance, which took effect October 15, 2018.[14] Previously, she and the MCA settled with the Santa Monica–Malibu Unified School District over an appeal to the California Coastal Commission regarding Malibu High School's upgraded lighting in 2016.[15] The Coastal Commission approved the settlement.[16]
Winikoff has also served on the board of Malibu Unites, a local advocacy group that pressured the school district's handling of toxins.[17]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role[3] |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Scarecrows | Producer |
| 1993 | Leprechaun | Production Supervisor |
| 1993 | Philadelphia Experiment II | Production Supervisor |
| 1993 | Return of the Living Dead 3 | Production Supervisor |
| 1993 | Warlock: The Armageddon | Production Supervisor |
| 1994 | A Million to Juan | Executive in Charge of Production |
| 1994 | Dangerous Touch | Production Supervisor |
| 1994 | Frank and Jesse | Production Supervisor |
| 1994 | Hong Kong '97 | Production Supervisor |
| 1994 | Leprechaun 2 | Production Supervisor |
| 1994 | Love and a .45 | Production Supervisor |
| 1994 | The Stoned Age | Production Director |
| 1995 | A Kid in King Arthur's Court | Production Supervisor |
| 1995 | Evolver | Production Supervisor |
| 1995 | Heatseeker | Production Supervisor |
| 1995 | Kicking and Screaming | Production Supervisor |
| 1995 | Leprechaun 3 | Production Supervisor |
| 1995 | The Maddening | Executive in Charge of Production |
| 1995 | Night of the Running Man | Production Executive |
| 1995 | Return to Two Moon Junction | Production Supervisor |
| 1995 | Separate Lives | Production Supervisor |
| 1996 | Crossworlds | Production Supervisor |
| 1996 | The Dentist | Executive in Charge of Production |
| 1996 | Never Ever | Executive in Charge of Production |
| 1996 | Pinocchio's Revenge | Production Supervisor |
| 1996 | Public Enemies | Production Executive |
| 1996 | Sometimes They Come Back... Again | Executive in Charge of Production |
| 1996 | Two Guys Talkin' About Girls | Production Supervisor |
| 1997 | Eve's Bayou | Co-Producer |
| 1997 | Sprung | Production Supervisor |
| 1997 | Star Kid | Co-Producer |
| 1997 | Trucks | Executive in Charge of Production |
| 1998 | Ground Control | Chief Administration Officer |
| 1999 | Held Up | Executive in Charge of Production |
| 1999 | The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn | Executive in Charge of Production |
| 2001 | Route 666 | Executive Producer |
| 2003 | Streets of Legend | Co-Producer |
| 2004 | The Prince & Me | Executive Producer |
| 2006 | Peaceful Warrior | Producer, Actress |
| 2008 | The Prince & Me 3: A Royal Honeymoon | Executive Producer |
| 2009 | An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong | Producer |
| 2010 | Burning Bright | Producer |
| 2011 | Jujitsu-ing Reality | Producer |
| 2013 | Sexy Evil Genius | Executive Producer |
| 2014 | Good Kill | Executive Producer |
| 2014 | Stonehearst Asylum | Executive Producer |
| 2015 | Miles Ahead | Co-Executive Producer |
| 2016 | Field of Screams: Cami Winikoff on Scarecrows | Self |
| 2017 | Mary Shelley | Executive Producer |
| 2018 | I'd Kill for You | Producer |
| 2018 | JT LeRoy | Executive Producer |
| 2020 | Emperor | Producer |