Steve Golin
About
Biography
Filmography
Notes
Golin, on the successful approach Propaganda Films has taken in the entertainment business: "The only game plan we had when we started was to establish a business that was a positive cash flow business, that would give us the ability to be more flexible, to finance our own development on our own terms. The revenue from the video and commercial business is enough to let us survive and to give us a certain credibility with directors who don't want to take a project to a studio....We also like the music video business for other reasons, and that has to do with research and development. It's a great training ground for new talent. Music video takes only three days and costs maybe $150,000, so how big a disaster can it really be, even if you put somebody really inexperienced in there? We use video as a training ground, and if the people are good, then we move them into larger projects." ("New York Times", October 15, 1990)
Biography
Former photographer-turned-producer who teamed up with Icelander Sigurjon "Joni" Sighvatsson to found Propaganda Films, a small independent firm which gained a comfortable foothold in the entertainment industry by producing music videos and video-style commercials for TV. By 1990 Propaganda was producing about one out of every three music videos made in the United States, yielding revenues of about $20 million a year for the company. Golin and Sighvatsson played a key role in making stars of rock acts like Guns N' Roses and have been much in demand by everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Prince.
Filmography
Producer (Feature Film)
Film Production - Main (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Producer (Special)
Producer (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1981
Produced "The Penny Elf", starring Christopher Lloyd, while at the AFI
1983
Served as line producer for the feature film, "Nickel Mountain" (on which Sighvatsson also worked)
1985
Co-founded (with Sighvatsson) Propaganda Films
1987
Co-produced (with Sighvatsson) first feature film, "Private Investigations"
1988
Co-produced (with Sighvatsson) first feature film for their Propaganda Films, "The Blue Iguana"
1990
Co-executive produced TV-movie for TNT, "Heat Wave"
1999
Served as one of the producers of "Being John Malkovich"
2004
Produced second Charlie Kaufman film "Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind" starring Jim Carrey an Kate Winslet; film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
2004
Executive Produced the Showtime drama "The L Word"
2006
Produced the ensemble drama, "Babel" directed and co-produced by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu; earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture
Bibliography
Notes
Golin, on the successful approach Propaganda Films has taken in the entertainment business: "The only game plan we had when we started was to establish a business that was a positive cash flow business, that would give us the ability to be more flexible, to finance our own development on our own terms. The revenue from the video and commercial business is enough to let us survive and to give us a certain credibility with directors who don't want to take a project to a studio....We also like the music video business for other reasons, and that has to do with research and development. It's a great training ground for new talent. Music video takes only three days and costs maybe $150,000, so how big a disaster can it really be, even if you put somebody really inexperienced in there? We use video as a training ground, and if the people are good, then we move them into larger projects." ("New York Times", October 15, 1990)
