Ted Hope

Hope attended the undergraduate film program at New York University.{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Rafa Sales |date=2023-11-15 |title=Producer Ted Hope Discusses Decades-Long Career, Equal Representation and Impending 'Blooming of Expression' |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/global/ted-hope-idfa-1235791658/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} He met his frequent collaborator and former business partner Anne Carey on his first day there. After graduating, Hope worked as a production assistant for approximately three years, while also working as a script reader for New Line and MGM.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Hope advanced from work as a Production Assistant to Assistant Directing and Production Management. During that time he started to identify projects and filmmakers he wanted to work with. Most notably Hope started working with Hal Hartley in the years prior to their first production. Hope's first productions were Hartley's The Unbelievable Truth and Trust, on which he is credited as First Assistant Director and Line Producer, respectively.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

In 1990, Hope and James Schamus founded Good Machine, an independent film production company based in New York. They started doing line production for hire for Claire Denis, Dani Levy, and Jan Schutte. At Good Machine, Hope and James Schamus produced Ang Lee's early films including Pushing Hands, The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman (both Academy Award nominees), The Ice Storm, and Ride with the Devil.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Hope produced Todd Solondz's Cannes Critics' Prize-winning Happiness, which Hope and his partners at Good Machine released themselves when its distributor dropped the film. Hope also executive produced Todd Field's In the Bedroom, which earned five Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Hope and Schamus brought David Linde in as a partner to Good Machine, in order to start their foreign sales arm, Good Machine International.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} In 2000, the Museum of Modern Art honored Good Machine with a retrospective.{{Cite web |date=2001-02-13 |title=Museum of Modern Art celebrates Good Machine's 10th anniversary |url=https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/art/2001/02/13/museum-modern-art-celebrates-good-machine%E2%80%99s-10th-anniversary |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=The Advocate |language=en}} In 2001, the partners sold the company to Universal. Schamus and Linde stayed on and merged the international sales company with USA Films to create Focus Features.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

With fellow Good Machine producers Anne Carey and Anthony Bregman, and head of business affairs Diana Victor, Hope co-founded New York production company This is That in 2002. This is That's first release, 21 Grams, received two Academy Award nominations and five BAFTA nominations. The company's second release, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Hope's production of Alan Ball's feature film directorial debut, Towelhead, marked his 18th production of a first time feature film director. In 2010, the company released The American, which opened at No. 1 at the US box office on opening week, and completed Super, written and directed by James Gunn, which was the first film to sell that year at the Toronto International Film Festival.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} After producing seventeen films, the company closed its doors in September 2010 citing financial struggles with maintaining the office space. Hope hinted that he and Carey could possibly produce together again in the future.{{cite web |last= Pond|first= Steve|date= September 28, 2010|title= Ted Hope, Anne Carey Shut Doors, Stay in Business|url=https://www.thewrap.com/ted-hope-anne-carey-close-offices-stay-business-21258/|accessdate= August 11, 2020|website=TheWrap}}

On August 8, 2012, the San Francisco Film Society named Hope as executive director of SFFS effective September 1.[http://www.sffs.org/content.aspx?catid=22,37&pageid=3088 SFFS Press Release (August 8, 2012)]{{Dead link|date=January 2025}} He began work in mid-September, 2012. Upon taking the position, Hope stated that it was an offer he could not refuse: “to save Indie Film and build it better than it has been before.” Moving away from project-specific producing, Hope turned his focus on improving infrastructure. {{citation needed|date=January 2025}} Hope announced he would resign as executive director at the end of 2013, citing the challenges of working with a staff of 26 and a board. He said he planned to remain in the San Francisco Bay Area and lead the Film Society's advisory board.{{Cite news |last=May |first=Meredith |date=2013-10-09 |title=Ted Hope stepping down from S.F. Film Society post |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/ted-hope-stepping-down-from-s-f-film-society-post-4882248.php |access-date=2025-01-10 |work=SFGate}} In March 2014, Noah Cowen, former director of the Toronto International Film Festival, took over as executive director of the SFFS.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

On January 8, 2014, Hope was named CEO of Fandor, a subscription online service for independent and international films.Fleming, Jr., Mike. [https://deadline.com/2014/01/ted-hope-takes-ceo-post-at-fandor-subscription-vod-service-for-indie-films-660494/ "Ted Hope Takes CEO Post At Fandor, Subscription VOD Service For Indie Films,"] Deadline (January 8, 2014). He left Fandor at the beginning of 2015 to become the head of production for Amazon Original Movies, stating, "To help carry the torch into the feature film world for such an innovative company is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility. Amazon Original Movies will be synonymous with films that amaze, excite, and move our fans, wherever customers watch."{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2015-01-19 |title=Amazon Studios to Produce Movies for Theatrical, Digital Release in 2015 |url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/amazon-studios-to-produce-movies-for-theatrical-digital-release-in-2015-1201408688/ |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} After July 2018 he served as the co-head of movies for the studio under Jennifer Salke.

Amazon has released 38 films since 2016, notably winning three Academy Awards in the studio's first year as a distributor for titles Manchester by the Sea and The Salesman.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} In May 2020, Salke announced that Hope had stepped down from his role as co-head of movies to go back to being an independent producer. Hope made a first-look deal with Amazon that began on June 2, 2020.{{cite web |last= Fleming|first= Mike Jr.|date= May 28, 2020|title= Ted Hope Exiting Amazon Studios Co-Head Of Movies Post For First-Look Producing Deal|url= https://deadline.com/2020/05/ted-hope-amazon-studios-exit-co-head-motion-picture-post-return-to-producer-1202945518/|accessdate= August 11, 2020|website= Deadline}} In 2021, he joined Arizona State University as professor in the Sidney Poitier New American Film School's Masters program.{{Cite web |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=2021-03-22 |title=Ted Hope Joins Arizona State University's Graduate Film School in Los Angeles |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/ted-hope-joins-arizona-state-universitys-graduate-film-school-in-los-angeles-4154400/ |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

Double Hope Films is a production company founded by independent film producer Ted Hope and his wife Vanessa Hope in 2010. Double Hope's first film, Dark Horse premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2011, and the company's sophomore effort, Starlet, premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2012.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Hope was instrumental in organizing the successful 2003 antitrust campaign against the MPAA and its ban on screeners including testifying in court.{{Cite web |last=Brooks |first=Jake |date=2006-02-27 |title=The Man Who Beat Valenti |url=https://observer.com/2006/02/the-man-who-beat-valenti/ |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Observer |language=en-US}} Although the MPAA head, Jack Valenti, claimed The Screen Ban was about combating piracy,{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Anne |date=2003-10-10 |title=You Don't Know Jack |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/columns/hollywood/n_9351/ |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=New York Magazine |language=en}} it was recognized by the court as stifling competition. Hope has claimed a double win in the court case, as it is also where he met his wife filmmaker Vanessa Hope.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

;Second unit director or assistant director

;Production manager

;Miscellaneous crew

;As an actor

;Second unit director or assistant director

Hope is cited in the following books{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}:

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080929181703/http://www.roughguides.com/website/shop/products/American-Independent-Film.aspx Rough Guide To American Independent Film] by Jessica Winter
• Down & Dirty Pictures by Peter Biskind
• [https://books.google.com/books?id=itU2qeVt7-YC|I Wake up Screening: What to Do Once You've Made That Movie] by John Anderson and Laura Kim
• [http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?tab=1&pid=503951&agid=2|A Killer Life] by Christine Vachon
• [http://us.macmillan.com/thereeltruth|The Reel Truth] by Reed Martin

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb name|394046|Ted Hope}}
• {{official|https://hopeforfilm.com}}

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Category:Film producers from New York City

Category:Living people

Category:1962 births

Category:American film production company founders