Biografia
Rich Guay is a New York-based producer, screenwriter, consultant, and educator. He has produced fifteen feature films and documentaries, beginning his career as a production auditor for filmmakers such as John Sayles, Mike Nichols, and Jonathan Demme.
His debut producing project, which he also co-wrote, was "True Love." The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Picture. Guay went on to produce "Dogfight," starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor for Warner Bros., followed by co-writing and producing "Household Saints," featuring Tracey Ullman and Lili Taylor. Taylor won the Spirit Award for Best Actress, and Guay received a nomination for Best Screenplay as co-writer.
Guay produced the HBO film "Subway Stories," an anthology of short films by various directors including Jonathan Demme, Ted Demme, Abel Ferrara, and Alison MacLean. His subsequent film, "The 24 Hour Woman," an original comedy he co-wrote and produced, premiered at Sundance. The film stars Academy Award nominees Rosie Perez and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
Next, he produced "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai," written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring Forest Whitaker. The film was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Picture.
In 2001, Guay produced the film adaptation of the acclaimed one-woman show "Reno: Rebel Without A Pause," which won The Prize for Peace & Liberty from the City of Florence. He followed this with "Dirt," an original feature he co-wrote with Savoca. The film won Best Director at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival and Best Actress at La Cinema Fe in New York. "Dirt" also received the top prize at the El Cojo Festival in Madrid, and its script was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for Best Original Long Form Teleplay.
Guay co-produced "Kinsey," written and directed by Bill Condon and starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. The film earned four Independent Spirit Award nominations, including Best Picture, and Linney was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. More recently, he served as Associate Producer on "Shutter," filmed entirely in Tokyo for New Regency.
His experience includes roles as a production executive for Orion Pictures, Film Finances, United Artists, and New Regency. He has also worked as a production accountant, first assistant director, production manager, and post-production supervisor.
As an educator, Guay has led master classes in producing worldwide. He has taught in Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina for the Motion Picture Association of America, as well as at the University of Amsterdam's Binger Institute, Whistling Woods Film School in Mumbai, the Royal Film Commission in Jordan, the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts, the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión in Cuba, and Universidad Veritas in Costa Rica.
While serving as Vice President at Entertainment Partners, Guay developed the academic curriculum for both Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling, which has been adopted by film schools across the United States.
He has been an Artist-in-Residence in the MFA program at City College of New York, where he teaches a production course, and has also taught for several semesters at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Guay produced "Union Square," starring Oscar winner Mira Sorvino, Emmy winner Tammy Blanchard, and Tony winner Patti Lupone, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, as well as "Clover," featuring Chazz Palminteri, Jon Abrahams, and Mark Webber.
He is currently developing two independent features: "The Secret Magdalene," an adaptation of Ki Longfellow's novel, and "Sanctuary," a film about immigration that he co-wrote.
