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Brenda Friend is a two time Emmy-nominated producer who has worked in the television industry for over 30 years. Her company, Old Beantown Films, has been developing and producing films, series and miniseries since the late nineties. She is preparing to film the original, eight episode series "Gramercy Park" created by J. Dulin Jones which Ms. Friend will executive produce along with EP- Directors Mike Newell and Scott Winant and EP Jon Levin. In 2021, she served as a Project Advisor on the award-winning documentary film "One Hundred Years from Mississippi".
Ms. Friend and her frequent writer/producer partner Howard Burkons, executive produced Old Beantown Film's "The Ron Clark Story", a Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation starring Matthew Perry. It received three Emmy nominations including Outstanding Made for Television Movie and Best Actor in a Movie or Miniseries for Matthew Perry. The film also garnered nominations for Critic's Choice Award, Golden Globe, SAG, DGA and WGA Awards, as well as being the recipient of the Family Friendly Award for best television movie of 2006. It was recipient of the prestigious Christopher Award in March of 2007 and the Gabriel Award.
Ms. Friend and Mr. Burkons produced under their combined production banner Beantown Ranch Entertainment, two back door movie pilots for the Hallmark Channel. The first pilot entitled "The Mystery Cruise" is a sequel to "Deck the Halls", based on the book "The Santa Cruise" by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark. The second pilot is based on a book of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark entitled "My Gal Sunday". Ms. Friend and Mr. Burkons produced "Deck the Halls", based on the New York Times bestseller by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, a Christmas movie for TNT as part of the cable broadcaster's Tuesday Night Mystery series. Ms. Friend and Mr. Burkons also teamed up for the romantic comedy "Smooch" for the Hallmark Channel starring Kellie Martin and Kiernan Shipka. "Smooch" premiered on February 5, 2011 as the Channel's tent pole Valentine's Day movie and was ranked as the #1 rated ad-supported cable movie of the day.
Ms. Friend has produced a number of projects for Lifetime Television, most recently, "She Made Them Do It", which she executive produced with Greg Klein. Old Beantown Film's telefilm, "What If God Were the Sun?" based in part on the novel by John Edward and adapted by J. Dulin Jones and Jamie Pachino, starred Lacey Chabert and Gena Rowlands. Gena Rowlands received a Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries Emmy nomination, as well as a Screen Actors Guild nomination for her role as Melissa Eisenbloom. Ms. Friend also served as a producer on the Lifetime telefilm "Christmas in Paradise" which shot in Puerto Rico. Ms. Friend served as executive producer on "The Dive From Clausen's Pier" based on the best-selling novel by Ann Packer. It premiered on Lifetime Television in June of 2005 and was one of the network's highest rated films that year.
In 2011, Ms. Friend established production services company Fort Hill Productions. Fort Hill's first production, the Walmart/Procter & Gamble family movie two-hour back door pilot entitled "Game Time: Tackling the Past" aired on NBC and starred Beau Bridges and Ryan McPartlin. Ms. Friend also served as an executive producer on the film.
From March 1998 thru January 2002, Ms. Friend was based at Alliance Atlantis Communications as both an executive and a producer. She was an executive producer on the CBS telefilm "Jenifer," based on the life of the late Project ALS founder Jenifer Estess. She also served as co-executive producer on the four-hour CBS miniseries "Joan of Arc," which received 13 Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nominations and won the coveted Television Critics Association Award for Best Movie or Mini-series. In addition, she contributed to the development of the Alliance Atlantis telefilms "Crossed Over" and "The Salem Witch Trials" for CBS, "When Billie Beat Bobby" and "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" for ABC, among others.
Ms. Friend spent five years as both an executive and producer at Once Upon A Time Films. Projects during her tenure there included Arnold Schwarzenegger's directorial debut "Christmas in Connecticut" for TNT, "Survive the Night" for USA Network, "Hostage for a Day" for FOX and "Without Consent" for ABC. She also acted as supervising producer on the television movies "Nothing But the Truth," "Falling for You" and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story," all for CBS. She also served as executive producer on "Murder at My Door" for FOX. Ms. Friend is a member of the Television Academy and served for several years on the Emmy Awards Panel. She has taught screenwriting and production courses for UCLA Writers Extension program and Columbia College Hollywood in addition to guest lecturing at numerous film programs including the American Film Institute, USC, CalArts, and the Emerson College Los Angeles program. She is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory as well as the Neighborhood Playhouse, where she had the privilege of studying with the late Sanford Meisner.
