Biyografi
Ari Golan was born in Chicago to Joseph Golan, former Principal Second Violinist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Judith, an English teacher, flamenco dancer, violinist, pianist, and harpist. Immersed in the arts from an early age, Ari was a child prodigy violinist by age two and also acted in stage productions, television shows, and films. Traveling internationally with his father on symphony tours sparked his early passion for culture and world travel, though he never quite earned elite status with American Airlines.
Outside of his artistic pursuits, Ari participated in track and cross-country, painting, drawing, and sculpting. He also created Super 8 films using his parents’ camera and served as sports photographer and editor for his high school newspaper and yearbook. Graduating as an Illinois State Scholar and National Merit student with honors, Ari attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he studied film and competed as a collegiate gymnast. Originally a pre-law student, he shifted focus and earned two bachelor’s degrees—one in Film/Television and another in Communication—in just three years, while completing the graduate telecommunications program as an undergraduate. He was the first undergrad allowed to teach a filmmaking course to his peers and graduated with honors on the Dean’s List.
After college, Ari studied at the Sony Video Institute on the American Film Institute campus in Hollywood. He then received camera training at Arriflex and Panavision in Ojai, CA, followed by certifications in HDTV, underwater cinematography, and aerial cinematography. In 1985, he founded Golan Productions, a full-service film and television production company. By 1992, as Executive Creative Director, he spun off the Animation, Visual Effects, and Interactive Media departments into Atomic Imaging, which grew internationally. In 1996, he co-founded JAM-TV, the first live concert video streaming company on the Internet.
Ari’s career spans feature films, television shows, documentaries, live events, and commercials, earning him numerous awards for directing, cinematography, and visual effects. His clients and projects include Netflix, MTV, VH1, AOL Television, Warner Bros., NBC, TNN, Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Tour, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 100th Anniversary, and The Rolling Stones’ Bridges to Babylon tour for VH1. He also directs live video for Chicago’s major summer music festivals—Blues Fest, Jazz Fest, and Taste of Chicago. Ari’s directorial credits include comedic TV programs such as Evening at the Improv, Comedy on the Road, Sports Night at the Improv, Almost Live with Jonathan Brandmeier, and pilots like The Living Room with Tina Faye & Improv Olympics and After Dark with Joe Piscopo for NBC. His film work includes The Exorcist: The Beginning, Richie Rich, Groundhog Day, Return to Me, Tony Bravo, Radius, Butterscotch & Chocolate, Caretaker, Dhoom 3, Prank’d, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
As co-founder of the Hollywood Camera Work Seminar series, Ari travels globally teaching cinematography and visual effects to independent creatives and major studios including Lucasfilm/ILM, DreamWorks, Disney Toon Studios, and Weta Digital.
He serves on the board of advisors for the Illinois Institute of Art, guiding their Filmmaking, Visual Effects, and Animation programs. Ari is also a frequent speaker at universities and industry events. Committed to giving back, he supports Adaptive Adventures, a nonprofit aiding children and wounded veterans with disabilities, as well as Bright Pink and Kids Fight Cancer.
Driven by a passion for storytelling through cutting-edge visual media, Ari has received over thirty awards. His work reflects a continual pursuit of excellence and innovation. Beyond his professional life, he enjoys extreme sports, ultra-endurance adventure racing, playing the saxophone, and is a certified rescue diver, helicopter pilot, and dedicated Mac user.
