Heather Parry

Heather Parry is a TV and film producer. In December 2015, she was tapped to be the President of Production for film and television at Live Nation. From 2005-2015, she was the Head of Film at Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions, and from 1993-2005, she was at MTV, first as West Coast Bureau Chief, and then in film development and production.

Career

Live Nation (2015-Current)

Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends) (2017) is directed by Colin Hanks, produced by Heather Parry, and executive produced by Michael Rapino. The film chronicles the events before and after the November 13 terrorist attacks at Le Bataclan Theater in Paris, and focuses on the friendship between the band's front-man Jesse Hughes and sometime band member Josh Homme. The film will debut on HBO in February 2017.^[1]

In October 2016, Parry and Guy Oseary, talent manager for Madonna and U2 at Maverick, signed on to co-manage the estate of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.^[2]

Happy Madison Productions (2005-2015)

After working with Sandler on The Longest Yard, Parry was brought on to run film development and production at Happy Madison Productions, where she produced The House Bunny (2008), Just Go with It (2011), That's My Boy (2012), and Pixels (2015).

The House Bunny (2008) was the first female driven comedy for Happy Madison, directed by Fred Wolf, starring Anna Faris as Shelley Darlington, a 27-year old playboy bunny (though, as her friend so tactlessly points out, is "59 in bunny years") who is kicked out of the infamous Playboy Mansion for her aging indiscretion. With no other talents aside from the obvious, Faris’ character finds herself as the house mother for the Zeta Alpha Zeta sorority—home to seven of the most socially-inept sisters in the zip code, though played by some of the most beautiful and intriguing female forces flaming up Hollywood, including Rumer Wilis, Katherine McPhee, and Emma Stone. The film grossed $70 million worldwide. The script was first brought to Parry by the screenwriters of Legally Blonde, Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah Lutz, who had attached Anna Faris as the lead. The film was widely acclaimed as smart, special, charming, and hilarious. Said Faris of Parry: "I'd go as far as to say [Parry] is the reason this movie got made. She is an incredible supporter of the female comedy."^[3] "Female comedies are not hard to make," shares Parry, "they’re hard to get made."^[4]

Just Go with It (2011) was directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling and starring Adam Sandler (who also co-produced with Parry), Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Nick Swardson and Brooklyn Decker. The film is based on the 1969 film Cactus Flower which was adapted from an earlier Broadway stage play written by Abe Burrows, which in turn was based upon the French play Fleur de cactus. The film grossed over $214 million, making it a box office success. Co-star Brooklyn Decker said "Heather will always be dear to me because she gave me my big first break in the film industry. I love that in a male-dominated business, she continues to be a powerful name in her field. Heather has a keen eye for emerging talent and is constantly pushing the envelope for female comediennes, giving women like Anna Faris, Emma Stone and myself a chance to do what we love doing."^[5]

That's My Boy (2012) was directed by Sean Anders and stars Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Milo Ventimiglia, Leighton Meester, Will Forte, Nick Swardson, Susan Sarandon, Ana Gasteyer, Rachel Dratch, Tony Orlando, James Caan, Ciara, with cameos from Vanilla Ice, Alan Thicke, and Baron Davis. The film is about an alcoholic slacker named Donny Berger (Sandler) who fathered a son (Samberg) with his school teacher. Donny owes $43,000 in back taxes to the IRS and will have to serve a three-year sentence in prison if he does not pay it off by the end of the weekend, which happens to be his son's wedding weekend. The film grossed $58 million worldwide. The film featured four former cast members of Saturday Night Live, Sandler, Samberg, Will Forte, and Ana Gasteyer. Parry has been a longstanding fan of SNL, and has said that she wouldn't be where she is today without it.Adam Samberg noted that Parry is "a gifted producer with a clear vision and understands how to create an ideal environment for comedies. She's been a tremendous collaborator, and was incredible to work with." Actor Milo Ventimiglia called Parry a "dynamic producer" and "truly one of a kind." ^[6]

Pixels (2015) was co-produced by Columbia Pictures, 1492 Pictures and Happy Madison Productions. Heather Parry executive produced the film, which was directed by Chris Columbus, written by Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling, and based on French director Patrick Jean's 2010 short film of the same name.^[6] The film features computer animated video games characters, special effects, and stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Monaghan, Brian Cox, Ashley Benson, and Jane Krakowski. The film's plot has extraterrestrials misinterpreting video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, and invading Earth using technology inspired by games such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Galaga, Centipede and Donkey Kong. To counter the alien assault, the United States hire former arcade champions to lead the planet's defense. The film grossed $244 million worldwide.

Actress Ashley Benson said that Parry was instrumental in helping her nail her character, saying that Parry "helped me grow as an actress an as a person. She is truly an amazing, powerful and confident woman, someone who I consider one of my dear friends." Actor Josh Gad noted: "Heather is one of those rare producers who actually does the down-and-dirty work and doesn't just wear the fancy title. She is also an actor's dream because she truly values feedback and does her best to not only facilitate a great shoot, but also is hands-on and available long after the film wraps." Actress Michelle Monaghan said: "Heather is a dynamo! Not only is she a great producer, she is also a champion of women. She is fun and a total broad: all girl but can hang with the boys. She provides balance and a unique female perspective for the guys. She has big, bright ideas and she gets them done. I have seen her in action and she is definitely someone you want to have on your team."^[7]

MTV (1993-2005)

At 22, Parry started in the West Coast News Division at MTV, and within three years was promoted to the Bureau Chief. She produced the iconic news show "The Week in Rock," working with Justin Timberlake, Pearl Jam, and Tupac. She also produced the infamous live channel take over "24 Hours with Courtney Love."

Parry later segued into development at MTV Films. She acquired the first Twilight Zone manuscript and was an ardent early supporter, but the rights were sold to Summit Entertainment. Losing out on "Twilight" taught Parry an important lesson. "Now, if there's something I believe in, I'll fall on my sword for it," she says.^[8]

During this period, she worked with the rock band Rage Against the Machine and directed the band's video for its cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" in 1997^[9] and The Battle of Mexico City in 2001.

She co-produced two films at MTV Films in 2005, The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler, and Get Rich or Die Tryin’, starring rapper 50 Cent.

Investor

Parry is increasingly invested in the tech space, cultivating early stage start-ups with her experience in entertainment and consumer facing marketing initiatives. She serves as an advisor and investor for BeautyCon, Thrive Market, Represent, Outdoor Voices, Pop & Suki, and Leesa Sleep.

References