10 Producers to Watch: A delicate balance

Producers bridge artistic aims with the bottom line

By STEVE CHAGOLLAN

In this, the fifth annual edition of Variety's 10 Producers to Watch series, we once again train the spotlight on an eclectic group of talents who've achieved the precarious balance between aesthetic and commercial concerns while displaying a tireless ability to see a project through from A to Z.

As has been the case with such past 10 Producers as Neal Moritz, Laura Bickford and Debra Chase Martin, these are people who've either established themselves right out of the gate, or have climbed their way up the ladder through hard work, determination and the kind of judgment that relies as much on risk as it does on rewards.

Whether from an entrepreneurial background ("Y Tu Mama Tambien's" Jorge Vergara) or exhibiting an uncanny knack for unearthing quality material ("Last Orders' " Elisabeth Robinson), the strengths of these professionals illustrate the various skills that producers bring to the table, and how the definition of a producer can vary from project to project. However, Anthony Bregman ("Lovely and Amazing") might have summed it up best when describing a producer as "the individual who produces the film's lofty artistic vision out of the film's gritty financial reality."

And while the solo producer credit has become increasingly rare in feature films, our focus on these individuals is as much a celebration of their teamwork as it is of their own unique contributions.