Jim Whitaker is the Founder and Chairman of Whitaker Entertainment at Walt Disney Studios, where his company has been based since 2010. He recently produced PETER PAN AND WENDY directed by David Lowery and starring Jude Law.  Previously, he produced TIMMY FAILURE directed by Tom McCarthy, A WRINKLE IN TIME directed by Ava DuVernay and starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling, PETE’S DRAGON directed by David Lowery and starring Robert Redford and Bryce Dallas Howard, THE FINEST HOURS directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Chris Pine and Casey Affleck, and THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN directed by Peter Hedges and starring Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton. 

Jim started his career doing craft services in Baltimore on John Waters’ 1988 HAIRSPRAY. His Hollywood career began as an intern at Imagine Entertainment, where he eventually rose to President of Motion Picture Production during a 16-year period with the company. In that time, he developed and Executive Produced films such as 8 MILE directed by Curtis Hanson starring Eminem, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS directed by Peter Berg starring Billy Bob Thornton, AMERICAN GANGSTER directed by Ridley Scott starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, CINDERELLA MAN directed by Ron Howard starring Russell Crowe, FLIGHT PLAN directed by Robert Schwentke starring Jodie Foster, CURIOUS GEORGE starring Will Farrell, CHANGELING directed by Clint Eastwood starring Angelina Jolie, and ROBIN HOOD directed by Ridley Scott starring Russell Crowe.  He has produced 20 films at Imagine and Disney, ranging in budget size from 24 to 135 million, that have grossed over 1.9 billion in box office worldwide. 

Between Imagine and Disney, Jim produced and directed a Peabody-Award winning documentary called REBIRTH.  Compelled by the events of 9/11, he founded a non-profit organization to support a ten-year effort chronicling the physical and emotional rebirth of Ground Zero by installing cameras that captured the rebuilding of the site through time-lapse photography and interviews with ten subjects affected by the day.  A Sundance entrant, the film was made into a decade-long installation at the Memorial Museum at Ground Zero.

 

Jim is a graduate of Georgetown University with a BA in Economics.  He holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Peter Stark Program at USC as well an honorary doctorate from Pace University in New York. He is a Henry Crown Fellow at The Aspen Institute.