Michael Besman previously collaborated with writer/director Don Roos on the 1998 film, "The Opposite of Sex," which Roos wrote and directed. The critically acclaimed film received numerous accolades including two Independent Feature Project Spirit Awards for Best First Feature Film and Best Screenplay.
Prior to that, Besman executive produced Jean-Jacques Annaud's "Seven Years in Tibet" starring Brad Pitt. Besman will next produce the Alexander Payne ("Election") comedy, About "Schmidt" for New Line Cinema. Besman also penned his first screenplay, the romantic fantasy "Lightening," for Universal Pictures
A graduate of UCLA Film School, Besman began his career in entertainment assisting director Michael Wadleigh on the horror classic, "Wolfen." After working with producer Aaron Russo on the Paramount comedy, "Trading Places," Besman became a production executive and assisted on such films as "Witness," "Summer School," "Star Trek 4" and "Beverly Hills Cop."
In 1987, Besman went to work at Guber-Peters Entertainment Co. where he supervised the hit film "Batman" starring Michael Keaton. Two years later he followed Guber and Peters to Sony Pictures where he became a production executive at Tristar Pictures supervising such films as "Sleepless in Seattle," "Single White Female," "Jumanji," "Devil in a Blue Dress" and "As Good As It Gets."
