Michael Doven was just notified that he has been accepted into the prestigious Producers Guild of America, the PGA. He was not always only a producer; in fact, his early passion was in photography, an activity he still enjoys and practices, being recognized as a famous New York Institute of Photography alumni photographer, as seen at http://www.nyip.edu/about/famous-alumni . Whether Doven was behind a still lens or producing films, he says that his entire life, from the moment he first picked up a camera, has been dedicated toward one goal: expressing himself and helping others through the filmed arts.

"There is something, for me, about looking through a camera lens that helps me frame the world and compose it as I choose.” says Doven, a boyishly handsome man who is often found moving behind the scenes of major blockbuster films and indies or photographing beautiful people in Hollywood. "I aim that lens, create a frame and narrow my vision to focus on a single subject; from there, I take that vision and illuminate it, put my spin or art on it."

Michael Doven's vision from behind the lens, and his endurance, has paid off. His early films, including The Firm, Vanilla Sky, Jerry Maguire, Interview with the Vampire and the Mission Impossible series saw him in a wide range of assisting roles, learning his craft and the many facets of filmmaking. "Many people do not fully understand what a producer does," says Doven. "Producing means making a product, causing it to exist; it can encompass anything involved in making that happen.” Doven adds, “The best producers are highly-motivated problem-solvers who can conceive of and see the big picture and yet handle the minute details when required, all while communicating clearly with and across every tier of personnel involved in the production.”

Doven has certainly done this during his career. As an assistant to Tom Cruise, he not only learned the intricacies of filmmaking but also industry professionalism as he interacted with many top artists and executives in the film world. As an Associate Producer, he took on increasingly more responsibility and eventually, as producer and executive producer, he was in charge of the entire filmmaking process.

Today, Doven runs his own production company, United Pictures Group, and is currently in the process of making several new films, including Durant's Never Closes starring Tom Sizemore, which is in post-production, as well as The Out-Of-Town Wedding, Lucky Bastards, Ascension and Stand-Off. When asked how it feels to have his own company and take full responsibility for the entire process of producing his own films, Doven says, with a smile, "It feels great. I am a fortunate man and excited about the work, the process and the people I get to work with."

This week, Doven was accepted to the Producers Guild of America, an honor in the film industry. "It is a privilege to be asked to be a part of this auspicious group," says Doven. "It is incredibly satisfying to be with people who understand what it takes to be a successful producer and those who share that knowledge to help others."

When asked about his plans for the future, Michael Doven answers, "I plan to continue to produce numerous films and focus on great stories that interest me and photograph as a creative outlet from time to time. I cannot imagine doing anything else. My production company is looking at many projects that are very diverse and, ideally, relevant. The unifying factor is that we all agree they are great scripts and will make memorable, entertaining films that we will be proud to call our own." United Pictures Group is a company to watch and is expected to produce some unique and award-worthy films over the course of the next several years.

In the meantime, Doven continues not only to produce great films but also to photograph during rare spare moments. "I have to confess, in addition to all the excitement of the film set, there are still times when I just go with my camera and create pictures," says Doven. "There is something about being behind the camera when the noise stops and you focus on the picture, composition and effect you want to create and cause it to be that is very satisfying.”

For more information on Michael Doven, his work and United Picture Group, see http://michaeldoven.com

About Michael Doven:

CEO and founder of United Pictures Group, producer Michael Doven is a 25-year movie industry executive with Associate Producer credits on films which have grossed billions of dollars worldwide. These movies include The Last Samurai, Minority Report, Mission Impossible II, Collateral and Vanilla Sky. Mr. Doven was the Production Associate on Mission Impossible, Eyes Wide Shut, and Magnolia and worked assisting Mr. Tom Cruise on Jerry Maguire, The Firm, A Few Good Men, Far And Away, Interview With A Vampire and worked uncredited on War of The Worlds and Mission Impossible III. Michael has worked extensively on script development, pre-production, production and post-production as well as participated in international press tours for the marketing and distribution phases of these films, where he built invaluable relationships and developed insights into consistent, extremely successful and award-winning blockbuster and tent pole releases of major studios. In 2013, he produced The Squeeze, which was released April 2015, and was the Executive Producer for Durant's Never Closes. Currently, Mr. Doven has several feature films in various stages of development and production under the United Pictures Group banner, including Take 1, Take 2, The Out Of Town Wedding, Lucky Bastards, Ascension and Stand-Off.

For More Information:
Craig Edward
Communications Services
9663 Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA
(323) 577-9325
[email protected]
http://michealdoven.com/