Denise Di Novi


Denise Di Novi is an American film producer and director.

Early life

When she was three years old, Di Novi and her family moved to Los Angeles from New York, where her father made music for the TV shows of Danny Thomas, Dick Van Dyke and Andy Griffith. In the late 1960s, the family moved to Toronto, Canada.

Career

Di Novi studied communications at Simmons College in Massachusetts, and received a degree in journalism. After working as a copy editor at the National Observer and staff writer for Canada AM, she became a reporter for Toronto's Citytv, but quit in 1980, taking a job as a unit publicist for Final Assignment. She became a principal in the Montreal-based production company Film Plan, acting in various production capacities on nine major studio releases, including Scanners and Videodrome. In 1983, Film Plan relocated to Los Angeles and merged with Arnold Kopelson's Film Packages.
Di Novi joined New World Pictures as Executive Vice President of production. She later shifted into an overall deal as an independent producer, producing Heathers starring Winona Ryder. Di Novi then headed Tim Burton Productions and was responsible for producing several films. She set up her own production company, Di Novi Pictures, in 1993, at Columbia Pictures. She then entered into a producing deal with Warner Brothers Pictures.
Di Novi has produced 35 films. These include six from her partnership with Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Cabin Boy, Ed Wood and James and the Giant Peach. She produced four films based on books by Nicholas Sparks, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe and The Lucky One.
For four years, Di Novi was executive producer of The District, a CBS primetime series created by Terry George. Di Novi made her directorial debut on the thriller Unforgettable, for Warner Bros.

Filmography

All films, she was producer unless otherwise noted.

Film

;As director
YearFilm
2017Unforgettable

;Miscellaneous crew
YearFilmNotes
1980The Lucky StarUnit publicist
1980Final AssignmentUnit publicist
1981GasScript coordinator
1982Visiting HoursScript coordinator
1983VideodromeCreative consultant
1983Of Unknown OriginAssistant to director
1985Fraternity VacationProduction executive

;Thanks
YearFilmNotes
1995Live Nude GirlsSpecial thanks
2015The InternSpecial thanks

Television

;As director
YearTitle
2017Bones
2018Sneaky Pete
2018Outlander
2018Ray Donovan