Peter Weir, and went on to work with him as a co-producer of Green Card,
and executive producer of Master and Commander. He has executive pro-
duced two Wolfgang Petersen films, Outbreak and The Perfect Storm, and
two Chris Columbus pictures, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Professional Profile: Neil Machlis, Executive Producer
New York native Neil Machlis was working toward his master's degree
in investment finance at American University in Washington, D.C., when
he first discovered filmmaking. A visit to brother-in-law Roger Rothstein
on the set of Paper Lion facilitated Machlis working on the film during
semester break. He learned the business from the ground up, starting as a
production assistant, making photocopies and running errands.
After returning to Washington, Machlis looked up production compa-
nies in the Yellow Pages and found a small film company that specialized
in industrial shorts and political commercial spots. Again, he accepted an
entry-level job serving as a production assistant. "I would go in every
day and do whatever needed to be done: I did some negative matching,
I swept floors, I ran errands, I took film to the lab. I did everything."
His first location job was covering the 1968 Democratic Convention,
held in Chicago. "Being in Chicago as a part of history was terrific. We
were filming senators on a newsreel-type system. The senators would
then send the film back to their home state television stations."
Education was put on hold
when Machlis was called up to
active duty in the National
Guard. Once released, he
returned to New York to
pursue filmmaking as a career.
At the time, the Directors
Guild was starting a training
program. He took the admis-
sion test and was one of ten
accepted out of approximately
1500 applicants.
Machlis almost immediately
began working as a trainee,
often hired by Rothstein, who
was then a production
manager. "I was lucky to have
him. He taught me a lot about
What do you like
least about your job?
"Sometimes the days
can be very long."
--Neil Machlis
What do you love most
about your job?
"I love dealing with people. I love taking a
script and trying to figure out how to make
it all happen. Every movie is a puzzle.
Part of the enjoyment of it is trying to get
all the pieces together to make it right."
--Neil Machlis
VOICES OF
EXPERIENCE
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