Lynette Howell Taylor
What the Award-winning producer has to say about when not to take on a project
UK-born, Academy and Emmy-nominated Producer Lynette Howell Taylor is the founder of 51 Entertainment.
Lynette produced Bradley Cooper's directorial debut, A Star is Born, which was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, in addition to receiving numerous nominations from the Golden Globes, AFI, Critics’ Choice, The National Board of Review, SAG, DGA, PGA, and BAFTA.
Lynette served as Executive Producer on Derek Cianfrance’s HBO limited series I Know This Much Is True starring Mark Ruffalo, which is based on the best-selling novel by Wally Lamb, and earned Ruffalo an Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series. She produced the 92nd Academy Awards Ceremony, which took place on February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre.
Lynette produced Captain Fantastic, written and directed by Matt Ross and starring Academy Award-nominee Viggo Mortensen. The film won multiple awards around the world, including the Best Director prize in Cannes Un Certain Regard. She previously produced Matt Ross' 28 Hotel Rooms, which premiered in Sundance and was released theatrically in 2012. Lynette produced Brie Larson’s directorial debut, Unicorn Store. Lynette also produced the Warner Brothers movie The Accountant, directed by Gavin O’Connor and starring Academy Award-winners Ben Affleck and JK Simmons.
Lynette has produced over 25 movies in the last 15 years, including the award-winning Big Eyes directed by Tim Burton, Ryan Fleck's Oscar-nominated Half Nelson, The Place Beyond the Pines, and Oscar-nominated Blue Valentine, both directed by Derek Cianfrance, Alex of Venice, Terri, On the Ice, Stephanie Daley, Phoebe in Wonderland, The Greatest, An Invisible Sign, Mississippi Grind, Levitated Mass, and multiple episodes of the award-winning ESPN 30 for 30 docu-series.
Lynette is a member of Women in Film, a Reframe Ambassador, a Sundance Creative Producers Advisor, and a founder of the Horizon Award. In 2020, she was elected by her peers to the Producers Branch of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors.
A few of the countless & vital topics we touched upon in this chock-full episode:
How Lynette losing her brother left her with no choice but to say yes to life and imparted to her a renewed sense of possibility.
The courageous leap Lynette made from theater to the unknown world of independent film, equipped only with her drive, acuity, and resourcefulness.
And, the secret to finding your taste and developing the necessary acumen to know when a project isn’t for you. (Psst…Not every producer knows how to produce every film, and guess what…that's ok!)
Tune in!
xx cg
