Todd Traina
Producer
Todd Traina, producer and founder of Red Rover Films, has consistently produced unique and varied product and focused on independent films of all different genres. Last year Traina was named a “Top Ten Producer to Watch” by Daily Variety and was recently honored at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Traina served as Executive Producer on the 2007 Sundance Audience Award-Winning drama GRACE IS GONE, starring John Cusack. GRACE IS GONE was sold to The Weinstein Company and will be released on DVD in 2008.
Traina served as Executive Producer on the martial-arts thriller BLOOD & BONE starring Michael Jai White and Julian Sands as well the thriller NIGHT TRAIN starring Danny Glover, Steve Zahn, & Leelee Sobieski. Traina also served as Executive Producer on STAG NIGHT starring Kip Pardue, Breckin Meyer and Vinessa Shaw. Traina was an Executive Producer on BLACKWATER TRANSIT, starring Lawrence Fishburne, Karl Urban and Stephan Dorff. Based on the novel by Carsten Stroud, BLACKWATER TRANSIT was directed by Tony Kaye. Traina also served as Executive Producer on Rifkin-Eberts’ feature TIMBER FALLS, a horror/thriller directed by Tony Giglio. Traina produced the feature film MY SUICIDE (aka Untitled David Lee Miller Project), starring Gabriel Sunday, Brooke Nevin, David Carradine, Nora Dunn, Mariel Hemingway, Tony Hale, Joe Mantegna and Harry Shearer. In 2006, Traina produced the highly acclaimed PUNK’S NOT DEAD, an in-depth feature-length documentary based on the Punk Rock movement. The documentary features music and extensive interviews with over 100 bands, and will be released on DVD 2008.
Traina is in development on the comedy THE WOODY, which he co-wrote with Frank Dietz. Traina and Dietz also partnered on the comedy spec script WITHOUT A HITCH. Traina will produce and has acquired the rights to the novel MORNING SPY, EVENING SPY by Colin MacKinnon, to be adapted for the screen and directed by George HICKENLOOPER (FACTORY GIRL, THE MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP, HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER’S APOCALYPSE). Traina is also developing DEAL with partners Rifkin/Eberts, to be directed by Michael Corrente.
Prior to forming Red Rover Films, Traina was president of Lampedusa Films, where he developed and produced STANLEY'S GIG, a feature film starring William Sanderson, Marla Gibbs, and Faye Dunaway. STANLEY'S GIG won several film festivals and premiered on the Starz Network. Traina also coproduced the feature film SKELETON WOMAN starring Daphne Rubin-Vega and Serena Scott-Thomas. Traina served as Executive Producer on director Paul Feig’s debut feature LIFE SOLD SEPARATELY. Traina has also produced a variety of other documentaries and cooking and lifestyle shows, including “La Bella Vita,” an international food and travel show starring the late Vincent Schiavelli, and most recently “Restauranteur,” featuring Adolfo Suaya.
Traina began his career with producer Douglas Cramer at NBC Productions working on the Danielle Steel Movies of the Week Secrets, “Heartbeat” and “Palomino.” Later Traina was a partner at BigRock Pictures where he developed the comedy spec WOODSTUCK, written by Frank Dietz, which was sold to John Davis at 20th Century Fox. Traina was born and raised in San Francisco and is a graduate of Connecticut College.
