Bleecker Street CEO and indie film champion Andrew Karpen dies at 59
Andrew Karpen, chief executive and founder of independent film distribution company Bleecker Street Media, died Monday of glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 59.
Karpen founded the New York City-based Bleecker Street in 2014 with backing from 5-hour Energy founder Manoj Bhargava. In its first few years, Bleecker Street released such films as 2015's 'Trumbo,' starring Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren, and the Viggo Mortensen-led 'Captain Fantastic' in 2016.
Since its founding, Bleecker Street has released more than 75 films, including the 2017 Steven Soderbergh comedy 'Logan Lucky,' 2024's Oscar-nominated 'Golda,' comedy-drama 'Hard Truths' and, most recently, 'The Wedding Banquet,' a remake of the 1993 Ang Lee romantic comedy starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran.
'Our industry has lost a giant,' Kent Sanderson, Bleecker Street president and Karpen's longtime friend, said in a statement. 'Andrew taught us all so much, foremost of which is the value of kindness, honesty, and family above all else. His leadership and courage will inspire all of us at Bleecker Street for the rest of our lives, and we are dedicated to continuing his passion for and legacy of championing cinema.'
Karpen began his career at Miramax before moving to Oxygen Media as its senior vice president of finance and planning. He then spent more than a decade at Focus Features, the specialty film arm of NBCUniversal, starting as its chief operating officer responsible for finance, strategic planning and operations before rising to president and then co-chief executive.
He left Focus Features in 2013, after Universal Pictures named a new head of the specialty imprint and relocated its headquarters from New York to the studio lot in California. Universal said at the time that the company asked Karpen to remain with the studio but that he opted to stay in New York with his family.
He is survived by his wife, Pam; sons Josh and Zack; daughter Sloan; and Josh's wife, Kristen, who is expecting their first child.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
25 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Natalie Sue wins Leacock Medal for Humour for novel ‘I Hope This Finds You Well'
Natalie Sue's debut novel 'I Hope This Finds You Well' has won this year's Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. The $25,000 award is given to the best Canadian book of literary humour published in the previous year. The novel follows the story of an office worker in her early thirties who one day stumbles upon all of her colleagues' private emails and decides to use their gossip to help save her job. 'I Hope This Finds You Well' was published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Sue is a Calgary-based author of Iranian and British descent who spent her early years living in western Canada. Runners-up, who received $5,000 each, were Greg Kearney for 'An Evening With Birdy O'Day,' about an aging hairstylist who lost connection with his childhood best friend when he left to pursue a pop music career, and Patricia J. Parsons for 'We Came From Away: That Summer on the Rock,' which follows one woman's attempt to reconnect her family with Newfoundland. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bianca Censori Looks Unrecognizable With Bold New Look in Rare Sighting
Bianca Censori Looks Unrecognizable With Bold New Look in Rare Sighting originally appeared on Parade. , the wife of rapper , debuted a bold new look this week when the two made a rare appearance in New York City for an event. Both Censori and West looked a little different than usual, with West wearing a fitted, all-white look, while his wife donned an all-black leather look with a stylish new haircut. 🎬 In photos of the two exiting a building in the city, Censori was all covered up in a long black trench coat with tall heeled boots. She accessorized with dark sunglasses. Censori looked practically unrecognizable thanks to her new hairstyle, with the 30-year-old rocking long dark brown hair that fell almost to her waist with with the new hair, the clothing was a bit of a departure for Censori as well, as she has become known for wearing risqué ensembles, like bodysuits and similar outfits. Despite this, she has on the rare occasion switched it up and worn ensembles like her latest New York City look. TMZ reported that Censori and West were in New York City to attend a graduation ceremony event, but there were no other details, and it's unclear how long they will be in the Censori Looks Unrecognizable With Bold New Look in Rare Sighting first appeared on Parade on Jun 13, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fan Captures Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce: 'So Adorable'
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift appear to be going strong. Their loved-up attendance at a relative's wedding went viral earlier in the month. They don't hesitate to show affection for the cameras. And now a fan in New York City has captured a sweet moment between the two as they left a restaurant. The fan's video, which was posted to Instagram, shows Kelce and Swift holding hands as they left the restaurant. They stopped briefly as they left the restaurant, with Swift saying something to Kelce before he took her hand to help her into the waiting car. "Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close?" the fan captioned the Instagram video. "Woken up by flashing lights, only to see @taylorswift & @killatrav leaving the place next to us swiftly. lol #swiftie," the post read. Swift fans loved the video and let the original poster know on the Instagram comment thread. "Thank you for capturing this for us! 🥹" wrote one. "So adorable. They both look great," wrote another. "So happy to see them happy and together!" another fan chimed in. According to Page Six, Swift and the NFL star were at "one of their go-to NYC hot spots, Torrisi" on the evening of June 20 when the video was taken. The site reported that Swift and Taylor were also photographed at the same restaurant in 2024. They began dating the year before that. They have been spending the football offseason together in Florida this year, Page Six Captures Sweet Moment Between Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce: 'So Adorable' first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 21, 2025
