SPEECH TITLES AND/OR TOPICS
Creativity/Innovation | Entertainment Pen Densham, a partner in Trilogy Entertainment Group along with John Watson and Mark Stern, has executive produced over 250 hours of television, including the Magnificent Seven, made-for-television movies such as Buffalo Soldiers, and the miniseries Peter Benchley's Creature and The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3. He engineered the rebirth of the award-winning science fiction series The Outer Limits, which earned him a top-10 spot in cinefantastique magazine's "50 Most Influential People in Science Fiction." Pen Densham wrote, directed, and produced TNT's Houdini starring Jonathon Schaech and Stacey Edwards. Additionally, Mr. Densham wrote and directed the feature film Moll Flanders, starring Robin Wright and Morgan Freeman. He co-wrote and produced Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner. Pen Densham and John Watson also produced the feature films Backdraft with Robert DeNiro, and Blown Away with Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones. Pen Densham's more recent credits include his 2002 executive productions of The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, and Brother's Keeper, as well as The Twilight Zone TV Series. Mr. Densham was born in England and with both parents in the British film industry grew up around cameras and film sets. After leaving school at age 15 and continuing his studies at art colleges, Pen Densham began selling his ideas and photographs to national photo magazines and television stations. One of his earliest jobs was photographing the Rolling Stones for a national television show. Pen Densham moved to Canada when he was 19, where he directed commercials and documentaries, including films with Marshall McLuhan. Following these early achievements, he joined with John Watson in founding Insight Productions, a company which gained a high degree of recognition for innovative documentaries including Life Times Nine, where children created and directed commercials selling life as if it were a product. This film was one of two films that earned Academy Award nominations for Pen Densham and John Watson. In total, they received over 80 international awards and medals for their contributions to the arts in Canada, including a medal from the Queen of England. After Pen Densham wrote and directed his first drama, If Wishes Were Horses, the project won fourteen awards and brought his work to the attention of Norman Jewison, who sponsored Pen's move to Hollywood. Upon arrival in Hollywood, John Watson joined Pen Densham; they were quickly employed as creative consultants on films such as Rocky II, Victory, Coal Miner's Daughter, Footloose, and Quicksilver. In 1986 Trilogy Entertainment Group was formed. Two years later, Pen Densham directed Trilogy's first feature, The Kiss for Tri-Star. In 1991, Pen Densham and his Trilogy partners faced the challenge of simultaneously producing Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Backdraft. Backdraft is best remembered for its state-of-the-art pyrotechnics and incredible stunts, while Robin Hood is best remembered for its vivid re-creation of the 800 year old legend. Pen Densham made his network television-producing debut with the series Space Rangers, which he created and executive produced for CBS, and Lifepod, a science fiction tale of human courage and homage to Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat. "I'm kind of story-aholic," says Pen Densham. "I believe we are creating the mythologies of the future and all my projects reflect a desire to enhance human values. My partners and I have always stressed the creation of projects that are original, and hopefully, ahead of their time."
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