Chris Zarpas

Chris began his career in the motion picture business as an usher at the Uptown Theater in Washington, DC. After graduation from Brooklyn Law School, Chris became a film buyer for Circle Theaters, a large regional theater circuit in Washington. In 1984, Chris co-founded Circle Films, an independent theatrical distribution company, where he acquired and distributed Joel and Ethan Coen's first film, Blood Simple. In 1986, Chris was appointed Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at the Walt Disney Company where he developed and supervised numerous motion pictures including Beaches starring Bette Midler. In 1990, Chris assumed the co-presidency of Island Pictures in Los Angeles, a successful independent motion picture studio. At Island, Mr. Zarpas produced three films, Toy Soldiers for Tri Star, Strictly Business for Warner Bros. and Sandlot for Fox. In 1996, Chris was named president and CEO of Scott Free, an independent production company in Los Angeles, co-chaired by filmmakers Ridley and Tony Scott. There, Chris produced or executive produced G.I. Jane starring Demi Moore, directed by Ridley Scott; Clay Pigeons starring Vince Vaughn, Joaquin Phoenix and Janeane Garofalo, directed by David Dobkin; Where The Money Is starring Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino and Dermot Mulroney, directed by Marek Kanievska, and the critically acclaimed HBO motion picture, RKO 281 starring James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith and John Malkovich. Chris received a Golden Globe for RKO 281 and an Emmy nomination for Best Movie for Television. Chris is a full time commercial real estate developer and occasional movie producer residing in his native Virginia. Chris last produced Grace Unplugged, a theatrical motion picture starring A.J. Michalka, Kevin Pollak and James Denton Grace Unplugged was released by Lionsgate on October 4th, 2013. Grace Unplugged won 2013 Movieguide Awards for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Family Movie and Best Picture. It also won the 2013 DOVE Award for Best Drama.