Denise Di Novi

Denise Di Novi is an American film producer and director. Early life Denise Di Novi is one of the most prominent women producers in Hollywood, producing dozens of films for most of the Hollywood studios. Her most popular include Heathers, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, Crazy Stupid Love and Practical Magic, as well as Little Women starring Winona Ryder and more recently Soarse Ronin, She is the daughter of jazz musician Gene DiNovi, when Di Novi was three years old her family moved to Los Angeles from New York, where her father had been a prominent Bebop jazz musician in many of the Big Bands, as well as serving as Musical Conductor for Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Anne Margaret and Dinah Shore. In the 70's, the family moved to Toronto, Canada. Her mother Patricia McNeil Di Novi, who was a dancer in New York City on Broadway. Career Di Novi studied communications at Simmons College in Massachusetts, and received a degree in journalism. After working as a copy editor at the National Observer and staff writer for Canada AM, she became a reporter for Toronto's Citytv, but left to take a job as a unit publicist for Final Assignment. She became a principal in the Montreal-based production company Filmplan International, acting in various production capacities on nine major studio releases, including films with David Cronenberg. In 1983, Filmplan relocated to Los Angeles and merged with Arnold Kopelson's Film Packages. Di Novi joined New World Pictures as Executive Vice President of production. She later shifted into an overall deal as an independent producer, producing Heathers (1988) starring Winona Ryder. Di Novi then headed Tim Burton Productions and was responsible for producing several films. She set up her own production company, Di Novi Pictures, in 1993, at Columbia Pictures. She then entered into a producing deal with Warner Brothers Pictures.