Kirk Shaw (born May 23, 1956) is a Canadian-born producer who founded Insight Film Studios.
In 2009, under Shaw's leadership, Insight Studios was forced to downsize following a change in interpretation of the tax credit system by Canada Revenue Agency with two companies seeking re-payment through lawsuits.[1]
In February 2012, Kirk Shaw joined Odyssey Media as a film and television content producer/packager.[2] Shaw has been deemed an unfair engager by the Writers Guild of Canada 13 times[3] for failing to abide by grievance procedures or the decision of a Joint Standing Committee. Two of his over 250 productions are on the Writers Guild of America strike/unfair list.[4]
Shaw initially launched Insight Films to produce self-guided audio tours for museums and branched into video after he was approached by the Museum of Vancouver to produce display videos.
In 1994, Shaw began to produce his own documentaries, with Insight's first dramatic feature film released in 2001, Maximum Surge.
In 2012, Shaw announced his appointment to Vancouver-based, Odyssey Media Inc. as an Executive Consultant and Producer. Odyssey Media Inc. opened its doors in 2011 with offices in Vancouver, BC, LA and in Brisbane Australia as Odyssey Film Studios [5] In Shaw's own words, "I'm very excited to be joining Odyssey. The entertainment industry is in the midst of a great transformation and Odyssey Media is perfectly positioned to lead the change. I know I can tailor cast, funding sources and filming locations around the globe to match the unique requirements of a variety of feature films Odyssey currently has in the works, as well as, bring my projects to Odyssey by leveraging short-term funding to back pay-or-play deals for actors, cash-flow prep and to confidently secure optimum distribution value."[2]
In 2012, Shaw and Odyssey Media packaged and produced their first film together, Absolute Deception, an action/thriller starring Academy Award Winner Cuba Gooding Jr.[6]
In January 2013, Odyssey announced new investor funding for a 15-film slate of films [7]
In June 2013, Odyssey Media/Odyssey Film Studios and Kirk Shaw Executive Produced the Feature Film Drive Hard starring John Cusack and Thomas Jane.[8] Hard Drive was filmed throughout Australia's Gold Coast.[9]
For 2014 Odyssey Media and Kirk Shaw packaged and produced Pound of Flesh starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Shot in China for worldwide release in 2015.[10]
In 2015, with close to 200 film and television credits to his name, Shaw is one of the leading film financiers and producers.[11]
Shaw completed a journalism diploma at Douglas College in British Columbia with the initial intent of becoming a writer. He landed on the administrative side of journalism, and was part of the management that launched the tabloid Edmonton Sun in 1978. Upon his return to Vancouver in the mid-1980s, Shaw spent 12 years in the computer business before launching Insight Films.
From 2006 to 2009 Insight Film Studios was Canada's largest independent production house.[12] Through Insight Shaw has produced more than 100 often award-winning films, including Helen, a 2009 drama starring Ashley Judd that won a Leo Award in 2009 for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama and was also nominated for Best Feature Length Drama.
Shaw was part of the production team for the 2008 project, The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Jeremy Renner, Ralph Fiennes and Evangeline Lilly, which reached international acclaim at the 82nd Academy Awards. It was nominated for nine Oscars including Best Picture and won six including Best Director for Bigelow, the first woman to win this award. The film earned numerous awards and honours from critics' organizations, festivals and groups, including six BAFTA Awards, and was also nominated for three Golden Globes in 2010.
| Year | Award | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | NSI Drama Prize | Winner | |
| 1998 | VCAMMA Advertising Creative Awards | Certificate of Excellence | |
| 2001 | Banff Film Festival HDTV Award | Winner | |
| 2005 | BC Export Awards – New Media & Entertainment | First Place Winner | |
| 2007 | Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year | Finalist - Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment | |
| 2007 | BC Export Awards – New Media & Entertainment | First Place Winner | |
| 2007 | Playback Annual Survey | Largest Production Company in Canada |
| Year | Award | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | AMTEC (Association of Media Technology in Education) | Nominee - Battle in Seattle | |
| 2006 | Leo Awards Best Documentary Program or Series | Nominee - Secret Files of the Inquisition | |
| 2007 | Gen Art Film Festival Audience Award | Won - Numb | |
| 2007 | Park City Film Festival Medal for Excellence for Outstanding Achievement in Film Music | Won Gold - Numb | |
| 2007 | Berlin International Film Festival Golden Berlin Bear | Won - When a Man Falls in the Forest | |
| 2007 | Leo Awards Best Musical Score in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - When a Man Falls in the Forest | |
| 2007 | Leo Awards Best Picture Editing in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - When a Man Falls in the Forest | |
| 2007 | Leo Awards Best Production Design in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - When a Man Falls in the Forest | |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series | Nominee - Painkiller Jane | |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Musical Score in a Dramatic Series | Won - Painkiller Jane | |
| 2008 | Gemini Awards Best Original Music Score for a Program or Series | Nominee - Blood Ties | |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series | Nominee - Blood Ties | |
| 2008 | WorldFest Houston Special Jury Award | Won Gold - Blood Ties | |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Battle in Seattle | |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Costume Design in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Battle in Seattle | |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Production Design in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Battle in Seattle | |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Devil's Diary | |
| 2008 | Leo Awards Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Devil's Diary | |
| 2009 | Leo Awards Best Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Helen | |
| 2009 | Leo Awards Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama | Won - Helen | |
| 2009 | Leo Awards Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Feature Length Drama | Nominee - Helen |