Craig Dehmel, Senior Vice President of Sales and Strategic Planning at 20th Century Fox International, will receive this year’s “Passepartout Award” as part of the convention’s International Day, it was announced today by Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon. The CinemaCon “Passepartout Award” is presented annually to an industry executive who demonstrates dedication and commitment to the international marketplace. CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), will be held March 24 – 27, 2014 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The International Day Luncheon will take place on Monday, March 24, 2014, where more than 800 industry executives from the international market are expected to be on hand.
“Respected and admired by his peers throughout the international market, Craig is simply the ideal recipient of this year’s ‘Passepartout Award,'” said Neuhauser. “Having played significant roles in some of the industry’s biggest international box-office releases during his 14 year tenure with Fox, his career speaks for itself. We’re proud to present this year’s honor to someone as worthy as Craig Dehmel.”
Craig Dehmel manages the theatrical release planning and execution of all 20th Century Fox-distributed titles in over 60 markets worldwide. His role includes strategic dating, competitive analysis, financial review, exhibitor relations, regional oversight and integrated release planning. Over his fourteen year career with Fox, Dehmel has helped plan the successful theatrical releases of hundreds of Fox International-distributed titles, including the Industry’s biggest International box office title, “Avatar” and the Industry’s two biggest animated titles at International box office, “Ice Age 4” and “Ice Age 3.” More recently, he was responsible for the release planning and execution of the triumphant “Life of Pi.” In 2013, 20th Century Fox International completed its 5th consecutive year exceeding $2B GBO, an industry record.
Dehmel commits a significant amount of time mentoring students, helping them learn the business of entertainment and find roles in the industry appropriate for their skills and interests. He has mentored more than 100 interns and students during his career at Fox. Dehmel has been a guest lecturer at the Anderson School of Business (UCLA) for the past 12 years, teaching a seminar on the fundamentals of the worldwide theatrical business. He is also a regular guest speaker at the Annenberg School of Communications and Peter Stark Producing Program, both at USC.
Prior to joining Fox, Dehmel was Marketing Director for Ocean Park Pictures; an independent producer of film and TV commercials. He started his entertainment career as an account executive / production manager for JP Advertising, servicing studio clients, such as Disney, MGM, Orion, and Sony Classics.
