Cannes market attendees have been paying tribute to Mark Damon, the veteran sales agent credited with inventing the independent film financing model who died on the eve of Cannes aged 91.
Chicago-born Damon entered the world of independent sales and production in the 1970’s while living and working in Italy where he had pursued a successful career as a leading man in spaghetti westerns.
He returned to the United States in 1977 and founded Producer Sales Organization (PSO) and grew his business licencing international rights on commercial independent films. Damon also established Vision International, MDP Worldwide, Media 8, and most recently Foresight Unlimited.
He produced more than 70 films, which collectively earned more than $2bn at the box office and garnered 10 Oscar nominations including Monster starring Charlize Theron, Das Boot, The Upside Of Anger, 9 ½ Weeks, 8 Million Ways to Die, The Jungle Book, and 2 Guns. He was one of the founders of the American Film Market and Independent Film & Television Alliance.
Damon moved to Rome and established a highly successful career as a spaghetti western star in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in films like Johnny Yuma, Dead Men Don’t Count, No Killing Without Dollars, They Called Him Veritas, and Death At Orwell Rock.
Tamara Birkemoe, who worked alongside Damon at Foresight Unlimited and now heads Palisades Park Pictures, said: “It’s hard to believe Mark has passed. He was a big part of my life, as well as a major force in the world and our industry; a man with a brilliant mind and passion for what he did.
“From his emotional, animated pitches, to structuring financing and calculating waterfalls, to deep conversations about character and story, he put 100% into anything he was doing. Mark was an exceptional visionary who embodied excellence, the merits of hard work and invaluable wisdom. He leaves behind a great void, and he will be profoundly missed.”
Birkemoe added: “One of Mark’s favourite ways of negotiating with his buyer friends – at dinner of course – was to ask them to write down a number on a napkin they thought we would accept. At the same time Mark would write down a number on his napkin. Then they would show each other the numbers at the same time, and somehow Mark could always read the mind of the buyer, and had the same number they had every time!”
Jean Prewitt, president & CEO, Independent Film & Television Alliance, observed: “Mark Damon was an actor, briefly a singer, a producer, an international sales agent, and a wizard at film finance. He was a key originator of international pre-sales and the growth of a dynamic independent film business. He was one of the founders of the American Film Market and IFTA, with membership that spanned our existence.
“Mark always was the guy to check with on big questions. He was also a gentleman and someone who lit up the room every time he entered. We hoped he would go on forever and we share his family’s loss.”
Tatyana Joffe, XYZ Films EVP of international sales, worked with Damon from 2000-2006 and started at Behaviour which later was renamed MDP. “Mark was my dear friend and mentor for 25 years,” she said. “Not only was he the visionary pioneer who invented independent film pre-sales, but he was a major factor in my transition into international film sales.”
Joffe continued, “Mark gave me the grit and perseverance to forge my place in the industry. He was my big supporter but also a motivator. My gratitude to him for always pushing me outside my comfort zone and do more leaves me forever indebted. His memory will forever remain in my heart.”
Producer Cassian Elwes, said, “Much has been said about how Mark revolutionised the way independent films were sold into the international marketplace. Without his innovative approach, the independent business wouldn’t have flourished in the 80’s and 90’s.
But the true measure of a man or woman in our business is not the success or failure (for we always hope for the first and experience the second often); it’s the passion and love of what we do that sets us apart from those who merely want to achieve. Mark had so much of both – listening to him sell was like hearing great opera for the first time.
“I know his family, friends and multiple business associates are greatly mourning his loss but close your eyes for a moment, think of him, and you will hear that beautiful music again. And when you think of him, remember he blazed a trail for all of us.”
David Gaynes worked with Damon for 18 years at Vision International, MDP Worldwide, and Media 8. “Mark was the master of reinvention,” said Gaynes. “In a constantly challenging business, he had an uncanny ability to adapt and thrive many times over the years. He worked tirelessly and always expected his employees to match his tenacity and long work hours. If you were able to keep up with him, he was often a generous mentor and provided many of us with invaluable opportunities to grow in the business that he pioneered.”
Brian O’Shea, CEO of The Exchange who worked with Damon at Media 8 from 2002-2007, recalled: “Mark Damon was a brilliant mentor and a kind soul. His passion for film was infectious, and he taught me invaluable lessons of creative deal-making. Many buyers were excited to meet with Mark, loving his pitches but often joking that they’d leave with a movie they hadn’t planned on buying because he was such a great salesperson. Above all, I’ll remember his unwavering support and the kindness he showed to the people close to him. I will personally miss him like some many others.”
“Like so many others, I owe my career and so much more to Mark Damon,” said Steve Monas, CEO of Business Affairs, Inc. who worked for Damon at Vision International as SVP business affairs and later as president, and as EVP of business affairs at MDP Worldwide.
“I worked for Mark during the crazy years of the independent film business in the 1990s and his clear vision, tireless drive, and sheer resilience have been an inspiration ever since. While Mark was careful to say he didn’t invent the foreign pre-sale business, he certainly figured out how to use those sales to finance films. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of pictures that have been made based on the model he created… I will miss Mark Damon, the King of Cannes.”
Damon was born Alan Harris on April 22, 1933, in Chicago. He moved to Los Angeles and got his English degree and MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
He became a contract actor at 20th Century Fox in the 1950s and in 1961 won the Golden Globe for most promising newcomer in recognition of his performance in the Edgar Allan Poe adaptation House Of Usher, produced by New World Pictures’ Roger Corman, who also died in the days prior to Cannes.
When he moved to Rome, Damon established himself as a dashing leading man in the 1960s and 1970s, appearing in films like Johnny Yuma, Dead Men Don’t Count, No Killing Without Dollars, They Called Him Veritas, and Death At Orwell Rock.
He is survived by his wife, Margaret Markov Damon, and his children Jonathan and Alexis.
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