JACK W. BATMAN was born in Camden, New Jersey and educated at La Salle University in Philadelphia. He began his professional career as a theatrical agent, starting in William Morris Agency’s legendary mailroom and shortly thereafter graduating to the film department where his concentration was new properties and film casting. While at WMA, he was in-house casting director for films produced by Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures. His career continued with positions as a theatre agent at several prominent agencies and then as an independent casting director of over 200 plays and musicals for Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours and Regional Theatre companies. He also was the New York City representative for ten different major theatre companies including the 7,800-seat Kansas City Starlight and the historic Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

 

Looking for a career challenge, Jack began working for Silver Screen Management, Inc., an entertainment investment company which produced over 75 motion pictures (investing over $1 billion) for HBO, Walt Disney Studios and Touchstone Pictures films, including “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Pretty Woman,” “Gandhi” and “The Killing Fields.” He also was administrative director of Whydah Management Company, Inc. which funded the excavation and conservation of artifacts from the only pirate ship ever discovered. When the Silver Screen team took up a new project, Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex (a 30-acre waterfront sports and entertainment village along New York City’s Hudson River), Jack assumed duties as vice president and director of public relations with responsibility for all press coverage and public events. While there he produced and founded Global Ice, the figure skating performance series at Sky Rink, edited the Chelsea Piers newspaper, On the Piers (circulation 75,000) and produced 46 different major public events attended by over 400,000 people.

 

Returning to the theatre, he became Executive Producer of the White Plains Performing Arts Center (NY) where he produced two seasons of major musical revivals. Jack and his producing partner, Bruce Robert Harris, met at the Commercial Theatre Institute in New York City and they have been happily producing together for twelve years.

 

Principal Producing Credits:

 

Broadway: NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 starring Josh Groban (currently), ON THE TOWN (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama League Award nominations), YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU starring James Earl Jones (Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League Award nominations), PIPPIN (Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama League Award for Best Revival of a Musical), CLYBOURNE PARK (Tony Award for Best Play, Pulitzer Prize for Drama), NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT starring Matthew Broderick (Tony, Drama Desk and Grammy Award nominations), BONNIE & CLYDE (Drama Desk Award nomination), THE SCOTTBORO BOYS (Tony Award nomination), ENCHANTED APRIL (Tony Award nomination). London: THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS (London Critics Circle Award and London Evening Standard Award for Best Musical, Olivier Award nomination), MY TRIP DOWN THE PINK CARPET, BY JEEVES. Lincoln Center: I AM HARVEY MILK starring Kristin Chenoweth. Los Angeles: CARRIE THE MUSICAL (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, Ovation Award nomination). Recordings: BONNIE & CLYDE, NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, PIPPIN, ON THE TOWN. Off Broadway: STRAIGHT, THE 39 STEPS, THE JUDY SHOW (Outer Critics’ Circle Award nomination), MY TRIP DOWN THE PINK CARPET (Drama League Award nomination), THE JESUS FACTOR, CLEAN ALTERNATIVES (Edinburgh Fringe First Award) BRIAN DYKSTRA: CORNERED & ALONE and sixteen new plays and musicals for Gayfest NYC (GLAAD Media Award nomination).

 

www.sunnyspotproductions.com