Rich Guay is a renowned New York-based producer, screenwriter, consultant, and teacher with an extensive career spanning over three decades. He began his journey as a production auditor for acclaimed filmmakers such as John Sayles, Mike Nichols, and Jonathan Demme.
Guay's first producing effort, the film "True Love", which he also co-wrote, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and earned a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award as Best Picture. He went on to produce "Dogfight" starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor for Warner Bros., followed by co-writing and producing "Household Saints" starring Tracey Ullman and Lili Taylor. The latter earned Ms. Taylor the Spirit Award for Best Actress, and Guay received a nomination for Best Screenplay.
Guay's subsequent projects include producing the HBO film "Subway Stories", a feature-length anthology of short films by various directors, including Jonathan Demme, Ted Demme, Abel Ferrara, and Alison MacLean. His next film, "The 24 Hour Woman", an original comedy he co-wrote and produced, premiered at the Sundance Festival and stars Academy Award nominees Rosie Perez and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
Guay's other notable productions include "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai", written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring Forest Whitaker, which was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival and earned a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Picture. He also produced the movie version of the hit one-woman show "Reno: Rebel Without A Pause", winner of The Prize for Peace & Liberty from the City of Florence, as well as "Dirt", an original feature that won Best Director at the Los Angeles Latino Film Festival and Best Actress at La Cinema Fe in New York.
In addition to his work as a producer, Guay has worked as a production executive for various companies, including Orion Pictures, Film Finances, United Artists, and New Regency. He has also served as a production accountant, first assistant director, production manager, and post-production supervisor.
As a teacher, Guay has given master classes in producing at schools around the world, including the Motion Picture Association of America, The University of Amsterdam's Binger Institute, Whistling Woods Film School in Mumbai, the Royal Film Commission in Jordan, and The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts.
Guay has also been an Artist-in-Residence at the MFA program at City College of New York, where he teaches a production class, and has spent several semesters at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He is currently working on two independent features, "The Secret Magdalene" and "Sanctuary".
