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Jason Reitman          

Academy Award-Nominated Director, Screenwriter & Producer; Best Known for His Work on "Juno" and "Thank You For Smoking"

Oscar-nominated director Jason Reitman has established himself as an original, smart, and funny storyteller known for his pitch-perfect commentaries on society.

Jason Reitman is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker who is producing the second season of Casual through his Right of Way Films. Jason made his feature film debut with the 2006 Sundance hit Thank You For Smoking. He received Academy Award nominations for directing Juno and Up In The Air, the latter of which earned him a Golden Globe Award and WGA Award for Best Screenplay. His other films include Young Adult, Labor Day, and Men, Women and Children. He recently executive produced the Academy Award-winning film Whiplash, and will next produce the Jean-Marc Vallee-directed Demolition, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts. He is also directing Dreamworks animated feature film Beekle.

Reitman made his feature film directing debut with the 2005 hit, Thank You For Smoking, based on the acclaimed novel by Christopher Buckley, which Reitman adapted for the screen. The movie was a commercial and critical success, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture, an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay, and a Writers Guild of America (WGA) nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2006, Reitman was named Best Debut Director by the National Board of Review.

His second film, Juno, also generated great buzz, receiving several Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. Reitman was nominated for Best Director, and Ellen Page was nominated for Best Actress. The film earned a win for Diablo Cody's screenplay, and won three Independent Spirit awards and a Grammy Award.

Reitman then wrote and directed Up In The Air, starring George Clooney. Based on a novel about a corporate downsizer who travels from city to city and is fanatical about collecting his ten millionth frequent flier mile, the film features real-world characters cast from the ranks of the recently downsized. "Hidden within a film that seems to be about corporate termination and the economy is a movie about the decision whether to be alone or not," said Reitman.

Once again striking a chord with audiences everywhere, Reitman's film was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. The screenplay won the Golden Globe, WGA, and BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay.

In 2011, Reitman reteamed with Diablo Cody for the critically acclaimed Young Adult with Charlize Theron and produced the Duplass Brother's comedy Jeff Who Lives At Home starring Jason Segel and Ed Helms.

His latest film, Labor Day, which he adapted from the novel by Joyce Maynard, will be released in 2013 with Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.

Reitman's ability to tell very human stories with intelligent humor has made him one of the most relevant and in-demand filmmakers working today.

Speech Topics

The Art of Storytelling

The Road For Future Filmmakers

How Technology Has Changed the Way We Make Movies

Making the Inaccessible Accessible

Jason explores the process of making subjects like cigarettes, teenage pregnancy, and job loss accessible ideas for a broad audience.

Following Your Passion

As one of today’s most successful young film directors, Jason Reitman seems to have the magic touch. But for someone who described his childhood self as "a loser... a movie geek and shy,” Reitman has certainly come a long way.

As the son of legendary film director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), he served as a production assistant on his father’s films, and spent countless hours in the editing room, learning the process of filmmaking. However, instead of accepting offers to make feature films, Reitman began making his own short films and directing commercials. People might assume that Reitman had nepotism going for him, but Jason notes that his famous father wasn't in a hurry to do him any favors. The financing of his first feature film, Thank You For Smoking, did not come from his dad, but from other sources. His subsequent hits, Juno and Up In The Air, proved that he has extraordinary talent of his own.

Jason talks about his road to success and the importance of following your passion.

News

Jason Reitman Takes On ‘Beekle’ Book Adaptation For DreamWorks Animation
He’s been up in the air and hung out with young adults, but Jason Reitman never has gotten animated — until now. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker is writing and directing an adaptation of the book The Adventures Of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend for DreamWorks Animation.

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