Rebirth

Jim Whitaker
Film Director and Producer

Jim Whitaker is chairman of Whitaker Entertainment, based at Walt Disney Films. Whitaker began his career as an intern at Imagine Entertainment and rose through the ranks to become president in 2004. He has executive-produced major motion pictures including Changeling, American Gangster, Cinderella Man, Friday Night Lights, 8 Mile, and Curious George. Whitaker founded Project Rebirth in 2002 and began filming at the World Trade Center site. The resulting documentary, Rebirth, will make its debut in theaters in August 2011 and will air on Showtime to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11 on September 11, 2011.

A graduate of Georgetown University, Whitaker is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree at Pace University in 2011.