Meet Andy Horwitz | Feature film Producer & CEO of Big Swell Entertainment

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andy Horwitz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Before starting Big Swell Entertainment, I spent 15 years at Atlas Entertainment; one of Hollywood’s biggest production companies. During my time there, Atlas produced 5 of the top 100 grossing films of all time which gave me opportunities to work side by side with some of the best and brightest in the industry. I had an incredible experience at Atlas and couldn’t have asked for a better mentor and Producer to model my future success from than Charles Roven. I got to spend 15 years learning from one of the best to ever do it. All great things come to an end and for me, I had to eventually jump out of the very safe and secure nest that Atlas provided me for so long.

Hollywood is experiencing some growing pains (or shrinking pains?) right now and needs to reinvent itself to make sense for the changing audience demands and financial models of the future. I saw the business around me changing and I wanted to be a big part of that change under my own banner, creating my own identity as a Producer. I wanted to build a company that is nimble, scrappy, and has the ability to evolve as the industry evolves. I looked around and saw a concerning absence of the next generation of Hollywood Producers taking the bull by the horns and showing the town that there’s a whole generation of young and experienced producers that have the ability to do the job at the highest level, and on the biggest films in town. In the coming years, we plan to show Hollywood that Big Swell Entertainment is here to do just that.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a Film Producer and Entertainment executive with over 17 years of experience in the Entertainment business. Most recently, I served as Executive Vice President of Charles Roven’s Atlas Entertainment, where I’d been for just about 15 years. While at Atlas, I served as an executive and produced tent pole films, independent features, television series, and podcasts for both the traditional studio system as well as the independent film business, which collectively generated billions of dollars in revenues and worldwide critical acclaim. During my time at Atlas, Atlas produced five of the top 100 grossing films of all time.

In 2019, I served as Producer on J.C. Chandor’s TRIPLE FRONTIER, starring Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal, which was released theatrically by Netflix on March 6, 2019 and on their platform March 13, 2019 to record setting numbers for the streaming giant. Triple Frontier was watched by more than 63 million accounts and over 120 million people in its first 4 weeks, making it Netflix’s fifth most popular original film ever at the time. Before that, Horwitz served as co-producer on David Ayer’s SUICIDE SQUAD starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman, Cara Delevingne and Viola Davis. The film opened in August of 2016 and holds the largest August opening weekend in history with $135.1 million domestically. In its second and third weeks, the film held the number one spot and grossed over $745 million worldwide at the box office.

I also served as Producer on THE HOLLOW POINT starring Patrick Wilson, Ian McShane, Jim Belushi and John Leguizamo, and Executive Produced William Monahan’s MOJAVE starring Oscar Isaac and Garrett Hedlund, which A24 released

In 2013, I co-produced David O. Russell’s AMERICAN HUSTLE starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards® including Best Picture and won three Golden Globes® including Best Picture, three BAFTAs including Best Original Screenplay, among numerous critics’ awards including the New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Picture and a SAG Ensemble nomination. AMERICAN HUSTLE was the biggest limited box-office release of 2013. The film has since grossed over $250 million worldwide.

In early 2023, I launched Big Swell Entertainment; one of Hollywood’s first Producing collectives. Big Swell is quickly becoming a home for Hollywood’s next generation of young producers and has proven to be a disruptor in the best possible way. I currently have a number of high profile films in development under the newly formed Big Swell Entertainment, with two planned to shoot in the in early 2025.

I’m sure it only took you about 2 minutes to read the above but it’s been a long 17 year run, and it sure hasn’t been easy. I’ve only listed the highlights here but there has been lots of struggles, failures, and challenges along the way. I’ve always been known as a very positive person because I believe that success in this business requires it. What you put out into the world, you get back in return. This is a business in which you can be told “NO” a hundred times but all you need is that one “YES” to make all those rejections insignificant to your career.

It’s been an incredible 17 years riding this rollercoaster we know as Hollywood and the good news is, I couldn’t be more excited about what’s to come because i’m just getting started.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d start out taking my out of town friend hiking in Topanga Canyon, which is close to where I live and has some of the best (and uncrowded) hiking trails in LA. We’d then follow that up for a trip to my favorite beach, Surfrider Beach in Malibu. The beaches of Los Angeles are pure magic and in my opinion, that’s where any out of towner should start their trip. You can then work your way inland from there. Because we’d be starting at the beach, i’d take them to lunch at the SoHo House in Malibu, which is one of my favorite places to hang.

Next, we’d head to my house so they can meet my four dogs (3 Pit Bulls and a Yorkie). Bam Bam, Nala, Astro, and Minnie are normally the highlight of all my friends’ trips to LA.

To end the day, we’d have dinner at my favorite sushi spot in LA, which is called The Brothers Sushi in Woodland Hills.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s a number of people in my life who deserve a shoutout and heavily contributed to my success in Hollywood. First and foremost, the one that immediately comes to mind is Charles Roven. Chuck took a shot on me right out of film school and provided a place for me to learn how to produce movies at the highest level. He granted me access to his world, and his company which landed me in the room with some of the biggest talents in town, and on the sets of some of the biggest films in the world. He taught me what a real producer does, and how to do the job in a way that you earn your title, and the respect of the studios and talent behind the films we made.

I also have to give a major shoutout to my family. My mom, dad, grandparents, Aunts/Uncles, and wife. All of these people surrounded me with love and wisdom when I needed it the most (which was a lot in the early years). My older brother Aaron has no doubt been one of the biggest creative beacons of support in my life and has always been there for me to bounce ideas off and just look to for opinions when I needed them most. He graciously offered to run the unscripted side of Big Swell Entertainment a year ago and it’s been one of the most enjoyable partnerships i’ve had in my 17 years in Hollywood.

Omri Bezelal, my partner at Big Swell Entertainment. Without him and his family, the dream behind Big Swell Entertainment would not be possible. Meeting Omri and building this company with him has been nothing short of amazing and I very much look forward to continuing with our mission of building a company with a long lasting legacy we can both be proud of.

Lastly, my wife. My wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer 2 days after I left Atlas Entertainment (a very stable job, and very good health benefits). She could have easily tried to convince me to change course but instead she encouraged me and supported me to pursue my dreams of running my own company. She’s the strongest woman I know and thankfully after a 26 month battle with Cancer, I can happily say she’s in remission and doing great.

Website: https://www.bigswellent.com

Instagram: @andyhorwitz

Twitter: @andyhorwitz_