Rob Mitchell, Leading Finance Executive in Hollywood, Dies at 55

Mike Barnes
·2 min read
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Rob Mitchell, who for more than three decades served as a top-notch finance executive at The Samuel Goldwyn Co., Beacon Pictures, Hyde Park Entertainment and Bold Films, has died. He was 55.

Mitchell died unexpectedly July 28 of a pulmonary embolism at his home in Thousand Oaks, his twin brother, WGA West events manager Gregg Mitchell, announced.

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During the course of his career, Mitchell was involved in the production, finance and distribution of some 40 films; collectively, they grossed $2.3 billion at the worldwide box office.

Since 2008, he was the CFO at Bold Films, where he oversaw finance activities for the indie outfit, responsible for its operations and production slate.

There, Mitchell worked on the Jake Gyllenhaal starrers Nightcrawler (2014), Stronger (2017) and The Guilty (2021), plus Legion (2010), Drive (2011), Whiplash (2014), No Escape (2015), The Neon Demon (2016), Shot Caller (2017), Colette (2018) and Vox Lux (2018).

Mitchell also was involved with Bold’s television projects, including the Syfy series Dominion (a spinoff of Legion) and the ABC drama Black Box.

In 2013, Mitchell spearheaded Bold’s first major revolving credit facility with Comerica Bank, allowing it to further expand into higher-budget genre projects.

Born on May 2, 1967, and raised in Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, Mitchell moved with his family to Boise, Idaho, and then to Fresno, California. At Bullard High School, he played varsity sports (water polo and soccer) and graduated valedictorian.

In 1989, he left UCLA with a degree in business-economics, then began his entertainment finance career at Goldwyn, where he would be promoted to controller and serve as a key financial liaison during the company’s sale to Orion/MGM in 1997.

During his tenure as vp finance and controller at Beacon Pictures, the company produced such films as Air Force One (1997), End of Days (1999), The Hurricane (1999), Bring It On (2000), The Family Man (2000) and Spy Game (2001).

He oversaw Beacon’s production finance activities, worldwide sales collections, corporate accounting and management reporting while working on first-look deals with Sony, Universal and Disney.

Mitchell then moved to Hyde Park, where as CFO he managed finance activities including production loans, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting and worldwide distribution for releases including Sandra Bullock’s Premonition (2007).

In addition to his brother, survivors include his wife, Brandi; daughter Morgan, who is set to attend Otis College of Art and Design this fall; and his parents, Ron and Marti.

The family requests that donations be made in his name to the International OCD Foundation. Details for a memorial to honor his life and legacy will be announced.

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