Directory Profile

Gail Katz is Professor of Cinematic Arts and holds the Mary Pickford Endowed Chair, and is Faculty Chair.  During 2021-2024, she was Chair of the Division of Film and Television Production and held the Kortschak Family Endowed Division Chair in Film and Television Production.  Prior to serving as Division Chair, she headed the Producing Track at USC SCA.  She has taught film producing in core production courses, TV drama series producing in the Straight to Series class which she coordinates, The Pitch Class, and other electives.  

Gail has produced feature films that have grossed $1.3 billion in box office receipts.  Her films include The Perfect Storm, starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane and John C. Reilly, directed by Wolfgang Petersen; Air Force One, starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Glenn Close, directed by Wolfgang Petersen; Outbreak, starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and Cuba Gooding,Jr., directed by Wolfgang Petersen; In the Line of Fire, starring Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich and Rene Russo, directed by Wolfgang Petersen; Pawn Sacrifice, starring Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stulbarg, directed by Edward Zwick; Bicentennial Man, starring Robin Williams and Sam Neill, directed by Chris Columbus; Instinct, starring Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding, directed by Jon Turteltaub; Mighty Joe Young starring Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron, directed by Ron Underwood; and Red Corner, starring Richard Gere and Bai Ling, directed by Jon Avnet.  Her films have received 9 Academy Award nominations.

In television, Gail was the Executive Producer of The College Admissions Scandal starring Penelope Ann Miller and Mia Kirshner, directed by Adam Salky.  It is about, well, the actual college admissions scandal in which numerous wealthy parents cheated to get their kids admitted to prestigious universities.  It originally aired on Lifetime in October 2019, six months after the FBI Operation Varsity Blues arrests were made.  Gail was Executive Producer of the ABC series Cashmere Mafia, starring Lucy Liu, about 4 successful friends who met in business school, based upon her own experiences.  Gail was also Executive Producer of the CBS series about the CIA, The Agency starring Beau Bridges, Jason O’Mara, and Will Patton.

Gail began her career in the film business with studio executive positions in finance before becoming a studio production executive. She now heads up her own company, Gail Katz Productions.  Gail received an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and a BA in both Economics and Political Science from the University of California at Berkeley.