Jason Blum

Biography

Jason Blum (born February 20, 1969, in Los Angeles) is an American producer and the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, a company that turned low-budget horror into a reliable business model. He is best known for franchises such as Insidious, The Purge and Halloween, though his credits also include awards contenders like Whiplash, Get Out and BlacKkKlansman.

The son of art professor Shirley Neilsen Blum and art dealer Irving Blum, who directed the Ferus Gallery, he graduated from Vassar College in 1991. There he roomed with Noah Baumbach, whose first film, Kicking and Screaming (1995), Blum produced. Before launching his own company he worked for Bob and Harvey Weinstein at Miramax and later as an independent producer for Paramount Pictures. For his debut he secured financing by attaching a letter of support from Steve Martin to the scripts he sent around Hollywood.

In 2000 he founded Blumhouse, which specializes in micro-budget films that give directors wide creative control. The best-known example is Paranormal Activity, shot for around $15,000 and grossing close to $200 million. The approach carried over to Sinister, Oculus and Split, and the company has worked with filmmakers such as Jordan Peele, whose Get Out earned a Best Picture nomination, as well as BlacKkKlansman and Whiplash. Blum has also produced for television, including The Normal Heart and the documentary series The Jinx, both of which won Emmys.

His legacy lies in showing that inexpensive genre filmmaking can combine authorial ambition with commercial success. He remains at the head of the company, which keeps several franchises active, and sits on the boards of the Sundance Institute and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Key films

• Sinister (2012), directed by Scott Derrickson, a clear example of the contained-budget horror that defines Blumhouse.
• Get Out (2017), directed by Jordan Peele, nominated for Best Picture and one of the studio's biggest hits.
• Whiplash (2014), directed by Damien Chazelle, nominated for Best Picture.
• The Purge (2013), the first entry in a franchise that mixes horror with political commentary.
• Insidious (2010), directed by James Wan, the start of one of the studio's longest-running horror series.
• BlacKkKlansman (2018), directed by Spike Lee, nominated for Best Picture.