David Permut

Biography

David Permut is the president of his production company Permut Presentations, Inc. with offices in Los Angeles, CA. He is well-known for his ability to conceive and recognize original high-concept projects. His production of ''Richard Pryor: Live in Concert'' (1979) was the first theatrical live comedy-concert and is the most successful of its kind. In 1987, it was Permut’s hit comedy ''Dragnet'' (1987), starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks, which spawned the idea of remaking television classics into major motion pictures.

Feature Filmwork

Permut’s countless other credits include ''The Marrying Man'' (1991) written by Neil Simon, ''Captain Ron'' (1992) starring Kurt Russell, ''Eddie'' (1996) starring Whoopi Goldberg, ''Double Take'' (2001) starring Orlando Jones and Eddie Griffin, and ''Dysfunktional Family'' (2003) also starring Griffin. In addition, Permut conceived the idea behind of the hit comedy spoof ''Farce of the Penguins'' (2006) with writer and director Bob Saget. Farce of the Penguins was narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and had voiceovers by some of biggest names in comedy. Other acclaimed credits from Permut include ''Charlie Bartlett'' starring Robert Downey Jr. and Anton Yelchin, ''Blind Date'' directed by Blake Edwards and starring Kim Basinger and Bruce Willis in his big-screen debut, and the Jon Woo blockbuster ''Face/Off'' starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.

TV Work

Permut’s work also carries to the small screen, having produced a number of prestigious television programs. These include ''Mistress'' (1987) for CBS, ''Love Leads the Way'' for ABC/Disney (1984) and ''Some Kind of Love'' (1992), also for CBS. Also, Permut produced the critically acclaimed ''Prayers for Bobby'' (2009) starring Sigourney Weaver and directed by Russell Mulcahy for Lifetime Television Network. Prayers for Bobby is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name and tells the true story of Mary Griffith, a mother who changes her ways after her gay son commits suicide because of her religious convictions.

Future Projects

Currently, Permut is in post-production on ''Youth in Revolt'' (2009), which he is producing with Dimension Films, and stars Michael Cera (''Superbad'', ''Juno'') along with an all star cast that includes Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, Jean Smart, Justin Long, Fred Willard, Mary Kay Place and M. Emmet Walsh. Youth in Revolt is based on the classic cult-novel by C.D. Payne. Its story follows hormone-driven teenager Nick Twist through his misadventures to be with the girl of his dreams.

Being released by Disney on May 1st is the documentary ''The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story'' (2009) which Permut is producing with Ben Stiller and his company Red Hour Films. The documentary takes a personal, never before scene look into the lives’ and careers’ of legendary singer/songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman (“It’s A Small World After All”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and all the music in ''Mary Poppins''– to name a few) and is directed by their sons.

Permut’s eclectic development slate is virtually with every major studio in Hollywood. This includes Naked set up with ''Gold Circle Films'' and Universal; Chippendales, the true story of the rise and fall of Steve Banerjee, founding father of the infamous female entertainment club; Without a Badge a cop drama to be directed by Antoine Fuqua (''Training Day''); The C.O. written by Pulitzer Prize winning writer Robert Schenkkan (''Band of Horses'') based on the true story of unlikely hero Desmond Doss, a WWII solider who refused to bear arms and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery; and Brother Sam, a biopic about controversial comedian Sam Kinison being produced in association with Tom Shadyac (''Bruce Almighty'') in development at HBO. Also, David is developing a one-man-show based on the life of President Ronald Reagan.