Dany Garcia

In 2008, Garcia executive produced the documentary Theater of War, directed by John Walter and starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline.[11][12] This was followed by the Christmas-themed romantic drama film Lovely, Still (2008), starring Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn.[13] The following year, Garcia produced the documentary Racing Dreams (2009). Directed by Marshall Curry, the film follows two boys and a girl as they compete and aspire to become professional NASCAR drivers.[14] The film was critically acclaimed, winning Best Documentary at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, where it was also runner up for the Audience Award.[15] The film received a 100% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.38/10.[16] The film was called "The best film of the year" by the Los Angeles Times ("The Envelope") and "Absorbing… one of the rare documentaries you leave wishing it was a little longer, " by The New York Times.[17]

In 2012, Garcia and Johnson co-founded their production company, Seven Bucks Productions.[3] Garcia then produced the action film Snitch (2013), directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Johnson,[18] followed by the reality television series The Hero.[19] She later founded her multi-platform enterprise, The Garcia Companies and TGC Management, a global brand development and management company, representing actors Henry Cavill and Dwayne Johnson.[5][6][20] That same year, TNT ordered eight hour-long episodes for the reality television series Wake Up Call, which premiered in 2014 and into 2015. Garcia served as executive producer for all eight episodes, which was described as The Hero's "natural successor."[19] Another reality TV series, Clash Of The Corps, premiered in 2016 with Fuse TV.[21] Garcia and Johnson later launched a digital channel for the short-TV series Millennials the Musical (2016).[22]

In 2017, Garcia executive produced several projects for TV and the web. The first one was Rock and a Hard Place for HBO, which focuses on the lives of incarcerated young people.[23][24][25] This was followed by the web series Logan Paul Summer Saga with American internet personality Logan Paul,[26] Bro/Science/Life: The Series,Bro/Science/Life: The Series,[27][28][29] and Lifeline.[30][31]

Garcia later executive produced her first large budget film, Baywatch (2017), an action comedy film directed by Seth Gordon and based on the television series of the same name. The film was panned critically,[32] but a box office success, grossing $177.8 million worldwide, against a production budget of $69 million.[33] Garcia followed this up with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017),[6] a fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan. It the third installment of the Jumanji franchise, after Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) and a direct sequel to Jumanji (1995), which was based on the 1981 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle received positive reviews[34] and grossed $962.1 million worldwide, becoming one of Sony's highest-grossing films of all time.[35]

Rampage (2018), a science fiction monster film directed by Brad Peyton, and based on the video game series of the same name by Midway Games, was released the following year.[36] It grossed over $428 million worldwide[37] and received mixed reviews from critics.[38] Garcia's next film, Skyscraper (2018),[6] an action film written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, received similar critical responses.[39] Garcia then executive produced the documentary Stuntmant (2018).[40] She returned to television to serve as executive producer on HBO's most-watched half-hour comedy-drama[41] series Ballers for HBO.[42]

In 2019, Garcia executive produced The Titan Games, a sports competition series which premiered on NBC and has been renewed for a second season.[43] The same year, Seven Bucks’ made its Sundance Film Festival debut with the biographical sports comedy-drama film, Fighting with My Family, written and directed by Stephen Merchant and produced by Garcia, followed the same year.[44][45] Garcia later produced a six-episode docu-series Finding Justice for BET, focusing on the stories of heroes, leaders, advocates and change agents in the African American community across America as they uncover injustices and fight to bring healing and change.[46]

Returning to the large screen, Garcia served as executive producer for the superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, Shazam! (2019),[4] The Fast and the Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw (2019),[47] and produced Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) which set the record Seven Bucks Productions’ biggest global opening weekend.[48] She also served as executive producer for the show K Great Thanks (2019).[49]

In August 2020, Garcia and Johnson led the consortium that purchased the XFL out of bankruptcy from its founder, Vince McMahon.[50] Garcia had been a fan of the brand and league since its original 2001 incarnation and with the acquisition, she has become the first woman to own an equal or majority ownership stake in a major professional sports league in the United States.[50]

After not releasing any new projects in 2020, Garcia partnered up with Disney for the Disney+ docuseries Behind the Attraction (2021), Disney+ documentary Stuntman (2021), and the blockbuster film Jungle Cruise (2021), based on the classic 1955 Disneyland ride.[51] She also produced Young Rock, an American television sitcom based upon long-time collaborator Johnson's life.[52][53] In April 2021, the series was renewed for a second season and a holiday special episode aired on December 15, 2021, ahead of the second season premiere on March 15, 2022.[54][55]

That same year, Garcia announced the launch of her latest venture, GSTQ. A lifestyle and fashion brand, GSTQ includes a highly curated, ready-to-wear fashion collection.[56] GSTQ combines and refines the best of a mogul’s savvy style, accentuated with the ease of movement and range of motion sought in performance wear. The collection consists of 40 styles.[56] Garcia later co-founded and introduced the tequila brand Teremana Tequila; with 640,000 9L cases sold in 2021, it is the most successful spirits brand launch in the United States.[57]

In October 2017, Warner Bros. hired Adam Sztykiel to write the screenplay for Black Adam, with Garcia set to produce and Johnson starring. Initial plans for Johnson's first appearance as Black Adam in Suicide Squad (2016) were abandoned when Gavin O'Connor, who had been attached to write and possibly direct, left the film in 2018.[58] After delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[59][60] principal photography began on April 10, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia.[61][62] Black Adam is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on October 21, 2022.[63]

In May 2021, it was announced that Garcia would join Johnson, Hiram Garcia, Jared Stern, and Patricia Hicks as producers for the upcoming American 3D computer-animated superhero comedy film DC League of Super-Pets.[64] After several delays, it is scheduled to be released on July 29, 2022 (taking the original release of Black Adam), among other films from Warner Bros. getting pushed due to production delays.[65][66]

Garcia met Johnson while attending college, and they were married on May 3, 1997. By marrying Johnson she joined the famous Samoan Anoa'i family.[68] They have one child together.[68] On June 1, 2007, they announced they were splitting up amicably,[68] and the divorce was finalized in May 2008.[69] In 2014, Garcia married bodybuilder and TGC Management's fitness industry brand consultant, Dave Rienzi.[7] She lives between Los Angeles and Orlando with her husband and four dogs.[51]

Garcia is a bodybuilder and often credits the sport for shaping her relentless nature in business. She first competed in 2011 and went on to earn her IFBB Pro card in 2014. She was the first-ever Women's Physique Division athlete to be signed to the Weider roster.[70]

Garcia holds several board positions. In 2008, she founded the Beacon Experience, a foundation that works with at-risk children to empower them to break economic and social barriers and extend their education beyond high school.[8] She was elected to be on Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc's board of directors that same year.[10]