Oscar-Winning Film Producer and Holy Cross Alumna Returns to Campus

WORCESTER, Mass. – Karen Baldwin ’85 was a Phi Beta Kappa pre-med student at Holy Cross with an avid interest in theatre and story-telling. Her post-graduate life took several dramatic twists and turns, including the decision not to pursue a medical career, to reach her current position: award-winning Hollywood movie producer.

Karen and her husband Howard Baldwin (former owner of the Hartford Whalers and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey teams) are the team behind many successful and critically-acclaimed films, including the Oscar-winning Ray, about the life of Ray Charles and starring Jamie Foxx.

The Baldwins will visit Worcester and the campus of Holy Cross on Friday, October 14. During a day of discussions and special programs, they’ll meet with students in the prebusiness program as well as students and members of the faculty in the theatre department.

At 2:45 p.m., they will conduct a question-and-answer session preceding a free screening of Ray in Kimball Theatre at Holy Cross. The Q&A and screening are open to the public free of charge.

Karen Baldwin began her career in the field of professional sports as the Assistant All-Star coordinator for the 1986 NHL All Star game hosted by the Hartford Whalers and went on to write and co-host her own local sports-oriented talk show, "Ahead of the Game."

A move to Los Angeles with her husband in the 1990s provided her the opportunity to pursue acting. Her credits include roles in Blue Grass, Spellbinder, Sudden Death and Eyewitness to a Murder, as well as numerous other film and television guest appearances. Her attention then turned to writing, and she created several concepts for films and had them produced. Among her writing credits are Redline, Hot, Eyewitness to a Murder, Seeing Red and Sudden Death.

Karen and Howard Baldwin subsequently formed Baldwin/Cohen Entertainment with Richard Cohen, where she became involved with the development and producing end of the business and served as Vice President of Creative Affairs. During her tenure at Baldwin/Cohen, she helped develop and produce films such as Sudden Death, Resurrection, Gideon and Mystery, Alaska.

Due to the death of partner Richard Cohen, the Baldwins then formed a partnership with Philip Anschutz to create Crusader Entertainment. As Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs for Crusader, Karen Baldwin was involved with the day-to-day running of the company as well as the development and production of eight films in three years: Joshua, Children on Their Birthdays, A Sound of Thunder, Game of Their Lives, Danny Deckchair, Swimming Upstream, Ray and Sahara.

In 2004, the Baldwins formed their own independent development and production company, Baldwin Entertainment Group.