Send Kevin a Text Message

Mark Canton, producer of 300, Immortals, Men in Black, Air Force One, and My Best Friend's Wedding, former President of Worldwide Production at Warner Bros., and former Chairman of Columbia Pictures and Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Companies, joins host Kevin Goetz for a conversation about a career defined by passion and instinct. From delivering mail on the Warner Bros. lot as a college student to greenlighting some of Hollywood's most beloved films, Canton reflects on the legends he learned from, the risks he took, and why he still smells the circus every time he walks onto a sound stage.

Queens, New York, and Family (02:34): Canton traces his love of film to a father who survived being shot down over France in WWII, won an Oscar for a short film on Van Gogh, and went on to do publicity for Hitchcock and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and to a mother who was a published poet. The movies, he says, were always destiny.

Learning from the Greats on Papillon (15:22): Working for director Franklin Schaffner in Jamaica and living between the houses of Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, Canton learned what it meant to commit to a film.

From the Warner Bros. Mail Room to Running the Studio (20:31): Canton traces his rise from UCLA film student to head of Worldwide Production at Warner Bros., sharing stories about the Vacation franchise, Caddyshack, and Lethal Weapon.

Taking the Helm at Columbia Pictures (39:22): Recruited by Peter Guber and Jon Peters, Canton became Chairman of Columbia Pictures and later oversaw Columbia TriStar. He reflects on the team he assembled and the record-breaking run that followed, including Jerry Maguire, My Best Friend's Wedding, Bad Boys, and Air Force One.

The Art of the Difficult Screening (47:51): Canton recounts two defining test screening moments: a chaotic preview of Scorsese's The Age of Innocence in a New Jersey bowling alley, and a tough audience response to Luc Besson's Léon: The Professional that led to an ultimatum and a reworked film that became a modern classic.

The Cable Guy and No Regrets (50:43): Canton defends paying Jim Carrey $17 million and notes what history confirmed: the film launched Ben Stiller's directing career, introduced Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Judd Apatow. He also recalls his affectionate standoff with Mike Nichols over the ending of Wolf.

What Keeps Audiences Coming Back (54:50): Canton argues that what fills theaters today is the same thing that made Purple Rain a phenomenon: the feeling of a live, communal, irreplaceable experience.

Host: Kevin Goetz
Guest: Mark Canton
Producer: Kari Campano
Writers: Kevin Goetz, Darlene Hayman, and Kari Campano
Audio Engineer: Gary Forbes (DG Entertainment)

For more information about Mark Canton:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Canton
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004799/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcanton/?hl=en

For more information about Kevin Goetz:
- Website: www.KevinGoetz360.com
- Audienceology Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Audience-ology/Kevin-Goetz/9781982186678
- How to Score in Hollywood: https://www.amazon.com/How-Score-Hollywood-Secrets-Business/dp/198218986X/
- Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack: @KevinGoetz360
- LinkedIn @Kevin Goetz
- Screen Engine/ASI Website: www.ScreenEngineASI.com