VIVEK
J. TIWARY
President & CEO
Vivek J. Tiwary is a producer, financier, marketing and management consultant for film, theater, music, and television. Vivek is also an accomplished writer and director of music videos, short films, commercials, and graphic novels, as well as a record producer of musicians in all genres. Vivek is the screenwriter of "The Fifth Beatle", a feature film in development based on the life of Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. On Broadway, he is a producer of the forthcoming musicals "The Addams Family" starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, and Green Day's "American Idiot," an adaptation of the superstar rock band's multi-platinum album. Also on Broadway, he was a lead producer of the Tony Award-winning revival of "A Raisin In The Sun" starring Sean Combs, and he is a Limited Partner in Mel Brooks' Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals and touring shows "The Producers" and "Young Frankenstein," as well as Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. Also in film, Vivek is the writer and a producer of "Punk Rock Dad" a feature film in development based on Pennywise lead singer Jim Lindberg's hilarious and heartfelt memoir/parenting manual, and an executive producer on "Down & Dirty Pictures," a narrative feature film adaptation of Peter Biskind's bestselling Hollywood expose. Vivek also serves as CEO of multi-faceted music company StarPolish, whose divisions include StarPolish Presents (live events and booking), Marketing, and Online Education/Empowerment. In 2008, Vivek produced a theatrical collaboration between electropop/performance artists Fischerspooner and avant-garde theatre collective The Wooster Group (founded by Willem Dafoe, Spalding Gray, and others) that launched the Sao Paulo Art Bienal. Prior to founding his companies Tiwary Entertainment Group and StarPolish, Vivek held a number of major label music-industry positions, including launching and running the Alternative Marketing Department at Mercury/PolyGram Records, and managing Video Promotion for Mercury/PolyGram, where he worked closely with MTV and VH1. Vivek has worked with artists covering the entire musical spectrum including Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Kiss, LL Cool J, John Mellencamp, Allen Ginsberg, Oasis, Hanson, and The Mighty Mighty BossTones to name but a few. Among many charitable pursuits, Vivek is the Co-Founder of Musicians On Call, a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of both the Wharton School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania's College of Arts and Sciences. Vivek also holds a filmmaking certificate from The New York Film Academy and is an acting student of Susan Batson/Black Nexxus Acting Studio.
GARY
L. KAPLAN
Executive VP and General Counsel
Gary Kaplan is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Tiwary Entertainment Group and StarPolish, a company dedicated to educating, empowering, and developing musical artists. At TEG, Gary is a Producer of the Brian Epstein biopic feature “The Fifth Beatle, and an Executive Producer of the high-profile independent film “Down & Dirty Pictures,” based on the bestselling Hollywood exposé. Gary was a producer of a theatrical collaboration between electropop/performance artists Fischerspooner and avant-garde theatre collective The Wooster Group (founded by Willem Dafoe, Spalding Gray, and others) that launched the Sao Paulo Art Bienal. Gary was also a producer of the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of “A Raisin In The Sun,” starring Sean Combs, and is a Limited Partner in Mel Brooks’ Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and touring show "The Producers" and "Young Frankenstein." Gary also manages a portfolio of synergistic entertainment investments for TEG. At StarPolish, Gary oversees operations of the company’s many divisions, including College Booking, Middle Agent Services, Marketing, Live Events, and Online Education/Empowerment. Prior to joining both companies in January 2000, Gary spent three years at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, one of the world's preeminent law firms. Gary was a member of Skadden's Intellectual Property Department, focusing on patent litigation and working on copyright, trademark, trade secret, and new media law matters. Gary received a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science and graduated Cum Laude from the Fordham School of Law.
Jonathan Leeder
Development/Production
Jonathan Leeder has been with Tiwary Entertainment Group and StarPolish since January of 2007. At StarPolish, Jonathan is an editor and contributing writer of interviews and features with musicians and industry professionals. At Tiwary Entertainment Group, Jonathan is constantly searching for and evaluating potential new projects for the company slate. Prior to joining both companies, Jonathan worked for a handful of film companies in Los Angeles. He began at Silver Pictures on the Warner Brothers Studios lot during "The Matrix" trilogy. He was a casting associate to Mali Finn, working on director Gus Van Sant's "Last Days" and "Elephant," "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" starring Sean Penn, director David Gordon Green's "Undertow," director Walter Salles' "Dark Water," and Warner Independent's first feature film "Around The Bend." Leaving casting behind to pursue a career in development, Leeder joined management/production company Evolution Entertainment and Twisted Pictures, working under producer Greg Hoffman on the "Saw" horror franchise. As Director of Development at start-up Remag Guerilla Films, Jonathan co-produced the documentary "Prison Ball" which focused on basketball playing inmates serving life sentences in the Louisiana State Penitentiary system. He also assisted the producers on Jason Reitman's feature debut "Thank You For Smoking." Jonathan holds a bachelors degree in the College of Arts and Sciences from the University of Vermont, where he majored in Film Studies under renowned historian Dr. Frank Manchel.
