Kevin Sullivan (producer)

Kevin Sullivan (producer)

Kevin Roderick Sullivan (born c. 1955) is a Canadian director and producer of film and television programs.

Kevin Sullivan began his filmmaking career at an early age of 24. His first foray into filmmaking was with a half-hour Hans Christian Andersen Christmas special titled The Fir Tree (1979) in which he edited and also had a small acting role. From there Sullivan wrote, produced and directed the docu-drama Kreighoff (1979), a widely-acclaimed drama on the life of the prominent illustrator of 19th century Quebec. He wrote, produced and directed Megan Carey (1980), a film about a young Irish immigrant indentured on a farm in 19th century Canada. His first feature film was The Wild Pony (1982), a turning point for Sullivan, but also the first feature-length movie to be made exclusively for pay-TV in Canada. In 1984, he purchased the rights to Anne of Green Gables and completed the four-hour miniseries in 1985.

Sullivan graduated from the University of Toronto in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. That year, he founded Sullivan Entertainment with Trudy Grant (to whom he is now married). During this time, he also pursued an interest in Art History and Baroque Architecture and spent several months pursuing field studies in Austria and Bavaria. This interest in the 18th century most recently inspired his desire to create a contemporary feature film of Mozart’s classic opera The Magic Flute, entitled Magic Flute Diaries.

Sullivan is best known for detailed period movies such as Anne of Green Gables films, his movie adaptations of Timothy Findley’s The Piano Man’s Daughter, Under the Piano, Butterbox Babies, Sleeping Dogs Lie, as well as long-running television series such as Road to Avonlea and Wind At My Back. Having produced over 500 hours of movies and television in his thirty year career he has also won hundreds of international awards, including three Emmy Awards, Peabody, Gemini, Cable Ace & Prix Jeunesse. His films have been broadcast in over 150 countries. Sullivan Entertainment has produced movies, mini-series and specials for CBS, PBS, Disney, Lifetime, Ion, INSP, Channel 4, BBC, ITV, ZDF and NHK.

Sullivan is also the author of Beyond Green Gables, a behind-the-scenes look at the production design and inspiration for his films.