Enjoy the chance to pitch your film to Executive Vice President of Development and Production of Walden Media, Naia Cucukov.
You will have the option to meet over lunch at Soho House in Hollywood or during a private ZOOM session — your choice!
As Executive Vice President of Development and Production at Walden Media, Naia Cucukov has a passion for identifying diverse, uplifting and inspiring projects and helping them grow into movie and television magic. A native of southern New Jersey, she grew up loving film and ultimately discovered her affinity for production while receiving her B.A. in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University. Like many entertainment executives before her, Naia started in Hollywood as an assistant at CAA followed by a post at Legendary Pictures. She then made the transition into the role of Creative Executive at Bold Films followed by the opportunity to work with Sir Richard Branson as the Director of Development at Virgin Produced. While at Virgin, Naia oversaw creative programing for the Virgin Produced Channel onboard Virgin Airlines and co-produced the award-winning short film Departure Date, the first film shot on a plane and edited while 35,000 feet in the air. Since her start at Walden Media in 2013, Naia has hit the ground running, cultivating a diverse slate of films. On behalf of Walden she has overseen production for: The Giver, based on the bestselling book by Lois Lowry; Universal and Working Title’s Everest, based on the true story of the 1996 Everest disaster; Disney’s The BFG, a Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved novel; A Dog’s Purpose and A Dog's Journey, parts one and two of the beloved series by W. Bruce Cameron; Sony Animation’s The Star; Lionsgate’s Wonder, based on the bestselling middle grade novel, which has grossed over $300 Million Dollars Worldwide; Paramount's live action Dora the Explorer and Playing with Fire starring John Cena. She is currently overseeing a diverse slate of films including the Tom Hank’s starring sci-fi film, Bios with Amblin and Universal Pictures and Rumble, an animated feature from Paramount Animation. She executive produced the upcoming The Baby-Sitters Club series and Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting film with Netflix, and continues to push the company into television and streaming alike.
Additionally, Naia is an active board member of CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), a captain for the Times Up Entertainment AAPI group, A+, and is a member of Women in Film. She spends her free time volunteering with Reading to Kids and the Brown University Alumni Organization, or with her Miniature Dachshund, Sharky.
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