Elayne Schmidt – Production Board Chair

A renowned line producer and production manager, Elayne’s forty-plus credits include such blockbuster films as “I Am Number Four,” Academy Award-nominated “Ali,” six-time Academy Award nominee “Up In The Air,” the Cameron Diaz/Shirley MacLaine success “In Her Shoes,” the Rene Zellweger/Harry Connick Jr. romantic comedy “New In Town,” the Robin Williams smash hit and Academy Award-nominated “The Birdcage,” and most recently, “Entourage,” the film adaptation of HBO’s hit series, 2017 Academy Award best picture “Moonlight,” and Cannes Festival and Oscar short-lister “The Florida Project” with Willem Dafoe. Her television credits include “Reno 911,” “CSI Miami,” “South Beach,” and “Miami Vice.”

While Elayne’s production services have been sought out by legendary filmmakers J. J. Abrams and Michael Bay, in 2011 Elayne decided to bring her considerable expertise to the independent film world and focus on smaller projects (under $20 million), with exceptional stories and potential for both film festival accolades and cross-over appeal for mainstream audiences.

Elayne has broken barriers in the past few years with her creative producing of independent films such as “Moonlight” and “The Florida Project” that together received 17 major award nominations in 2018, using her skills to give these low budget films a competitive edge in the arena with much larger productions.

In 2019, Women in Film & TV Florida proudly named Elayne Schneiderman Schmidt the winner of its 2019 Muse Award, dedicated to those who share and provide enjoyment of all entertainment art forms, who are experts in their fields, and who come from all directions of Florida.

In 2020, Elayne founded Orchard Drive Productions, once again focusing on the moderate-budget independent feature film market. Passionate about making movies in Florida, she has been an integral part of the formation of the Florida Film Funds concept from the very beginning.