Based in Los Angeles, Automat Pictures is a multi-award winning production company specializing in the production of DVD Added Value, studio EPKs (electronic presskit), and original television programming. Founded by President & CEO Jeffrey Schwarz in 2000, Automat was launched in the early days of the DVD format. Capitalizing on interest in behind the scenes programming produced exclusively for DVD, Automat has contributed original content on over 100 major studio releases. Titles include “Rent,” “Jarhead,” “GoodFellas,” “Elf,” “Philadelphia,” “Bewitched,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” the Rambo Trilogy, “Starship Troopers,” the remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and many others.

Since his company’s inception, Schwarz and his staff have produced everything from cult classics like “Friday the 13th” to blockbusters like “Men in Black 2,”; family favorites like “The Princess Bride” to action titles like “Resident Evil” and its sequel. In 2001, the nine documentaries Automat produced for The Rambo Trilogy was singled out for excellence by NPR and The Boston Globe. “Mysteries of Love,” Schwarz’s documentary on David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” was called “…dazzling” by Entertainment Weekly. Producer Laura Nix’s “Fighting for Care,” produced for the “John Q” DVD, was singled out for a Special Achievement Award at the 2002 DVD Entertainment Conference & Showcase.

Automat’s documentaries have also gone on to play in film festivals around the world. Schwarz’s “People Like Us: Making Philadelphia,” premiered at the 2003 San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, and Laura Nix’s “Whether You Like it or Not: The Story of Hedwig,” about the making of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” played in over a dozen film festivals in the U.S. and worldwide, including those in Brazil, S. Africa, New Zealand, Korea, and the UK.

Expanding on its home entertainment expertise, Automat Pictures has produced several original cable television programs. “Reservoir Dogs Revisited,” a celebration of Quentin Tarantino’s classic, and “Still Swingin’,” a retrospective on the indie favorite, were both produced for IFC in 2005. “Son of the Mask: More Mischief, More Mayhem, More Magic” and “The Making of Jarhead” were produced under HBO’s First Look banner. Automat produced several TV commercial spots for The Sundance Channel featuring comedian Donal Logue. Most recently, the Encore Network presented two original Automat documentaries, “Shooting the Police: Cops on Film” and “Hitchcocked!” Automat’s first feature film, “Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds,” was produced in association with Ariztical Entertainment and received its theatrical premiere in 2006.

With several high profile EPK / DVD assignments currently in production, Automat continues to provide innovative on-set coverage and documentaries for studio releases. The company is developing future television and feature film projects, and has expanded its staff to include creative producers with documentary and network television backgrounds.