As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Threshold Entertainment Group, Lawrence Kasanoff produces movies, animated movies, and theme park rides largely based on some of the world’s biggest IP brands, including Spider Man, Mortal Kombat, Justice League, Lego, Terminator 2, Marvel, Star Trek, and Star Wars
But he didn’t come from a Hollywood world. He went to the oldest high school in the United States (Boston Latin School – Benjamin Franklin went there); then onto a BA at Cornell University and an MBA from The Wharton School.
From that East coast Ivy League background, he jumped into a world of creativity, crazy people, no rules, huge gambles, constant change, zero security and lots of weasels – in other words, Hollywood, where he still operates today.
As a speaker, he serves as a Rosetta Stone between the worlds of corporate life and Hollywood, using examples, stories and lessons learned from Hollywood to apply outside-the-box thinking to the corporate world.
Larry was the producer of all Mortal Kombat media including three Number One films, a television series, an animated series, platinum-selling soundtracks, direct to DVD, and a live tour.
He is Executive Producer of the box-office smash film, True Lies, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by James Cameron.
Previously, as president and co-founder of Lightstorm Entertainment, Larry supervised production, marketing, publicity, and merchandising for the four-time Academy Award-winning hit, Terminator 2 Judgement Day.
He produced two movies with Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow.
Larry - as a producer or studio head - has made over 200 feature films, including Dirty Dancing, and Academy Award Winning Best Picture Platoon. He has raised well over a billion dollars in the film business.
In the music world, Larry has packaged or produced video projects with several of the world’s biggest talents, including Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, and Dick Clark. For Terminator 2, he produced MTV’s top video of the year, “You Could Be Mine” with Gun’s ‘N Roses.
Kasanoff and Threshold Entertainment Group have been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall St. Journal, USA Today, Time Magazine, Wired, Maxim, and Playboy and have been featured on CNN, FOX News, ABC World News Tonight, CNBC, The Howard Stern Show and more.
He is an avid photographer, animal lover, and traveler.