Jonas H. Rivera[2] (born May 2, 1971)[3] is an American film producer. As of September 2022, he is the executive vice president for film production at Pixar Animation Studios, overseeing operational issues (as distinguished from creative issues) for all film and streaming production.[4] He produced the animated films Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Toy Story 4 (2019), all of which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Rivera is an alumnus of San Francisco State University and has worked at Pixar since starting there as an intern in 1994.[5]
Jonas Rivera | |
|---|---|
 Rivera at the 2019 Annecy International Animation Festival | |
| Born | Jonas H. Rivera May 2, 1971 |
| Education | Film Production[1] |
| Alma mater | San Francisco State University[1] |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Employer | Pixar Animation Studios (1994–present) |
| Notable work | Up, Inside Out, Toy Story 4 |
| Spouse | Michele Rivera |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Inside Out (2015) Toy Story 4 (2019) |
Early life
editRivera was born and raised in Castro Valley, California. His father is of Mexican descent, while his mother is of English Canadian descent.[6] As a boy, he wanted to become an animator, but according to him, he could not draw: "I was a terrible artist, and I still am."[5] Rivera graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Film Production.[1]
Career
editIn 1994, in the last year of making Toy Story, he joined Pixar as their first production intern:[5] "I saw Luxo Jr. in a class and liked it so much I cold-called Pixar."[7] Since then he worked on almost every Pixar film, at first as a coordinator and manager.[1] In 2009, as the producer of Up, he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture.[8] Rivera also produced Inside Out (2015) and Toy Story 4, both of which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.[9] He was the Development Producer on Soul.
During the making of the first Toy Story, he was collecting things used in the production of the movie, a collection which would eventually be known as the Pixar Archives, now counting thousands of objects and stored in a climate-controlled building. He was inspired by Disney, which also saved objects from the studio productions.[10]
Personal life
editRivera is married to Michele.[11] They have three children: daughters Ava and Elsa[3] and son William.[11]
Filmography
edit- Toy Story (1995) – Production office assistant[12]
- A Bug's Life (1998) – Art department coordinator[12]
- Toy Story 2 (1999) – Marketing and creative resources coordinator[12]
- Monsters, Inc. (2001) – Art department manager[12]
- Cars (2006) – Production manager, voice of "Boost"
- Up (2009) – Producer - nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
- Inside Out (2015) – Producer - winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature[13]
- Toy Story 4 (2019) – Producer - winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature[14]
- Soul (2020) – Development Producer
- Inside Out 2 (2024) – Executive Producer
Short films
edit- George and A.J. (2009) – Executive Producer
- Riley's First Date? (2015) – Executive Producer
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Jonas Rivera". Pixar Weekend. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "Jonas H Rivera, Born 05/02/1971 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Hartlaub, Peter (March 6, 2010). "Q&A: "Up" producer and Oscar nominee Jonas Rivera". SFGate. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ Kit, Borys (September 15, 2022). "Jonas Rivera, Producer of 'Inside Out' and 'Toy Story 4,' Promoted to Executive VP Film Production at Pixar (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c Hartlaub, Peter (March 6, 2010). "'Up' producer Jonas Rivera dreams of Oscar". SFGate. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ Aguilar, Carlos (July 9, 2019). "Interview: Pixar Producer Jonas River on Toy Story Bonnie's Dad". Remezcla. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ Kiefer, Jonathan (June 2006). "Pixar at Twenty". Diablo Magazine. Archived from the original on December 5, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "The 82nd Academy Awards (2010) Nominees and Winners". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. March 7, 2010. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "Jonas Rivera - Awards". IMDB.com. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ Here's What You'll Find Inside The Secret, Climate-Controlled Pixar Archives
- ^ a b Disney Pixar (August 27, 2014). "A pitcher-perfect family at this weekend's Oakland A's game. Producer Jonas Rivera, his wife Michele, their son William, and the A's mascot Stomper the Elephant were all there to celebrate Jonas throwing the first pitch". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Jonas Rivera". IMDB.com. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ Kenny, Mary (April 18, 2016). "Oscar-winning producer Jonas Rivera to be SF State Commencement speaker". SF State News. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
- ^ "'Toy Story 4' wins animated feature, giving Pixar Oscar No. 10". Los Angeles Times. February 10, 2020.
External links
edit
- Jonas Rivera at IMDb