Jason Blum

Jason Blum

Jason Ferus Blum (; born February 20, 1969) is an American producer. He is the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, best known for horror franchises including Paranormal Activity (2007–2021), Insidious (2010–present), The Purge (2013–2021), and Halloween (2018–2022).

Other Blumhouse films include Sinister (2012), Oculus (2013), Whiplash (2014), The Gallows (2015), The Gift (2015), Hush (2016), Split (2016), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Get Out (2017), Happy Death Day (2017), Upgrade (2018), BlacKkKlansman (2018), Us (2019), The Invisible Man (2020), Freaky (2020), The Black Phone (2021), M3GAN (2022), Five Nights at Freddy's (2023), Speak No Evil (2024) and Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (2025).

Blum received Academy Award for Best Picture nominations for Whiplash, Get Out, and BlacKkKlansman. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie for the drama film The Normal Heart (2014) and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series for the documentary miniseries The Jinx (2015). He also received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Musical for Death Becomes Her (2024).

Early life

Jason Blum

Jason Ferus Blum was born in Los Angeles on February 20, 1969, the son of art professor Shirley Neilsen Blum (née Neilsen) and independent art dealer Irving Blum. His father served as director of the Ferus Gallery. He is Jewish. He graduated from New York's Vassar College in 1991. He was a roommate of future filmmaker Noah Baumbach during his time there, and later produced Baumbach's first film Kicking and Screaming (1995).

Film career

Jason Blum

Blum at the 2015 Wondercon

Blum found work as an executive for Bob and Harvey Weinstein at their production company Miramax, and later as an independent producer for Paramount Pictures. Prior to his tenure at Miramax, he was a producing director at the Malaparte theater company in New York. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. He obtained financing for his first film as producer, Kicking and Screaming (1995), after asking family friend Steve Martin to read the script and write a letter endorsing it if he enjoyed it. After Martin obliged, Blum replaced the title page of the script with copies of Martin's letter before he sent the script to Hollywood executives.

In 2000, Blum founded Blumhouse Productions, which is known for producing micro-budget films that give directors full creative control. Bloomberg News praised him for making "blockbusters for pennies", the first example of which came with the horror film Paranormal Activity (2007), which became one of the most profitable films of all time as it grossed nearly $200 million on a $15,000 budget. In addition, Planet Money released a special podcast episode about the company's methods, referring to Blum as the "business genius behind Get Out".

Blum at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con

Blum also produced Insidious (2010), Sinister (2012), The Purge (2013) and Happy Death Day (2017), as well as their sequels. In 2014, he served as executive producer for the television film The Normal Heart, which went on to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. In 2015, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series for HBO's The Jinx. BlacKkKlansman, Whiplash, and Get Out, all produced by Blum, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

In 2018, Blum said in an interview that the reason no woman had ever directed a Blumhouse horror film was that "there are not a lot of female directors [...] and even less who are inclined to do horror", but said that he hoped to one day achieve this goal. After much criticism on social media, in which lists of such directors were widely circulated, he apologized for what he called his "dumb comments". Sophia Takal co-wrote and directed the Blumhouse horror remake Black Christmas (2019), the studio's first theatrically-released film by a female director.

Other ventures

Political views

In June 2018, Blum told Variety that his upcoming prequel The First Purge would deal with racial tensions in the U.S. and said that all of the films in The Purge franchise have a political slant, giving examples such as the first film primarily being a parable about gun control and the third film addressing class warfare. He said, "[Horror] reaches an audience in which politics may not be front of mind and it makes politics front of mind. The Purge reaches an audience that isn't thinking of gun control every day and might start thinking of gun control. If every time there's a shooting in the United States, the government's answer is put more guns in people's hands, then what The Purge is showing doesn't seem all that crazy. Donald Trump keeps saying 'give teachers guns'. I could see him saying 'let people shoot whoever they want to for 12 hours a year'."

In November 2018, Blum (who is of Jewish heritage) attended the Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles to accept an award for Achievement in Film and Television. In his acceptance speech, he said, "A lot is on the line [in the midterms]. The last two years have been hard for all of us who cherish the freedom as citizens of this country. The great thing about this country is that you can like Trump, but I don't have to, and I can say what I feel about it—and I don't like it." He was heavily booed, to which he responded, "As you can see from this auditorium, it's the end of civil discourse. We have a president who calls the press the enemy of the people. Thanks to our president, antisemitism is on the rise." Yossi Dina tried unsuccessfully to pull Blum off the stage. Blum later tweeted the full speech, which said in part, "Nationalism is surging. Dog whistle politics are rampant and antisemitism is on the rise in ways my generation never thought imaginable." He received support from fellow Jews such as Judd Apatow and Jamie Lee Curtis, while festival director Meir Fenigstein stated that the audience "greatly lacked respect" and "turned an evening of celebration and recognition into something else" by booing him.

Business

On August 14, 2020, Daily Front Row listed Blum as one of a group of high-profile investors who purchased failing fashion magazine W. After appearing on an episode of Shark Tank, Blum made a deal with American Immersion Theater, the leading immersive theater company in the U.S.

Philanthropy

In 2022, Blum donated $10 million to Vassar College, which was noted as the largest gift ever given to the college from a male alumnus. Blum sits on the boards of the Public Theater in New York, the Sundance Institute, Vassar College, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Personal life

Jason Blum

Blum married journalist Lauren A. E. Schuker in Los Angeles on July 14, 2012. They currently reside in a townhouse in Brooklyn Heights, which he purchased for $9.8 million in 2019.

Filmography

Film

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1995</td><td>Kicking and Screaming</td><td>Associate producer</td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Easy Six</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2006</td><td>The Darwin Awards</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Griffin & Phoenix</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2007</td><td>Paranormal Activity</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2008</td><td>The Accidental Husband</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2010</td><td>Tooth Fairy</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Insidious</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Paranormal Activity 2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2011</td><td>Paranormal Activity 3</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2012</td><td>The Babymakers</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Lords of Salem</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Paranormal Activity 4</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>Dark Skies</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Purge</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Plush</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Insidious: Chapter 2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Night Ever</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2014</td><td>Whiplash</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Creep</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Not Safe for Work</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Purge: Anarchy</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Mockingbird</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Mercy</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Stretch</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Town That Dreaded Sundown</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ouija</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jessabelle</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2015</td><td>The Boy Next Door</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Lazarus Effect</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Area 51</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Insidious: Chapter 3</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Gallows</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Gift</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sinister 2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Visions</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Visit</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Curve</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Martyrs</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jem and the Holograms</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2016</td><td>The Veil</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>In a Valley of Violence</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hush</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Darkness</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Lowriders</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Purge: Election Year</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Viral</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Split</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ouija: Origin of Evil</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Incarnate</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>Get Out</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Stephanie</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Keeping Hours</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Happy Death Day</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Creep 2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Amityville: The Awakening</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>Insidious: The Last Key</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Unfriended: Dark Web</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Upgrade</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Benji</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Truth or Dare</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>BlacKkKlansman</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Delirium</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The First Purge</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Lie</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bloodline</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Halloween</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Seven in Heaven</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>Glass</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Don't Let Go</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sweetheart</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Happy Death Day 2U</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Us</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Adopt a Highway</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ma</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Prey</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Gallows Act II</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Black Christmas</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>Run Sweetheart Run</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Fantasy Island</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Invisible Man</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Hunt</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>You Should Have Left</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Craft: Legacy</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Freaky</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2021</td><td>Groomed</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Forever Purge</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Dashcam</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>This Is The Night</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Halloween Kills</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2022</td><td>Firestarter</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Our Father</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Vengeance</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Mr. Harrigan's Phone</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Black Phone</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>They/Them</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Halloween Ends</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2023</td><td>M3GAN</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Insidious: The Red Door</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Totally Killer</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Exorcist: Believer</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Five Nights at Freddy's</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2024</td><td>Night Swim</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Imaginary</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Afraid</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Speak No Evil</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>House of Spoils</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>Wolf Man</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Woman in the Yard</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Drop</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>M3GAN 2.0</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Lost Bus</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Black Phone 2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Five Nights at Freddy's 2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2026</td><td>Lee Cronin's The Mummy</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Strung</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Insidious: The Bleeding World</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Uprising</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2027</td><td>Untitled The Exorcist film</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>TBA</td><td>Soulm8te</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Merrily We Roll Along</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Anything but Ghosts</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

• One Way Out (1996) • Hamlet (2000) • The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2002) • The Reader (2008) • Lawless (2012) • 13 Sins (2014) • Unfriended (2014) • Graduation (2007) • The FP (2011) • Oculus (2013) • The Green Inferno (2013) • Exeter (2015) • Fifteen (2015) (Short film) • Sleight (2016) • Birth of the Dragon (2016) • Bathtubs Over Broadway (2018) • Stockholm (2018) • This Is Home: A Refugee Story (2018) • The Vigil (2019) • Black Box (2020) • Evil Eye (2020) • Nocturne (2020) • A Secret Love (2020) • American Refugee (2021) • Bingo Hell (2021) • Black as Night (2021) • A House on the Bayou (2021) • Madres (2021) • The Manor (2021) • Pharma Bro (2021) • Pray Away (2021) • Exposure (2022) • Soft & Quiet (2022) • Nanny (2022) • Torn Hearts (2022) • Unhuman (2022) • The Visitor (2022) • The Youth Governor (2022) • The Passenger (2023) • There's Something Wrong with the Children (2023) • Unseen (2023) • Obsession (2025)

• Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity (2021) (Documentary film, himself)

Awards and nominations

Jason Blum

Year	Association	Category	Work	Result
2010	25th Independent Spirit Awards	Best First Feature	Paranormal Activity	Nominated
2014	66th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Television Movie	The Normal Heart	Won
2015	72nd Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Television Film	Nominated
26th Producers Guild of America Awards	Best Long-Form Television	Nominated
Best Theatrical Motion Picture	Whiplash	Nominated
4th AACTA International Awards	Best Film	Nominated
30th Independent Spirit Awards	Best Film	Nominated
87th Academy Awards	Best Picture	Nominated
67th Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series	The Jinx	Won
2016	27th Producers Guild of America Awards	Best Non-Fiction Television	Won
2017	Gotham Independent Film Awards 2017	Best Feature	Get Out	Nominated
2018	75th Golden Globe Awards	Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy	Nominated
29th Producers Guild of America Awards	Best Theatrical Motion Picture	Nominated
33rd Independent Spirit Awards	Best Film	Won
90th Academy Awards	Best Picture	Nominated
Gotham Independent Film Awards 2018	Breakthrough Series – Long Form	Sharp Objects	Nominated
2019	76th Golden Globe Awards	Best Motion Picture – Drama	BlackKklansman	Nominated
Best Miniseries or Television Film	Sharp Objects	Nominated
30th Producers Guild of America Awards	Best Limited Series Television	Nominated
Best Theatrical Motion Picture	BlackKklansman	Nominated
72nd British Academy Film Awards	Best Film	Nominated
91st Academy Awards	Best Picture	Nominated
71st Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Limited Series	Sharp Objects	Nominated
2020	77th Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Television Film	The Loudest Voice	Nominated
2021	41st Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Picture	Fantasy Island	Nominated
2022	75th Locarno Film Festival	Premio Raimondo Rezzonico (Best Independent Producer)	Himself	Won
2024	44th Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Picture	The Exorcist: Believer	Nominated
2025	78th Tony Awards	Best Musical	Death Becomes Her	Nominated