George Zaloom

George Zaloom is a filmmaker and producer whose work spans feature films, television, animation, and large-scale franchise development. Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with the industry's most influential storytellers and studios, building a diverse body of work that bridges live-action, animation, nonfiction, and branded entertainment. Zaloom began his career by founding ZM Productions-launched out of his college dorm room-which grew into a major independent production company specializing in non-fiction programming and family entertainment. Under his leadership, ZM produced the feature film Encino Man, numerous Movies of the Week for ABC's Wonderful World of Disney, and the Back to the Future animated series. He also co-created Martha Stewart Living and produced the Emmy Award-winning documentary Hearts of Darkness, working directly with filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Zemeckis, and George Lucas. As an executive at DreamWorks Animation, Zaloom supervised production on the global box-office phenomenon Kung Fu Panda. His responsibilities included budgeting, contract negotiations, story development, casting, character design, digital animation, and post-production. During his tenure, he helped develop new talent programs and played a key role in the studio's adoption of proprietary technologies. Before joining DreamWorks, he worked as a writer developing sequels for major studio franchises, including National Lampoon's Middle Eastern Vacation and The Jerks. Zaloom has been instrumental in building branded entertainment platforms for MediaEdge/Group M Entertainment and Phil Anschutz's Walden Media, and he has consulted for companies across film, television, animation, and digital media. His production slate includes hundreds of hours of long-form and special programming for networks such as ABC, CBS, NBC, Showtime, MTV, VH1, TBS, Oxygen, Disney Channel, and PAX-TV. His credits span acclaimed documentaries (Frank Capra's American Dream), high-profile network specials (Cheers - Last Call, Indiana Jones: Great Adventures and Their Quests), and television movies and pilots across genres. In addition to his film and television work, Zaloom has produced media and pre-show films for Universal Studios theme park attractions, including the Back to the Future and E.T. rides, and has created investor presentations and branded experiences for entertainment, hospitality, and corporate clients. His consulting work has supported companies such as PorchLight Entertainment, Starz/Film Roman, Walden Media, and multiple digital-first entertainment properties. A graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Film & Television, Zaloom has lectured at major academic institutions including USC, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and the American Film Institute. His work has earned numerous honors, including an Emmy Award (with three nominations) and the prestigious D.W. Griffith Award. Before entering the entertainment industry, he proudly served as a firefighter with the Millburn, New Jersey Fire Department.