Participant

David
Linde

CEO

At Participant, Linde turns out provocative film and TV fare that, paired with social impact campaigns, are designed to drive tangible change. They also win awards, notably Oscars for best picture (“Green Book,” “Spotlight”), documentary (four, including “American Factory”) and foreign language film (“Roma,” “A Fantastic Woman”). In 2021, Participant won two Oscars for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” including best supporting actor (Daniel Kaluuya), and released “Stillwater,” starring Matt Damon. A Hollywood vet, Linde has been an exec at high-profile indies (Miramax, Good Machine), run studio prestige labels (Focus Features, Rogue Pictures), served as chairman of a major (Universal) and launched his own prodco (Lava Bear Films).

Career

ROMA
GREEN BOOK
RBG

Education

Swarthmore College (PA, USA)

Variety Honors

2017 Variety500 Honoree
2018 Variety500 Honoree
2019 Variety500 Honoree
2020 Variety500 Honoree
EmPOWerment Award

Philanthropy

News from Variety

Participant Honored with American Cinematheque's Inaugural Power of Cinema Award

The American Cinematheque will be honoring Participant with its inaugural Power of Cinema Award. Led by CEO David Linde, Participant is celebrating 17 years since its founding, and has a body of work that speaks for itself, from the Oscar-winning productions of “Spotlight” and “An Inconvenient Truth,” to say nothing of the 100-plus projects that have marked the company with supreme class and distinction. Each year, the company averages up to six narrative features films, five documentaries, three episodic television...

MORE NEWS

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given in your career?: “I’ve been lucky to receive very good advice from a broad spectrum of very smart people. I still remember when I was a relative kid, around our fevered pursuit of "Crying Game", Harvey said (simply and passionately): Always think about what more you can do and how can you do it even better, and then actually do it.”
What or who inspires you?: “So much, but it all starts with my parents, who are 93 and been married for 72 years. Their commitment to a just society (not to mention each other) is an absolute and an incredible beacon to follow. My wife and I have been together for 35 years and I work with Jeff Skoll, so it seems to have rubbed off!”