Major Movie Executive Dies of Glioblastoma: Andrew Karpen Was 59

Andrew Karpen, founder and CEO of Bleecker Street Media, has died.

Karpen passed away in Connecticut on Monday, April 28 following a long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer he was first diagnosed with in January 2024. He was 59.

“Our industry has lost a giant,” Bleecker Street president Kent Sanderson, Andrew’s longtime friend and colleague, told Deadline. “Andrew taught us all so much, foremost of which is the value of kindness, honesty, and family above all else. His leadership and courage will inspire all of us at Bleecker Street for the rest of our lives, and we are dedicated to continuing his passion for and legacy of championing cinema.”

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Karpen was a fixture of the indie film scene. Born on April 18, 1966, per The Hollywood Reporter, Karpen began his career at Miramax Films, where over the course of four years he rose to become Senior VP Finance & Operations. He later worked at Sunbow Entertainment, Independent Pictures as CFO, and Oxygen Media as Senior VP Finance & Planning, before he joined Focus Features in 2003, first as COO, later as president, and eventually co-CEO alongside James Schamus.

During his time at Focus, the company released hits like Brokeback Mountain (2005), Atonement (2007), Milk (2008), The Kids Are All Right (2010), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) and Dallas Buyers Club (2013). He left the company in 2013 after 10 years and launched Bleecker Street in 2014.

Bleeker Street made ts first film acquisition at TIFF 2014 with the Tobey Maguire-starring film Pawn Sacrifice, with the next decade seeing Karpen oversee the release of 75 films, including Trumbo (2015), Beasts of No Nation (2015), Danny Collins (2015), Elvis & Nixon (2016), Eye in the Sky (2016), Logan Lucky (2017), Hotel Mumbai (2018), What Happens Later (2023), and Mafia Mamma (2023).

Paying tribute to the respected film executive, Focus Features Chairman Peter Kujawski told Deadline: “Andrew’s passing is not only a loss for the filmmakers he spent his career championing, but for all of us who had the privilege of working with him and calling him a friend. His humanity, kindness and gentle spirit were an inspiration to anyone who spent time with him, and they are forever a part of Focus and our whole film community. We are all better off having had him in our lives.”

Karpen is survived by his wife, Pam, sons Josh and Zack, daughter Sloan, and Josh’s wife Kristen, who is expecting the couple’s first child. The family asked that donations in Karpen’s name be made to the Lenox Hill Brain Tumor Center or Fairfield County Hospice House.