Lauren Selig

Lauren Selig is an entrepreneur and executive with a 20-year track record of global impact in the media, real-estate and start-up communities. In 2013, Selig founded Shake and Bake Productions and V.A.L.I.S Studios to finance and produce high quality independent studio pictures, television and virtual reality.

Selig executive produced the Elton John biopic Rocketman, Paramount Pictures thriller Crawl, the Academy Award winning film Hacksaw Ridge directed by Mel Gibson, and American Made starring Tom Cruise. She executive produced the Universal Studios thriller Everest, directed by Bathasar Kormákur starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington, Jason Clarke and Robin Wright, Warner Brothers Black Mass, Sony's Pride Prejudice and Zombies.

In 2013, Selig Executive Produced Lone Survivor, directed by Peter Berg starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Eric Bana, and Emile Hirsch. Lone Survivor was the highest grossing movie during the month of January in 2014, won the Critics Choice Award, and was nominated for two Academy Awards. In 2012, Selig Co-Executive Produced Parkland, directed by Peter Landesman and featuring an ensemble cast which includes Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden, Billy Bob Thorton, Jacki Weaver and Paul Giamatti. Parkland made its debut at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival in 2013.

In 2013, Selig co-produced Begin Again, written and directed by John Carney and starring Keira Knightly, Mark Ruffalo and Hailee Steinfeld. Begin Again was acquired by The Weinstein Company during an all-night bidding war resulting in the single most lucrative deal of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Selig's other releases include the hammer horror film The Quiet Ones, which was quickly sold to Lionsgate for release in April 2014; The Liam Neeson-starrer A Walk Among the Tombstones, directed by Scott Frank, and the romantic comedy Two Night Stand starring Miles Teller, which was sold to Entertainment One. 2015 movies include James Franco's I Am Michael, the documentary Finders Keepers and the upcoming James Franco, Seth Rogan and Will Ferrell movie Zeroville.

Selig's other up and coming development projects include Neal Stephenson's best selling sci fi book The Diamond Age, the documentary Dudamel with Participant and live entertainment events world wide.

In the virtual reality space Selig team won an Emmy for the first virtual reality summit of Mt. Everest. She created the Facebook 360 studio bringing important content strategies to the emerging VR ecosystem, with a major focus on key areas such as audience development, talent partnerships, and community building. Surreal and Lauren also partnered on the VR content for the Tom Cruise movie American Made. She produced Intels Smithsonian American Virtual Reality experience that launched at the 2017 CES keynote.

Selig was the president of business development and strategy at IndieFlix, one of the largest collections of independent films online. Selig served in the role of director of development at her private family real estate office, managing the asset allocation and portfolio management of family investments in startups as well as organizing family philanthropy.

As the youngest employee at Microsoft's Platforms Business Development group she handled analysis and acquisition of external companies. She practiced international licensing for music company PlayNetworks, wrote for Variety and was a story editor at Dreamworks for producer Mark Johnson.

Selig holds a B.S. in international relations from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and London School of Economics, as well as a JD-MBA in technology management from Northwestern and University of Washington. Selig is a writer, a mom of two daughters, and is active in the Los Angeles and Seattle communities serving on the board of the X-Prize.