Andrew Karpen, chief executive and founder of independent film distribution company Bleecker Street Media, died Monday of glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 59.
Karpen founded the New York City-based Bleecker Street in 2014 with backing from 5-hour Energy founder Manoj Bhargava. In its first few years, Bleecker Street released such films as 2015’s “Trumbo,” starring Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren, and the Viggo Mortensen-led “Captain Fantastic” in 2016.
Since its founding, Bleecker Street has released more than 75 films, including the 2017 Steven Soderbergh comedy “Logan Lucky,” 2024’s Oscar-nominated “Golda,” comedy-drama “Hard Truths” and, most recently, “The Wedding Banquet,” a remake of the 1993 Ang Lee romantic comedy starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran.
“Our industry has lost a giant,” Kent Sanderson, Bleecker Street president and Karpen’s longtime friend, said in a statement. “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.”
Karpen began his career at Miramax before moving to Oxygen Media as its senior vice president of finance and planning. He then spent more than a decade at Focus Features, the specialty film arm of NBCUniversal, starting as its chief operating officer responsible for finance, strategic planning and operations before rising to president and then co-chief executive.
He left Focus Features in 2013, after Universal Pictures named a new head of the specialty imprint and relocated its headquarters from New York to the studio lot in California. Universal said at the time that the company asked Karpen to remain with the studio but that he opted to stay in New York with his family.
He is survived by his wife, Pam; sons Josh and Zack; daughter Sloan; and Josh’s wife, Kristen, who is expecting their first child.