David Linde is the CEO of Participant Media, a position to which he was appointed in October 2015. Previously he served as CEO of Lava Bear Films which he founded in 2011 as a film production and financing company developing projects specifically designed for the global marketplace. The production company has ties to major studios and distributors as well as companies that are shaping the future of film, including Lava Bear's primary equity participant, Reliance Entertainment. Lava Bear’s development slate of over 15 titles and upcoming productions is now overseen by Tory Metzger, President and Partner of Lava Bear. Upcoming Lava Bear films include Arrival, Desierto, and Shut In.

Linde has long-lasting relationships in global filmmaking, most recently serving as executive producer of Alejandro González Iñárritu's Academy Award nominated Biutiful, producer of Fernando Meirelles' 360, and as executive producer of Zhang Yimou's The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale. Most recently, Linde and Lava Bear executive produced Yimou's Coming Home (2014 film) which premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and Jonas Cuaron’s Desierto, which title replaced the previous working title of Forsaken. Variety first reported last August that Bernal had been attached to portray a man traveling with a group of immigrants through an unguarded section of the Sonoran desert trying to cross into the United States. A deranged vigilante — played by Morgan — begins shooting off the immigrants one by one."

As an executive, he most recently served as chairman of Universal Pictures. During his tenure, Universal significantly grew its international distribution platform across all media and launched Universal's family/animation banner, Illumination Entertainment.

Prior to Universal, Linde simultaneously served as co-president of Focus Features and president of its genre production unit, Rogue Pictures. Linde oversaw a slate that featured Roman Polanski's The Pianist, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation and Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardener, as well as Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain. During Linde's tenure at Focus, the company was honored with 53 Oscar nominations resulting in 11 Academy Awards. In 2008, Linde oversaw the sale of Rogue Pictures to Relativity Media.

Linde served as both co-president and partner of the production company Good Machine and President and founder of Good Machine International, beginning in January 1997. GMI handled the international distribution of films including Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (of which Linde was executive producer), Alfonso Cuaron's Y Tu Mamá También (of which Linde was executive producer). Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's The Man Who Wasn't There, and Todd Field's In the Bedroom. Films distributed by GMI earned six Academy Awards from 22 nominations, including two for Best Picture and five Golden Globes from 18 nominations. While at Good Machine, Linde also executive produced Todd Solondz's Happiness. In 2002, Linde and his partners sold the Good Machine companies to Universal Pictures and created Focus Features.

Linde joined Miramax Films in 1991 as Vice President of Acquisitions before being promoted to Executive Vice President and Head of Sales as the founding executive of Miramax Films International. While at Miramax, he oversaw the international distribution of Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite, Wes Craven's Scream and Anthony Minghella's multi-Academy Award-winning The English Patient.

Early in his career, Linde directed the sales of more than 300 independently produced film, documentary and television titles as Vice President at Fox/Lorber. He also supervised sales of select international theatrical rights at Paramount Pictures.

Throughout his career Linde has been recognized for numerous awards including The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneer of the Year, General Electric’s chairman’s Award for Performance Turnaround, the Anti-Defamation League’s Distinguished Entertainment Industry Award, the 21st Israel Film Festival – Visionary Award, New York Magazine: Best Of The Industry Award, and the Gotham Award For Distinguished Achievement, among others.

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