Film and Music Producer

Lisa Cortes has had a rich and varied career in entertainment, working with such groundbreaking companies as Def Jam Records, Rush Artist Management and Lee Daniels Entertainment. Her strength – and her passion -- lies in identifying compelling untold stories and then bringing them to light through expressive voices not often heard. Ms. Cortes stayed true to this gift with her most recent film. Precious Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. Heralded as a “disturbing masterwork of human survival” by The Hollywood Reporter, the film won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It has also been praised by such publications as Variety and The New York Times and received six Academy Award nominations, garnering two awards. A graduate of Yale University, she broke into the music industry during the 1980s golden age of hip-hop music and helped launch the Def Jam brand.