Carol Baum

Carol Baum (née Friedland) is an American movie producer best known for her work with Sandollar Productions. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As of 2024, she teaches producing at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and formerly taught a similar class at the American Film Institute (AFI). She also serves as a mentor for The Peter Stark Producing Program at USC.

Awards In the 1989 Academy Awards, the documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt won for Best Documentary Feature. Also in 1989, Tidy Endings won a CableACE Award for Dramatic or Theatrical Special. In 1997, Fly Away Home won a Christopher Award, a Genesis Award for Best Feature Film, and the Critic's Choice Award for Best Family Film at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards. In addition, Caleb Deschanel was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for the film. In 2015, Zapped won a Leo Award for Best Television Movie.

Personal life A New Jersey native, Baum is a graduate of Columbia High School in Maplewood, and New York University, where she majored in sociology.

Baum worked for Bantam Books and Random House in New York, as well as The Producers Circle, developing the movie adaptations of Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives, Stephen King's The Shining, and Ira Levin's The Boys from Brazil.

After moving to Los Angeles, Baum became a studio vice president at Lorimar, where she developed Taylor Hackford's An Officer and a Gentleman, and then vice president at Twentieth Century Fox, where she developed the Mike Nichols movie Working Girl.

She is the wife of writer Tom Baum. She is mother to writer Henry Baum and has a second son. She lives in Los Angeles.

Controversy On 16 January 2024, Baum gave a talk with journalist Janet Maslin after a screening of her movie Dead Ringers, at which she said of actor Sydney Sweeney, "Explain this girl to me. She's not pretty, she can't act. Why is she so hot?".

This conversation went viral in publications including Vanity Fair, The New York Post, LA Times, and The Guardian, in which journalist Barbara Allen said, "What depressing nonsense, not to mention dire optics. A 26-year-old woman scorned at a screening honouring a veteran female producer, aged 81. A class of students encouraged to join in (such delightful attitudes to teach people going into the industry)".

Sweeney's team issued a statement, saying, "How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman. If that's what she's learned in her decades in the industry and feels is appropriate to teach to her students, that's shameful. To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms. Baum's character."

In the same week, the story had over 16 million hits on Google with thousands of comments supporting Sweeney and attacking Baum, including a long comment by producer Teddy Schwarzman on Twitter, who said, "I'll enlighten Ms. Baum that two-time Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney is not only one of the most talented actresses I've worked with, but also incredibly smart, kind and humble."

Filmography She was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film Year Film Credit 1984 Reckless Executive producer 1988 Dead Ringers Executive producer 1989 Jacknife Gross Anatomy Executive producer 1991 True Identity Father of the Bride 1992 Shining Through Straight Talk Executive producer A Stranger Among Us Executive producer Buffy the Vampire Slayer Executive producer 1994 I.Q. 1995 Kicking and Screaming Executive producer Father of the Bride Part II Executive producer 1996 Fly Away Home 1997 The Only Thrill Executive producer 1999 Snow Falling on Cedars Executive producer 2000 Waterproof Executive producer 2001 My First Mister 2002 The Good Girl Executive producer 2003 Carolina 2004 Sexual Life 2007 You Kill Me 2008 Five Dollars a Day 2014 Boychoir

Television Year Title Credit Notes 1986 A Smoky Mountain Christmas Supervising producer Television film 1988 Tidy Endings Executive producer Television film 1998 Tourist Trap Executive producer Television film 2014 Zapped Executive producer Television film 2015 Just in Time for Christmas Executive producer Television film 2018 A Majestic Christmas Executive producer Television film 2022 Jolly Good Christmas Executive producer Television film