» Mrs. Dawn M. Taubin

Professor

Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts

Office:

MKS 348

Phone:

(714) 744-7841

Email:

taubin@chapman.edu

Education

University of California, Santa Barbara, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies

Biography

Having grown up around the film industry—her father, Guy McElwaine, was a legendary agent and studio exec— it's not surprising that Dawn Taubin chose a career in film. However, her career path wasn't exactly a straight line. "I initially thought I wanted to work in production," says Taubin. "It wasn't until I took a position as assistant to the director of publicity at National Amusements— a movie theatre franchise owned by Sumner Redstone— that I discovered I was much more suited to marketing."

Sometimes, that's how careers get started. A seemingly inconsequential decision leads to a newly discovered passion. For Taubin, such a discovery led to the beginning of a wildly successful career in film marketing. After working her way up through MGM, Taubin went on to work for Warner Bros' as the vice president of publicity. In 2002, she was promoted to President of domestic marketing, where she oversaw a team of 200 employees, with a billion dollar annual operating budget.

Over the years, Taubin has worked with such acclaimed directors as Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderberg and Christopher Nolan. She has also orchestrated the marketing campaigns for a series of blockbuster films, including the Harry Potter series, The Matrix, 300, and The Dark Knight.

"Working on Harry Potter was truly one of the highlights of my career. It was exciting to be involved with the franchise from the beginning and to set the strategy for what would ultimately become the most successful film franchise in history."

In 2009, Taubin decided to leave Warner Bros, and start a new career at Chapman. "[Chapman Professor] Alex Rose asked me if I would meet with some people to discuss Dodge's marketing program. Pretty soon, they were asking me to do guest lectures, then Professor Cory O'Connor asked me if I would co-teach his class. Little by little, it grew into a new career."

Another happy accident. One that Taubin enjoys "because I learn so much from my students and I love sharing what I've learned in my 25 years in marketing."

Recent Creative, Scholarly Work and Publications

July 2011 - March 2012: Handled the marketing/academy campaigns for two feature films - The Help and War Horse, produced by Dreamworks Pictures and distributed by Disney.