Debra Martin Chase

Debra Martin Chase
Born	(1956-10-11) October 11, 1956 Great Lakes, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	Mount Holyoke College Harvard Law School
Occupation	Producer

Debra Martin Chase (born October 11, 1956) is an American film, television, and theater producer. Three-time Tony Award winning and three-time Emmy Award nominated producer, Chase is an entertainment industry icon and trailblazer as the first Black female producer to have a deal at any major studio—EVER.  She is also the first Black woman to produce a film that grossed over $100 million. To date, her films have grossed over a half billion dollars at the box office.  

Background

Chase was born in Great Lakes, Illinois, but moved with her family as a child to Pasadena, California. She earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1977 and J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1981.

In an interview with Essence magazine in 1997, she told journalist Audrey Edwards, "I'm the kid who was in the movie theater every Saturday." Debra adds, "I've been a movie fanatic since I was a child, and my images of the world were shaped by what I saw on the screen. I want to do my part to see that Blacks are not only represented in film but also enhance it."

About first starting out, Chase has said, “I didn’t know the mechanics of how things worked. So I read books, went to seminars, met with anybody who’d meet with me just to learn information.” Chase met with the general counsel at Columbia Pictures production company through a good friend's sister. Later she met with and became the executive assistant to Frank Price, chairman of Columbia Pictures. Chase worked with Price for a year. After Sony brought Mark Canton in for the top job and Price gained a spot for Chase on the creative staff, before he left the company.(Alexander, George)

Among her favorite directors are Carl Franklin, Steven Soderbergh, and Martin Scorsese. Chase works to express positive messages through her TV and films. "It's immensely rewarding to know that you are having a huge impact on the self-image, values and life perspective of kids," she contends.

In an interview with George Alexander, Chase offered advice for aspiring producers, encouraging those who are interested in a film career too.

Career

Chase’s work has garnered Academy, Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, BET, NAACP Image Award nominations, a Peabody Award, a Critics Choice Award and three Tony Awards. Martin Chase Productions has an overall deal with Universal [Television], a division of the NBCUniversal Television Group. It previously had one with [Walt Disney Company] from 2001 to 2016.  Prior to that, Chase ran Whitney Houston’s BrownHouse Productions from 1995 to 2000 and Mundy Lane Entertainment, Denzel [Washington]’s production company, from 1992 to 1995. She currently executive produces The Equalizer TV series starring Queen[Latifah] for Universal Television and CBS which is in its fifth season.  On the film side, [[1]] received Academy Award nominations for [Erivo] for Best Actress and for Best Song. Chase produced True [Spirit] which debuted on [[2]] in February 2023 on the Top 10 lists in the U.S. and 58 countries. She produced with Lena Waithe a HBO documentary on the iconic [Tyler Moore] which was nominated for a 2023 Emmy for Best Documentary and a Producers Guild Award and won the Critics Choice Award for Best Archival Documentary. 

In 2022 Chase co-produced, in partnership with Marc Platt, the Broadway production of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical A Strange Loop which won Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Book. She also produced the 2022 Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize winning play Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog which won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play. In 2024, Chase co-produced two plays – the original musical The Outsiders, based upon the beloved novel by S.E. Hinton and the cult classic movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which won four Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director of a Musical and Illinoise which was nominated for Best Musical and won the Tony for Best Choreography.     

Also on the film side, Chase has produced three beloved multi-film franchises— THE PRINCESS DIARIES,THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS and THE CHEETAH GIRLS. THE PRINCESS DIARIES and its hit sequel grossed over $300 million in worldwide box office receipts and launched the movie career of actress Anne Hathaway. The SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS movies have become beloved cult classics and began the career of Blake Lively. THE CHEETAH GIRLS 2 was the most watched movie debut in the history of The Disney Channel. The soundtrack for THE CHEETAH GIRLS, which Chase executive produced, was certified double platinum. Chase has also produced SPARKLE, a dramatic musical starring Jordin Sparks and the late Whitney Houston; JUST WRIGHT starring Queen Latifah and Common, which won the NAACP Image Award for Best Screenplay; COURAGE UNDER FIRE starring Denzel Washington; and the perennial holiday favorite, THE PREACHER’S WIFE, starring Washington and Houston.         

Chase’s television credits also include the iconic and ground-breaking Emmy Award winning Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella starring Brandy and Houston; the Lifetime television series MISSING, which had the most watched series debut in the network’s history; the Disney Channel’s original musical LEMONADE MOUTH which was nominated for a Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directing – Children’s Programs; the Academy and Emmy Award nominated and Peabody Award winning documentary HANK AARON: CHASING THE DREAM; ABC Family’s first musical, LOVESTRUCK, which starred Jane Seymour and Chelsea Kane; and ZOE EVER AFTER, a romantic comedy sitcom starring Brandy which aired on BET.           

Martin Chase Productions’ partnership with Mattel’s American Girl Company to develop and produce content around its products and merchandise resulted in five movies that were distributed by Universal Home Entertainment and aired on NBC or The Disney Channel. AN AMERICAN GIRL: ISABELLE was nominated for a Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Directing – Children’s Programs.        

Chase graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Mount Holyoke College and the Harvard Law School.  She also holds Honorary Doctorates from Mount Holyoke and Gettysburg College. Prior to entering the entertainment industry, Chase practiced law at several major law firms and Fortune 500 companies in New York City and Houston.         

She is a frequent keynote speaker at colleges and universities across the country and is an advocate of community service.  Chase serves on the boards of the Second Stage Theatre in Manhattan, where she chairs the Artistic Committee, and the Producers Guild Foundation. She is also on the Advisory Board of the African American Film Critics’ Association. She previously served as a trustee of Mount Holyoke for 8 years and was on the board of the New York City Ballet for a decade. Chase is a member of the Ambassador's Circle of Amsale Aspire -- an initiative to preserve the legacy of fashion designer Amsale Aberra by creating and funding pathways for Black students in the fashion industry in partnership with the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is also an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.   

Her numerous awards and honors include Ebony magazine’s 150 Most Influential African Americans, Black Enterprise magazine’s Ten Most Bankable African American Movie Producers in Hollywood (where Chase was the only woman on the list), The Trumpet Award’s Entertainment Award, the African American Film Critics Association’s Ashley Boone Award, The Vanguard in Entertainment Award from the Fashion Institute Of Technology, and the Shot Caller Award at Black Girls Rock!, the nationally televised award show honoring women of color.  She was also awarded a prestigious Ford Foundation grant to develop several projects focused upon social justice, diversity and inclusion. In 2021 Chase was included in the Variety 500, an index of the 500 most influential business leaders shaping the global media industry.      

Chase serves on the board of directors of  B&G Foods, Inc., an American holding company for branded foods which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, where she chairs the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee; Bridge Investment Group, a publicly traded alternative asset management company; and Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc., a publicly traded real estate investment trust.        

She is a member of the Motion Picture Academy, where she serves on the Producers Executive Committee, the Television Academy, and the Broadway League, where she serves on the Tony management committee.  She resides in Los Angeles, New York City and Lisbon, Portugal.

Personal life

Chase was raised Catholic, stopped practicing as an adolescent, and later was married in the Church. She began attending Mass again some years later, identifying as Catholic in 2005.

Chase is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Honors

Chase has been honored by:

• May 2007 -- Ebony magazine: Television and Film Award for Outstanding Women in Marketing and Communications
• 2007, 2008 & 2009 -- Ebony Magazine: one of the 150 Most Influential African Americans in America
• October 2003: Essence magazine - 50 African American women shaping the world
• February 2011: Athena Film Festival - Exceptional Success as a Motion Picture and Television Producer
• December 2012 -- Black Enterprise Magazine—one of the Ten Most Bankable African American Movie Producers in Hollywood based on worldwide box office
• 2013 -- The Trumpet Awards Foundation—awarded The Entertainment Award
• 2015 -- The African American Film Critics Association—awarded The Ashley Boone Award

Producer credits

She was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Film

Year	Film	Credit	Notes
1996	Courage Under Fire	Executive producer
	The Preacher's Wife	Co-producer
2001	The Princess Diaries
2004	The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
2005	The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
2008	The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
2009	Byou 2		Direct-to-video
2010	Just Wright
2012	An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars		Direct-to-video
	Sparkle
2015	An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success		Direct-to-video
2016	An American Girl: Lea to the Rescue		Direct-to-video
2019	Harriet
2023	True Spirit		Netflix
2023	Being Mary Tyler Moore		Documentary

Television

Year	Title	Credit	Notes
1997	Cinderella	Executive producer	Television film
2003	The Cheetah Girls	Executive producer	Television film
2003−06	Missing	Executive producer
2006	The Cheetah Girls 2	Executive producer	Television film
2008	The Cheetah Girls: One World	Executive producer	Television film
2011	Lemonade Mouth	Executive producer	Television film
2013	Lovestruck: The Musical	Executive producer	Television film
	An American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky		Television film
2014	Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B	Executive producer	Television film
2016	Zoe Ever After	Executive producer
2018	Get Christie Love!	Executive producer	Television pilot
2021–present	The Equalizer	Executive producer

Theater

Year	Title	Credit	Notes
2022	A Strange Loop	Co-producer	Broadway
2022	Topdog/Underdog	Co-producer	Broadway
2024	The Outsiders	Co-producer	Broadway
2024	Illinoise	Co-producer	Broadway

Further reading

• Brashares, Ann. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Dell Books. May 23, 2006
• Cabot, Meg (2001). The Princess Diaries. New York, New York. HarperTrophy. ISBN 0-380-81402-1.
• George, Alexander. Why We Make Moves: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema. Harlem Moon. 2003

External links

• Debra Martin Chase at IMDb
• Biography at The HistoryMakers
• Chasing Hollywood - Mount Holyoke College
• "For 'Princess' producer, movie dreams really do come true" - USA Today
• Hollywood Hit Maker