Kevin McCollum
Kevin McCollum (born March 1, 1962) is an American theatrical booking executive and producer of musical theater and plays, many on Broadway. During a producing career spanning over twenty-five years, McCollum has received three Tony Awards for Best Musical for "In the Heights", "Avenue Q", and "Rent". Early life and education. McCollum was born in Hawaii and left to live with his aunt in Illinois after his mother died in 1976. He is a graduate of Deerfield High School in Deerfield, Illinois. McCollum graduated from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 1984. He earned  his master's degree in film producing from the Peter Stark Program at the University of Southern California. In 1995, he received the Robert Whitehead Award for Outstanding Commercial Theatre Producing. Career. McCollum formerly served as the president and CEO of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, where he was appointed in 1995 McCollum co-founded The Booking Group, which has represented more than 18 Tony Award-winning plays and musicals since its inception. He also co-founded The Producing Office with Jeffrey Seller in 1996. Through a career that has spanned over twenty-five years in the theatre  industry, McCollum has received three Tony Awards for Best Musical for "In the Heights" (2008), "Avenue Q" (2004), and "Rent" (1996). Other producing credits include "Motown the Musical" (Broadway and tour), "The Drowsy Chaperone" (five 2006 Tony Awards), Baz Luhrmann's "La Bohème" (two 2002 Tony Awards), the hit revival of "West Side Story" (2009), "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo" (2011), and "[title of show]" (2008). McCollum was co-producer of the musical "Rent" in 1996, winner of that year's Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score and Best Featured Actor. It also won the Pulitzer  Prize for Drama, making it only the fifth musical to ever win both the Pulitzer and the Tony. It also won six Drama Desk Awards, including Best Musical. In 2005 he served as executive producer for the movie version of "Rent". He is currently represented on Broadway by the comedy "The Play That Goes Wrong" which opened in the spring of 2017. In February 2015, "Motown the Musical" opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on London's West End. In February 2016, "Hand to God", formerly seen on Broadway at the Booth Theatre, opened at the Vaudeville Theater on London's  West End. Productions and accolades. In 2011, McCollum founded Alchemation, a theatre and media company under McCollum's leadership. Productions under the Alchemation banner include Motown the Musical, Something Rotten!, Hand to God and the third season of theatrical web-series Submissions Only. In the summer of 2013, McCollum entered a joint venture with 20th Century Fox to develop titles from the Fox catalogue into stage properties. In 2005, McCollum was invited to give the commencement address for the graduating class at University of Cincinnati. Effective August 2015, McCollum was appointed to the position of distinguished visiting professor at Cincinnati  College-Conservatory of Music, a role that will continue for three years and will include work with faculty and administrators to develop a new musical theatre incubator program at CCM.