Dan Jawitz

Background

About Dan Jawitz

Experienced Producer. Highly skilled in production and distribution, Jawitz joined forces with seasoned producer, Joel Phiri, and marketing guru Tshepiso Phiri, in 2018 to create Known Associates Entertainment (KAE), the film and television production arm of the Known Associates group of companies. KAE develops and produces original in-house content across genres, co-producing with local and international companies. In a career spanning 25 years, Dan has produced and distributed hundreds of hours of film and TV. Highlights of his career so far include the highly awarded feature length documentary, A Lions Trail, directed by Francois Verster and co-produced by Mark Kaplan, which won a US Emmy for “Most Outstanding Cultural and Artistic Achievement” in 2006, and is one of the most viewed documentaries from South Africa, having broadcast in 24 territories worldwide. He produced over 40 films at Fireworx Media over 5 seasons for the Faces of Africa series for CGTN China and co-produced the pan-African TV and Radio documentary series African Renaissance (13 x 52') for SABC, also with Mark Kaplan. He co-produced with Neil Brandt the feature documentary Devils Lair, directed by Riaan Hendricks, which won the Best Documentary Award at the 2014 South African Film and TV Awards. On the fiction side, Jawitz has produced and/or executive produced One Last Look (2012), Chemo Club (2016) Atlantis (2021) The Umbrella Men (2022) and Wild Is The Wind (2022). He produced many of Fireworx Media’s most successful TV dramas, including Keeping Score (Telenovela, 156 x 24’, SABC2) and Hustle (Drama, 26 x 48’, ETV), and is currently executive producer of Ubettina Wethu (Drama/Comedy, 52 x 24'), now in it's 2nd season on SABC1. He was the Development Producer on Whispering Truth to Power, directed by Shameela Seedat, which won a Special Jury Prize at Hot Docs in Canada in 2018 and numerous other awards. Jawitz was the Executive Producer of the short film, The Tunnel, directed by Jenna Bass, which was screened at the Berlin and Sundance Film Festivals in 2010. Jawitz is a co-founder of SASFED, the South African Screen Federation Advisor to the SA National Film and Video Foundation on Distribution and Marketing from 2005 – 2014; Executive Committee member of the IPO (http://ipo.org.za) from 2009 - 2016; Former judge of the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAS); And has been a judge of the International Emmys since 2018;