Delivering Christian Values Through Mainstream Entertainment - Chevonne O'Shaughnessy
Chevonne O'Shaughnessy, the visionary Co-Founder and President of American Cinema. Chevonne's not just a filmmaker; she's a trailblazer dedicated to producing films that entertain and enrich lives while promoting strong Christian and moral values.
Chevonne O’Shaughnessy
Chevonne O'Shaugnessy is the co-founder and president of American Cinema International. She began her career as the President of International sales for PM Entertainment. Her 10 years in the position resulted in the production and sales of over 176 feature films and two successful television series. PM produced and distributed original prime time product for numerous international TV clients and domestic cable networks, with the distinction of being one of the first suppliers of HBO World Premier Movies. PM remains one of few companies amid the competitive world of independent filmmaking that consistently generates high quality Action Adventure feature films. She has also served as the executive producer of numerous films and TV mini-series including the Jack Hunter trilogy, El Dorado, Born to Race, and many more.
In 2000, Chevonne founded American Cinema International, along with George Shamieh, with the goal of distributing and producing high quality commercial motion pictures throughout the world. In less than ten years, ACI produced 20 feature films with international sales and domestic prime time broadcasts on USA, SyFy, and HBO Premier.
Through her experience in international sales, Chevonne recognized a niche market for inspirational and family-oriented material. In 2008, she co-founded Mission Pictures International with the goal of creating a brand of quality content to best serve that unique market. Within their first year, Mission Pictures successfully acquired more than 12 titles for theatrical and TV release, and quickly achieved their mission to bring positive, inspirational messages back to the global marketplace.
Since its inception, MPI has acquired over a hundred films for theatrical, home video and TV release, and has become the international destination for films appealing to the family and faith market. Some of their major feature films include box office hit October Baby, 2012 Emmy nominee The Heart of Christmas, Letters to God, Mighty Macsand more. The company's original production Love Finds You in Sugarcreek released in 2014 became the highest-rated broadcast ever for UP Channel and garnered Movieguide's Epiphany Prize for the year's Best TV Movie. A second film, Love Finds You in Charm, premiered on UP Channel in June 2015. The latest film, Love Finds You in Valentine, premiered Valentine's Day 2016 with the best ratings in the series yet. To date the Love Finds You movies have reached more than nine million viewers.
With Chevonne's departure from MPI, she has created ACI INSPIRES with George Shamieh, the newest brand of inspirational entertainment focusing on family films for everyone. She hopes to continue creating and acquiring strong inspirational stories, and plans to expand ACI INSPIRES to become the largest title holder for inspirational content. Their first TV movie, An Uncommon Grace, featuring Jes Macallan, Sean Faris and Kelly McGillis, was released on February 12th, 2017 on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel. Despite competing with the Grammys on its premiere night, An Uncommon Grace had 1.8 million unduplicated views, marking it the most-watched premiere in the history of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. ACI Inspires is currently in pre-production for the three-part series with UP TV and also at the same time developing The Girl From Felony Bay with Walden Media, adapted from the best-selling book of the same name.
In addition to her corporate responsibilities, Chevonne currently sits on Board of Directors of the Bentonville Film Festival. She also serves on the Board of Directors of her family's I.A. O'Shaughnessy Foundation which gives generously to the University of Notre Dame, St. Thomas University, and numerous other philanthropic causes each year. Chevonne was also a member of the Glendale Memorial Hospital board for five years, and served 15 years on the Board of Directors of the Women in Film Foundation. Additionally, she makes guest appearances at Chapman University each quarter teaching International Film Distribution.