Meet the founders of Next Chapter Entertainment LLC
An experienced Hollywood veteran, Mary McLaren has spent her decades-long film industry career working in the business she loves. A studio executive for most of her adult life, Mary served as Chief Operating Officer, International Theatrical and Worldwide Home Entertainment, at Twentieth Century Fox for more than a decade where she was head of Fox’s International Post-Production and Home Entertainment Licensing departments, and responsible for negotiating and overseeing the studio’s distribution partnerships with key industry players including MGM, Lucasfilm, Dreamworks Animation, eOne, and Pathé. In addition to working on some of the industry’s biggest movie franchises (Star Wars, Avatar, Deadpool, Alien, X-Men), Mary was a key member of Fox’s International Production team and oversaw Fox’s successful Direct-to-Video production and Acquisition unit which produced over 40 profitable titles.
Currently, she is the CEO of Next Chapter Entertainment LLC, managing the Production, Publishing, and Talent Management divisions. Next Chapter Productions' first feature film (executive produced by Mary) is in post-production, and Next Chapter Publishing is planning its next release in Q1 2024, following the successful releases of Thornsby by Fred McLaren: The Complete Comic Collection. Lost (and Found) in Space 2: Blast Off into the Expanded Edition and Danger Will Robinson: The Full Mumy. Recognized in the top half of “The Hollywood Reporter”’ Power 100 Women in Entertainment list for multiple years, Mary is an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Television Academy, as well as a mentor for rising talent across the major Studios’ production & distribution divisions and for the Academy Gold program. She has been profiled in numerous print and web publications including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Screen Daily, Deadline, The Wrap, Home Media Magazine, Media Play News, and more. She holds a BBA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Wayne State University. |
An accomplished actor, Tom McLaren has filmed over 220 projects since the start of his career in 2012. From Lost in Space (Netflix) to the studio feature films Expelled (Awesomeness, a #1 best-selling movie on iTunes), Exorcism of Molly Hartley (Fox), and Santa's Little Helper (Fox/WWE), Tom has filmed 34 feature films, 39 short films, 51 television & new media projects, and over 95 commercials. In 2023 he completed the starring lead role in the feature film Untitled Dark Christmas Comedy. In 2021 he starred in the award-winning drama Into Temptation and earned five acting awards for his complex portrayal of Father Graham.
A published author, Tom co-authored the award-winning book "Styling the Stars - Lost Treasures from the Twentieth Century Fox Archive," which was published by Insight Editions in both hardcover and softcover formats. He was interviewed on CBS This Morning and profiled in numerous print and web publications including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, Parade, Huffington Post, Closer Weekly, and more. His second co-authored book “Thornsby by Fred McLaren: The Complete Comic Collection” was published in 2020. Also a filmmaker and publisher, Tom is Co-Head of Next Chapter Entertainment's Production and Publishing divisions. NCE's first feature film is in active post-production on their first feature film, with a planned release date in 2024. The hardcover book “Lost (and Found) in Space 2: Blast Off Into the Expanded Edition” was published in 2021.. The hardcover book "Danger Will Robinson: The full Mumy" was published in 2022. NCE's next publication is planned for early 2024. Tom holds a BBA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Wayne State University. He relocated from Detroit to Los Angeles in the 1990s where he enjoyed a successful corporate finance career behind the scenes at both Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros. Studios. In pursuit of his true passion, Tom made the leap in front of the camera in the 2010s and is now a busy working actor and filmmaker. |
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