Steven Flynn, the veteran marketing executive who oversaw the campaigns for Best Picture Oscar winners “Dances With Wolves” and “Silence of the Lambs,” died on May 23 after a four-year battle with renal cancer. He was 70.
A Michigan native, Flynn got his start in showbiz working as a movie theater manager while studying at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 1977, as part of his promotional work at United Artists Theaters, Steven coordinated a college football half-time show featuring “Star Wars” during its original theatrical run. It was that televised half-time show that caught the attention of Salah M. Hassanein, then President of UA Theaters’ Eastern Division, who brought Flynn under his wing.
Over the next 13 years, Flynn learned the ins and outs of executive work in exhibition and became SVP of Advertising for UA Theaters. Then, in 1990, he moved from exhibition to the studio side and joined Orion Pictures as VP of Field Publicity and Promotions/Exhibitor Relations, where he helped lead “Dances With Wolves” and “Silence of the Lambs” to box office and Academy Award success.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1992 and starting his own company Edge Marketing, Flynn was hired as the SVP of Marketing of Gramercy Pictures, the new joint venture between Universal Pictures and Polygram Filmed Entertainment. Flynn remained at Universal through 2007 as Gramercy was merged in 2001 with October Films and Interscope to become USA Films, which would later change its name to Focus Features.
Among the films Flynn marketed during his time at Gramercy and Focus include “Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski,” and “Traffic.”
“Steven was my first hire at Gramercy Pictures and quickly showed himself to be the most optimistic and problem-solving marketing executive I ever met,” Russell Schwartz, former president of Gramercy Pictures, said of his passing. “Under his supervision, he handled everything marketing-related, and even organized the entire front and back office during Gramercy’s early days. […] Gramercy was the closest company to Camelot that many of us had ever worked at and Steven’s presence was a big part of it.”
Flynn is survived by his partner of 43 years Timothy Kraus, his sisters Linda Flynn-Coyle and Patricia Flynn-Alexander, his niece Shelby Myers (Mike) and his nephews Jeff Alexander (Shannon) and Sean Coyle. A graveside service and memorial will be held for family and close friends in Flint, Michigan on June 20. An additional celebration of Steven’s life will be held in the Los Angeles area at a later date. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Motion Picture & Television Fund at mptf.com.
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