Joni Sighvatsson
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Co-founder of the high-octane independent Propaganda Films, which, by 1990, was producing 1/3 of the music videos made in the United States and enjoying similar success in feature films (Madonna's "Truth or Dare" 1991) and with both TV commercials (Calvin Klein's "Obsession," directed by David Lynch) and series (Fox TV's "Beverly Hills 90210").
After completing studies at Berkeley on a Fulbright Scholarship, the Iceland-born Sighvatsson met aspiring producer Steve Golin while both were studying at the American Film Institute. Together the two founded Propaganda and carved a very comfortable niche for themselves in music videos, a business scorned by many in Hollywood. Sighvatsson and his partner ran with this opening all the way to the bank, garnering revenues of $20 million on music videos alone by the early 1990s and clients ranging from Janet Jackson to Fleetwood Mac. Their subsequent expansion to feature films and TV has increased Propaganda's take to upwards of $80 million and led to such acclaimed offbeat fare as Lynch's "Wild at Heart" (1990) and "Heat Wave" (1990), a TV-movie about the Watts race riots of the 60s.
Filmography
Producer (Feature Film)
Producer (Special)
Producer (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1978
Moved from Iceland to the USA
1983
First worked professionally with Golin on the feature film, "Nickel Mountain"
1985
Founded Propaganda Films with Golin
1987
Co-produced (with Golin) first feature film, "Private Investigations"
1988
Co-produced (with Golin) first feature for their Propaganda Films, "The Blue Iguana"
1990
Co-executive produced TV-movie for TNT, "Heat Wave"
1991
Produced film in his native Iceland without Golin, "Ryd/ Rust"
Family
Companions
