Namesake Entertainment, CEO/Producer
As co-founder, co-owner and managing partner of Namesake Entertainment, Joe Goodman works to secure and develop entertainment properties and feature projects. Part of Namesake’s phenomenal growth can be attributed to the key relationships Joe has developed with industry leaders, best-selling authors, agents and leading book publishers. His expertise in securing film rights with popular book authors has helped to create an impressive roster of spiritual thrillers for Namesake.
In 1996, Joe set out to develop significant projects by acquiring the rights to the true-life made-for-television movie, Every Mother's Worst Fear (USA Network) and the screenplay, Can of Worms (1997), which aired as a “Disney Channel Original Movie.” Joe was co-producer on both projects and gained a firmer vision for the kind of family entertainment Namesake wanted to produce.
In 2000, Namesake rose to the challenge with their next project, Left Behind: The Movie, which was adapted from the popular best selling novel Left Behind. Not only did Joe produce and co-write the screenplay, but he also gained significant experience in marketing and distribution of the picture.
In 2002, Joe strategically partnered with the immensely popular family fiction writer, Frank Peretti, to establish a unique brand of “spiritual thrillers” for the growing entertainment marketplace. Joe produced both Hangman’s Curse and The Visitation (Fox), carefully supervising the scripts and making sure the storylines would satisfy eager Peretti fans while capturing the older teen and young adult audiences interested in the genre.
Joe’s negotiation skills and partner alliances with Hollywood veteran Ralph Winter landed Namesake with an unprecedented three picture deal with Twentieth Century Fox. Joe has produced the first two films under the Fox deal: Thr3e, an unconventional thriller by highly acclaimed author Ted Dekker and House, a best-selling collaboration between Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker.
Joe lives in Louisville with his wife and four children.