Richard Guardian

Veteran film distribution and sales executive Richard Guardian co-founded Los Angeles-based Lightning Entertainment in 2002. The company’s catalog includes such titles as The Merry Gentleman, Bonneville, Junebug and What the Bleep Do We Know. Guardian, whose entrée into the industry was as a management trainee with United Artist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, has varied, global experience: marketing and merchandising manager for Hoyts Theaters; North American Manger for the Australian Film Commission; head of international sales for Overseas Filmgroup (now First Look Media); international sales for HBO Enterprises in New York; and, running Beyond Films' Los Angeles office.