Walter Parkes

As a screenwriter, producer, and former studio head, Walter Parkes has been responsible for some of the most iconic motion pictures in recent memory. After a four-decade career, Parkes turned his attention to education and is the co-founder and chairman of Dreamscape Learn, an education technology company aimed at the merging of advanced pedagogy, unique virtual reality technologies, and the power of emotional cinematic narrative to redraw the map of learning for students from middle school through university and beyond.

Films produced or executive produced by Parkes have garnered numerous awards, have grossed over $6 billion worldwide, and include Gladiator, Minority Report, the Men in Black series, Free Solo, Flight, and Catch Me If You Can. As a screenwriter, Parkes is largely acknowledged as a pioneer, along with writing partner Lawrence Lasker, in the development of the “tech-thriller” genre with WarGames and Sneakers. As the founding co-head of DreamWorks Studios, Parkes, along with partner and wife Laurie MacDonald, was responsible for the development and production of the studio’s diverse slate of films, which included three consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners: American Beauty, Gladiator, and A Beautiful Mind.