Company

CineTel was founded in Paul Hertzberg's home state of Illinois in 1980 and was originally known as Chicago Teleproductions. Soon after the company's formation, Lisa M. Hansen joined the organization and within two years became Vice President of the firm. Changing the company name to CineTel Films, Hertzberg and Hansen moved the corporate offices to Los Angeles in 1983.

CineTel Films is still bucking trends in the independent film and television business. When many independent film production and distribution companies are scaling down in size, or closing their doors, CineTel continues to change with the ever evolving marketplace.

CineTel's success can be attributed to its ability to find the right stories and sign name talent to productions that are economical and ultimately attractive to distribution outlets worldwide.

"From the company's inception, we placed a major emphasis on the creation of quality product at reasonable cost," says Paul Hertzberg, CineTel Films', President and Chief Executive Officer. "This has remained central to our company's philosophy and has been directly responsible for our success.

"We are an alternative to the majors," says Lisa M. Hansen, President of CineTel Pictures, Inc. and Executive Vice President of CineTel Films, Inc. "We are a strong viable production and distribution operation that is attractive to talent for a number of different reasons: artistic creativity, no bureaucratic hassles and the opportunity to reap the financial benefits of a picture when it becomes successful."

Paul Hertzberg is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CineTel Films, Inc. Under his auspices and direct involvement since its founding in 1983, CineTel has become one of the leading independent production and distribution companies in the entertainment industry. In addition to theatrical features, the firm has been highly successful in the production of pay television specials for HBO, Lifetime and the SyFy Channel.

As Executive Vice President, Lisa Hansen has been with CineTel since its inception in 1983. In addition to helping to transform the company into one of the largest independent film studios, Hansen also heads Cinetel Pictures, a separate production operation which she created. With Cinetel making six to eight pictures annually, Hansen is not only concerned with overseeing the day-to-day operations of development, production and post-production, but also with creating an atmosphere of creative freedom to nurture quality filmmaking. Among the writers and directors who have worked with Hansen are multiple – Oscar – nominee Quentin Tarantino, Brian Helgeland, Roger Simon, Robert Downey, Roger Avary, Bruno Barreto, Dolph Lundgren, Steven Seagal, Nicolas Cage, and the late Marc Rocco.