Jon Kilik, a renowned film producer, graduated from the University of Vermont in 1978, where he studied film under the tutelage of Frank Manchel and Vivian Sobcheck. Following his graduation, Kilik relocated to New York City in 1979 and began developing screenplay ideas with his friend, Paul Mones, from New Jersey.
In 1980, Kilik and Mones sold their first screenplay, 'Delamer Park', but unfortunately, it was never produced. Kilik then held various production jobs on several feature films between 1979 and 1986, including 'No Nukes', 'Stardust Memories', 'Sophie's Choice', 'The Verdict', 'Tootsie', 'The King of Comedy', 'Maria's Lovers', 'Crocodile Dundee', 'Prizzi's Honor', and 'Raising Arizona'.
Throughout this period, Kilik and Mones continued to seek financing for their screenplays, and in 1986, they were finally able to secure funding for their first feature film, 'The Beat', with Vestron Pictures. Kilik produced the film alongside Julia Phillips and Nick Wechsler, while Mones wrote and directed. 'The Beat' was released by Vestron in 1987.
The same year, David Picker introduced Kilik to Spike Lee, who was working on the screenplay for what would become 'Do the Right Thing'. This marked the beginning of a long-standing collaboration between Kilik and Lee, which has resulted in the production of 14 feature films over the course of 25 years, including 'Do the Right Thing' and 'Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth'.
In addition to his work with Spike Lee, Kilik has produced over 30 other feature films directed by notable filmmakers such as Oliver Stone, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Bennett Miller, Jim Jarmusch, Julian Schnabel, Robert De Niro, Tim Robbins, and Gary Ross. His notable productions include 'Babel', which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture, and 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly', which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.
Kilik's contributions to the film industry have been recognized with an Oscar nomination, as well as two Golden Globe Awards. In 2003, he returned to the University of Vermont to receive an honorary doctorate and deliver the commencement address. In 2012, he received an honorary doctorate and delivered the commencement address at Monmouth University, his alma mater.
In 2013, Kilik delivered the keynote address at the Independent Feature Project (IFP) at Lincoln Center, where he challenged more pessimistic assessments of the state of cinema, offering a more optimistic outlook on the future of the industry.
