Nelson Woss, a renowned Australian film producer, was born in Perth, Western Australia. He is best known for producing the feature films Red Dog and Ned Kelly.
After completing his education at Christ Church Grammar School in Perth, Nelson Woss furthered his studies in the United States. He began his career in the film industry at Village Roadshow in Los Angeles, before working for director Ivan Reitman's company Northern Lights, which was based at Universal Pictures at the time.
In 2000, Nelson Woss established his own independent production company, Endymion Films Inc., and executive produced the feature film Venus & Mars. He also developed and produced the screenplay for the hit computer game Abuse, which was marketed globally.
In 2002, Nelson developed and produced the Australian feature film Ned Kelly for Universal Pictures. This marked the beginning of his successful career as a film producer.
Nelson Woss produced the highly acclaimed Australian feature film Red Dog. The film opened in August 2011 and became the highest-grossing Australian film of 2011, just 11 days after its release. Red Dog also became the eighth-highest-grossing Australian film of all time, with a total box office revenue of over A$21 million.
The Red Dog DVD was officially released on December 1, 2011, in Australia and became the biggest-selling Australian DVD of all time. It also holds the third-highest selling DVD spot in Australia, behind Avatar and Finding Nemo.
Nelson Woss partnered with Roadshow Entertainment and Coles to donate one dollar from the sale of every DVD sold in Coles during December 2011 to the RSPCA. This effort raised over $17,000 for the animal charity, and Nelson and KOKO, the canine star of Red Dog, visited the RSPCA to present a cheque for the donated amount.
In March 2012, it was announced that Nelson Woss was working with Australian theatre producer John Frost to adapt Red Dog into a stage musical.
Nelson Woss is the president of Endymion Films Inc. and its Australian counterpart Woss Group Film Productions. He continues to collaborate with major studios to produce successful commercial entertainment productions.
Nelson Woss resides in Perth, Western Australia. Until his passing in December 2012, he shared his home with KOKO, the canine star of Red Dog. Nelson and KOKO were the subject of a portrait by acclaimed Australian artist Adam Cullen, which was a finalist for the 2012 Archibald Prize.
