Neal Edelstein

Neal Edelstein is an award-winning independent film producer, writer and director. He is also known as an early technology adopter who holds multiple patents on digital distribution. A native of Chicago, he began his film career in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. In 1997, Edelstein produced David Lynch's segment in the French film Lumiere and Company, shot with the original Lumiere brothers' camera. After completion of the film, Edelstein and Lynch became partners in The Picture Factory, where Edelstein produced The Straight Story and Mulholland Drive, as well as worked with Lynch to conceive and launch DavidLynch.com.

Following Mulholland Drive, Edelstein formed Macari/Edelstein Filmed Entertainment with New Line Cinema executive Mike Macari. Their first project was the successful American remake of the Japanese horror film The Ring. Other credits include the Netflix thriller Fractured, directed by Brad Anderson and starring Sam Worthington, Disney-distributed The Invisible, directed by David Goyer, and Shelter, starring Julianne Moore.

Driven by his passion for storytelling and producing, in 2013 Edelstein directed and produced the first ever movie app of its kind called Haunting Melissa. With over 1 million installs in less then a year Haunting Melissa won multiple awards. In 2014 he produced and directed the sequel Dark Hearts: The Secret Of Haunting Melissa.

In 2017 Edelstein launched his new production company Crow Island Films to focus on film, television and new media production.

Edelstein is a graduate of New Trier High School and has a BFA in film studies from the University of Arizona.

You can follow him on X/Twitter.

Interview recorded on 2025-09-14.