Private company

Big Beach

American independent film production company

Big Beach, LLC is an American independent production company founded in 2004 by Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf, based in Los Angeles. It is best known for their independent comedy-drama films, including the Oscar-winning 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

2004Founded1

Big Beach, LLC is an American independent production company founded in 2004 by Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf, based in Los Angeles. It is best known for their independent comedy-drama films, including the Oscar-winning 2006 film Little Miss Sunshine.2

The story

The company began when Turtletaub and Saraf co-produced the 2005 film Everything Is Illuminated. The new company then took over production duties on two films that had been developed by Turtletaub's previous production company, Deep River Studios: Duane Hopwood and Sherrybaby in 2005 and 2006. Turtletaub also had been developing Little Miss Sunshine with his former company, which he brought to Big Beach.

In 2014, Big Beach launched a television division of the company. The television division has produced Nuclear Family on HBO and the GLAAD-award-winning Vida, and were the studio for the series Sorry for Your Loss starring Elizabeth Olsen.

Big Beach's films include the Oscar-nominated A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood starring Tom Hanks, The Farewell, which won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film and the Audience Award at Sundance, and the 2006 Best Picture-nominee Little Miss Sunshine, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, the SAG Award for Best Ensemble, and was considered a ground-breaking Independent film. The film's trajectory paved the way for increasing critical and commercial pathways of success for independent films.

In June 2022, Big Beach announced a number of new projects including the upcoming films Tropical Gothic and Out of My Mind. In February, 2022, Big Beach moved its headquarters to their Los Angeles-based offices. They announced that they had fully relocated to Los Angeles in January 2024, and that their upcoming movies Out of My Mind and Winner were set to premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

In 2024 Big Beach announced an IP incubator and division focused on adaptations called Big Beach Reads. The Big Beach Reads division handled the company’s book club and held a series of initiatives focusing on film development. In 2026 it was announced that Big Beach Reads had become an independent company managed by former Big Beach executive and producer Halle Arbaugh. The move echoed the transition of Beachside films, which began as part of Big Beach Films and became independent.

From Wikipedia’s article on Big Beach (company), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 2004Founded Founded1

Sources

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