About Us

Foundation Features is an independent production company developing, packaging and producing high quality feature films and television by collaborating with some of the industry's most critically acclaimed and established directors, writers, and creative talent. Foundation was founded in 2009 by Producer Rob Merilees, former partner of Infinity Features Entertainment. Rob is joined by Rob LaBelle - Executive in Charge of Television and producer, Lindsay Macadam. 

View Foundation Features' biographies below

 

 

Rob Merilees Producer, President

 

 

 

 

 

In 1998, Rob Merilees co-created one of the top independent film companies in the market, INFINITY FEATURES. With extensive on-set experience and an in-depth understanding in film financing, Merilees has worked to bring dozens of feature projects to fruition.  Merilees has been financing and producing feature films for 15 years and has shot all over the world in the effort to get the most production value and dollars on screen. He maintains an excellent reputation with banks, funding agencies, distributors, broadcasters, and completion bonders. Merilees is seen to bring added value to projects with his years of experience and extensive technical knowledge of all phases of motion picture management including script development, financing, pre-production through to post, and final elements including the sale and revenue collection of completed films.

Merilees produced multiple films under the INFINITY banner, including the critically acclaimed film CAPOTE, which garnered 5 Academy Awards nominations and won Best Actor for Philip Seymour Hoffman's unforgettable performance; the ambitious Canadian classic, THE SNOW WALKER, which was written and directed by Charles Martin Smith and starred Barry Pepper and James Cromwell; the New Line Cinema comedy, JUST FRIENDS, starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, and Anna Faris; the psychological thriller SHATTERED, starring Pierce Brosnan, Maria Bello and Gerard Butler; and Summit Entertainment's sci-fi thriller PUSH, which starred Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning and Djimon Hounsou and was shot on location in Hong Kong.

Merilees produced New Line's CODE NAME: THE CLEANER, starring Cedric the Entertainer and Lucy Liu and partnered with Oscar winning actress Charlize Theron to produce the film SLEEPWALKING, an emotional drama that stars Theron, Nick Stahl, Anna Sophia Robb, Dennis Hopper and Woody Harrelson which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.  STONE OF DESTINY, his second feature with writer/director Charles Martin Smith and starring Charlie Cox, Kate Mara, Billy Boyd and Robert Carlyle, was shot on location in Glasgow and London and selected as the Closing Night Gala for the Toronto International Film Festival 2008.

Merilees executive produced the third instalment of THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT film franchise titled BUTTERFLY EFFECT: REVELATION in association with Film Engine and Benderspink productions. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan during the fall of 2008 and released in early 2009.  Merilees also executive produced the 1hr primetime dramatic series MENTAL with FOX Television Studios and FOX International. All 13 episodes of the first season were shot in Bogota, Columbia. The series stars Chris Vance and Annabella Sciorra and aired the summer of 2009 on Friday nights on FOX.  

Merilees' last feature completed with INFINITY before the production company ended its 11-year run was acclaimed director Terry Gilliam's adventure fantasy, THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS.  The film stars Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole and the late Heath Ledger.  Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law stepped in to complete Ledger's role in the film.  The film premiered as an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival and was released in late 2009.  

In early 2009, Merilees launched FOUNDATION FEATURES, where he remains committed to the production of commercially viable projects.  Merilees produced ALTITUDE, a thriller directed by famed comic book artist Kaare Andrews. The film stars Jessica Lowndes (90210) and was released late 2010. Merilees also produced Bruce McDonald’s HARD CORE LOGO 2, the long-awaited sequel to the cult Canadian classic which screened as part of the Masters Program at TIFF 2011, and also completed the thriller THE ENTITLED, which starred Ray Liotta and Kevin Zegers and was released in October 2011.

Merilees has recently produced sci-fi comedy SPACE MILKSHAKE, starring Robin Dunne, Billy Boyd, Kristin Kreuk and Amanda Tapping, and also recently completed the documentary REVOLUTION, Rob Stewart’s epic follow-up to his documentary SHARKWATER.  REVOLUTION premiered at TIFF 2012 and won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2012 Atlantic Film Festival. Currently Merilees is executive producing MOTIVE, a 13 episode series with CTV and NBC Universal, which is now in its 4th season. He is also producing BRAIN ON FIRE, based on the award-winning memoir by Susannah Cahalan.

In 2008, Merilees was voted Canadian Producer of the Year by the Canadian Film and Television Producers Association.