By Minju
Pak Sandra Bullock and Gesine Prado receive the Crystal Award for their successful Fortis Films.
Audiences have seen the Fortis Film logo traverse across the big and small screen at some point, but one thing they will never see is a joint photo of the siblings who run it."Gesine and I were always saying, 'We are so not doing a photo shoot together to promote Fortis,'" says Sandra Bullock, founder of Fortis Films and older sister to Gesine Prado. "'Here are the sisters Bullock with their long-flowing ebony hair. Who's the taller one? Who's got the bigger eyes?' No, I think we won't become the poster children for this."Although Bullock's talent has led to a level of fame where she does not always have the luxury of hiding from cameras, behind the scenes, she, Prado and their team have worked outside of the Klieg lights to create Fortis -- the Latin word for strength and perseverance. In doing so, almost a decade since its inception, Fortis is one of the most successful production companies in Hollywood -- no small task, as most executives well know."You can get caught up in the publicizing part of the industry," says Prado, who recently left behind her Hollywood career to spearhead another project -- a pastry shop soon to open in Vermont. "Publicizing alone is a full-time job, and I think we would've been sick if we did that. So, we were in 'get the job done' mode. Just work hard."It certainly has paid off. Fortis has made its mark with such boxoffice hits as 2000's "Miss Congeniality" and 2002's "Two Weeks Notice," as well as the ABC hit sitcom "George Lopez," which is currently in its fourth season -- quite a track record for a company that began on a few conversations.
With Prado recently out of law school and undecided about what direction to take, Bullock took advantage of the timing and asked her to collaborate on what is now the fruitful Fortis Films: "I think it was snagging on that security of her and her tastes and our similarities and differences," Bullock says.Both Bullock and Prado quickly found out there wasn't a template from which to work when starting a company of its size, and, as Bullock explains, "There's no one who's really willing to give you the information," either. The sisters went about following their own instincts and choosing talent and product that they truly believed in."I think we realized that it's chaotic, no matter how much you know," Prado says. "I remember once, when we got 'Lopez' off the ground, I got a call from somebody from a really established film production company that asked how we did that. They were so freaked out that we had some kind of secret."Adds Bullock: "The secret was that we loved the talent and, therefore, you can sort of become a manic 'go to bat for that' (type of) person more easily than if you have eight TV projects, and you're hoping something sticks."Initally, though some in the industry balked at the thought of another actress starting a production company, Bullock, who lives in Austin, Texas -- a healthy distance from the hype that surrounds her profession -- sees Fortis as a natural extension into the work that she loves. "I was producing before I was acting," she says, "in little theaters around L.A. and with friends and playwrights. As long as you can be a part of the action somehow, I don't care. Look, the rest of my life isn't geared by, 'Can I make it on the cover of this magazine?' But that's never been my favorite part of the process because it didn't consist of what we all did in the Fortis office."Together, what both sisters have done is firmly establish a company in an erratic industry. "Sandra and Gesine illustrate that when two women set their minds on something, there is nothing they can't accomplish, Women in Film president Iris Grossman says. "Whether you're related, you met in school -- partners grow together."Along with their past successes, Fortis has the upcoming "Sleep Toward Heaven," based on the novel by Amanda Eyre Ward, and "Grace," written by Naomi Foner, in the pipeline. Although Prado, whose move was a "quality of life" change, is now living on the East Coast working on her next venture, they both see it as somewhat of an expansion of their collaboration."We don't look at things myopically," Bullock says. "Gesine's branching off into this business -- it's her own thing. But the level of support is the same."
The Hollywood Reporter
