Richard Kraft
Co-owner of Kraft-Engel Management and acclaimed live show producer
Richard Kraft is the co-owner of Kraft-Engel Management, one of the world’s leading agencies specializing in representing film, theatre, television and video game composers, songwriters and music supervisors.
Richard Kraft has directed and produced shows at major venues including the Hollywood Bowl of such musicals as Disney’s The Little Mermaid in 2016 and 2019, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, La La Land, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas with all-star casts including Billie Eilish, Sara Bareilles, Rebel Wilson, John Stamos, Catherine O’Hara, Tituss Burgess, Darren Criss, Ingrid Michaelson, Lea Michelle, Zoey Deschanel, Kelsey Grammer, Taye Diggs, Finn Wolfhard and “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Kraft has also directed Alan Menken’s one-man show A Whole New World of Alan Menken and he directed and produced Evil Dead Live at the Ace Hotel.
He executive produced ABC’s Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration starring H.E.R., Josh Groban, Martin Short and Shania Twain, and ABC’s The Wonderful World of Disney: Little Mermaid Live! starring Queen Latifah, Auli’i Cravalho and Shaggy.
Richard directed, wrote and produced the online special Soundtrack of Our Lives: A Celebration for the Film & TV Music Community benefitting the MusiCares Covid-19 relief fund featuring Sting, William Shatner, Patti LuPone, Zachary Levi and Reba McIntire.
He’s also the book writer and lyricist for a new musical, A Beautiful Lie, directed by 3-time Emmy nominee Jamal Sims.
Richard and his partner Laura Engel are the producers of stage productions and live film music concert experiences including Danny Elfman’s Music From The Films of Tim Burton at Royal Albert Hall, PBS’ Live From Lincoln Center, Disney’s Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Live in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl starring Danny Elfman, Catherine O’Hara, Ken Page and Paul Reubens. Additionally, they executive produced the Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box which received a Grammy nomination.
Prior to starting his own company in 1991, Richard was an agent at ICM and started his career working with several of his musical heroes such as Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein and Henry Mancini. Kraft once ran Varese Sarabande Records where he executive produced over 150 soundtrack albums. His award-winning feature documentary, Finding Kraftland played at over 75 film festivals around the world, and his That’s From Disneyland exhibit of Disney theme park artifacts garnered great attention and money for charity.