KINGSTON, R.I.—April 25, 2025— Steven Feinberg, who, as executive director of the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, has spent more than 20 years standing at the intersection of the arts and commerce in the Ocean State, will be honored next month for his personal and professional achievements as part of the University of Rhode Island’s annual commencement ceremonies.

Feinberg will be awarded a Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, on Friday, May 16, at 2 p.m. at the Thomas M. Ryan Center on the Kingston Campus during commencement ceremonies for URI’s College of Arts and Sciences.

The University will honor more than 3,300 undergraduate and graduate degree candidates from Friday, May 16, through Sunday, May 18, in eight college-based ceremonies at the Ryan Center.

“At URI, honorary degrees are one of the highest honors we can bestow. Steven Feinberg is joining a distinguished group of individuals who have made a profound impact in their fields and in the world,” said URI President Marc Parlange. “As a filmmaker, a champion of the arts, and an advocate for Rhode Island, Steven has helped shape the creative landscape of our state and beyond. We’re so proud to recognize his achievements and his deep commitment to storytelling, education, and community.”

A graduate of Cranston High School West, Feinberg spent 22 years in Los Angeles, where he studied cinematography at the University of California, Los Angeles and film and television production at the prestigious University of Southern California Cinema School. As a writer, director and producer he has worked with every major Hollywood studio.

Since 2004, in his capacity at the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, Feinberg has shepherded more than $900 million in film and television productions into the state, creating thousands of jobs for local talent, crew, and small businesses, along with providing opportunities for students. His collaborations include working with notable talents such as Academy and Emmy award-winning writer/director James L. Brooks, Lord Julian Fellowes, Wes Anderson, Mark Ruffalo, Bette Midler, Richard Gere and Zoe Saldana. Productions have included HBO’s Emmy Award-winning series “The Gilded Age,” Disney’s record-breaking “Hocus Pocus 2,” Oscar nominated “Moonrise Kingdom,” and three seasons of the Peabody Award-winning Showtime series “Brotherhood.”

In 2016, Feinberg wrote, directed and produced the award-winning documentary, “PELL,” which explores the challenges U.S. Sen. Claiborne Pell, of Rhode Island, faced in creating the Pell Grant program and its impact on education and society today. Sponsored by the Lumina Foundation and the Rhode Island Council on the Humanities, “PELL” premiered at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and won the distinguished Providence Film Festival Award for “a New England director whose work brings cinematic excellence to an international audience.” The film also won Best Documentary awards from the Los Angeles Film Festival and Williamsburg Independent Film Festival. The documentary had a special screening before Congress and, in February 2022, was viewed by various dignitaries in celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the Pell Grant.

For ten seasons, Feinberg has been a producer and co-host of the Rhode Island PBS weekly series “doubleFEATURE,” which explores the art of cinema by showcasing the art of the short film and the artists who make them.

A member of the Writers Guild of America since 1987, his internationally successful Village Roadshow Studios feature film “Fortress” was nominated for a Saturn Award for best science fiction movie in 1994.

In 2022, the Rhode Island International Film Festival honored Feinberg with the legendary Sam Spiegel Producer Award. In 2023, he was recognized by the Preservation Society of Newport County with the Laurel Artisanship Award for distinguished and artistic service. He has been honored by New England’s Imagine Magazine, Discover Newport Tourism, the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau, and received the George M. Cohan Ambassador Award from the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Since 2009, Feinberg has served as honorary chair for Rhode Island’s official Oscar Night “Red Carpet Experience.” He is also vice president of the Greenwich Odeum Board of Directors.

To learn more or to view a full schedule of ceremonies over URI’s Spring 2025 Commencement Weekend, visit: uri.edu/commencement/.