David E. Allen is the Chairman and CEO of Kismet Entertainment Group, founded in 2000. Prior to his foray into entertainment, he was a fourth-generation owner and senior executive at Allen Canning Company, the world’s largest privately held food processing company. In 1990, he started The Kismet Group, an investment management firm that was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Kismet Entertainment Group is a fully-financed independent motion picture production and distribution company, based in Los Angeles. Kismet’s feature film was the werewolf actioner DOG SOLDIERS, which was made for the U.K. market and has since become an international cult favorite. The film went on to win multiple international awards, including Grand Prize of the 2002 Brussels Fantastic Film Festival, the 2002 Luxembourg International Film Festival, the 2002 Cinemuerte Film Festival in Vancouver and Best DVD Release at the 2003 Saturn Awards.

Including DOG SOLDIERS, Allen has produced eight features films in the past five years, including NO GOOD DEED starring Samuel L. Jackson and Milla Jovovich, STANDER starring Thomas Jane, the psychological drama ASYLUM starring Natasha Richardson and Sir Ian McKellan, the dark romantic drama NEO NED starring Jeremy Renner and Gabrielle Union, and the desert survival thriller Death Valley starring Eric Christian Olsen and Rider Strong. Through his Graveyard Filmworks banner, Allen has produced the horror films BOO and CEMETERY GATES, and is in pre-production on the sequel to DOG SOLDIERS.

In his hometown of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, David Allen helped found the Sager Creek Arts Center, where he directed several productions. He was elected and served for eight years on the City Board of Directors of Siloam Springs. He has been affiliated with various other boards and commissions including the Arkansas Executive Forum, Rotary International, United Way, and the National Food Processors Association.

Mr. Allen received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He and Stephanie, his wife of 24 years, have three children, Eric, 22, Tucker, 20, and Emmy, 9. Mr. Allen spends a great deal of time running his company in Los Angeles, but always enjoys getting back to his family in Arkansas. He and his family are members of First Baptist Church in Siloam Springs. He also loves visiting Austin, Texas, where he has served many times as a panelist and judge at the Austin Film Festival.