ATOMIC FEATURES is a production company founded by Daniel Ragussis and Dennis Lee, with strong relationships to A-list talent, films featured at Berlin, Telluride, Tribeca, and Sundance, and a groundbreaking development model that empowers creatives and propels projects toward production. In a crowded marketplace, Atomic is defined by a dual imperative—a unique approach that pairs filmmakers with producers who personally understand the needs of directors and writers, and a focus on stories and filmmakers from traditionally underrepresented communities that enables vibrant and essential voices to reach an audience.
DANIEL RAGUSSIS (FOUNDER / CEO) wrote, directed and produced his first feature, IMPERIUM, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Toni Collette, which was released by Lionsgate and became a New York Times Critics’ Pick; Entertainment Weekly hailed it as “a tense, chilling thriller… Radcliffe is brilliant.” He is the founder of Notes for Execs, a workshop that helps development professionals give better notes to screenwriters, and has served clients from Disney, Fox, Warner Brothers, Universal, and Netflix; he has been Head of Development at Lucas Foster's ANVL Entertainment since 2019; and he is the co-founder and CEO of Atomic Features. Prior to filmmaking, he founded a highly successful marketing consultancy for Fortune 500 clients, including AOL, DHL, Fannie Mae, and Verizon.
DENNIS LEE (CO-FOUNDER) made his feature film debut with FIREFLIES IN THE GARDEN, starring Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds, Emily Watson, Hayden Panettiere, Carrie Anne-Moss, and Willem Dafoe, which premiered in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, and was released by Sony Pictures. His second feature, JESUS HENRY CHRIST, starring Michael Sheen and Toni Collette, was executive produced by Julia Roberts, and released by Entertainment One. Dennis began his career with Teach For America, and founded one of Houston's most successful charter schools, before getting his MFA in Directing from Columbia University. His thesis film won a Student Academy Award, and he was selected as an ABC/Disney Television Directing Fellow before making his first feature.
JUSTICE HARDY (PRODUCER) has most recently produced and developed with Matt Nix’s 20th Century TV POD Flying Glass of Milk Productions (BURN NOTICE), where he helped build, shepherd and sell several series including TURNER & HOOCH for Disney+ and TRUE LIES for CBS. Prior to cutting his TV teeth with Nix, Justice wrote, directed, and produced film and commercial content internationally, including his 2020 mystery/thriller feature MY SISTERS, now streaming on Amazon Prime, and produced the New Star Films 2022 feature dramedy WHO NEEDS YOU, Official Selection of CINEQUEST 2022. He launched his production company Justice Creative as a freshman in college and has spent over a decade elevating and showcasing unique voices and untold stories, training Arab filmmakers in Europe, directing in Nigeria, and partnering with survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking. These brave storytellers inspire Justice as he continues to create and produce.
MICHELLE DUPRÉ (DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR / HEAD RESEARCHER) is a creative executive and researcher with a decade of experience discovering, substantiating, and developing stories for film, television, and print. A rigorous fact checker and investigator, Michelle understands immersive storytelling and efficiently navigates source material to unearth and flesh out compelling narratives, with clients ranging from ANVL Entertainment to TIME Inc. and LIFE Books. Notable projects and areas of interest include new leads and angles in true crime; behind-the-scenes tales of record-breaking films and theatrical events; holistically vetted and crafted biographies of musicians, actors, and historical figures; gripping accounts of secret societies and seedy underworlds; and diverse and untapped vantage points of controversial historical events.