Early life and education
Medjuck grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where his father operated "Medjucks," a furniture store on Queen Street.5 He later earned a BA in Honours English from McGill University, followed by an MA and PhD from the University of Toronto.1
After completing his doctorate, Medjuck joined the University of Toronto faculty, where he taught for twelve years and founded the Cinema Studies Program at Innis College, one of the earliest such programs in Canada.1 Alongside his academic work he contributed film criticism and journalism to several outlets, including Take One magazine, the Canadian Forum, The Times Literary Supplement, CBC, and TVOntario.1
Career
Transition to Hollywood
Medjuck relocated to Los Angeles around 1980 to join Ivan Reitman's production operation, having established a friendship with Reitman through the Canadian film world. His first Hollywood credits came quickly: Production Coordinator on the animated anthology Heavy Metal (1981) and Associate Producer on the Bill Murray military comedy Stripes (1981), also directed by Reitman.6
The Criterion Collection
In 1984, Medjuck co-founded The Criterion Collection alongside Robert Stein and Aleen Stein (Roger Smith joined later).2 The company, which grew into the foremost home-video distributor of classic and contemporary arthouse cinema, launched the same year as Ghostbusters. Medjuck's dual role as both a mainstream Hollywood producer and a co-founder of the most respected archival label in the United States is a notable distinction in his career.
Ivan Reitman partnership and filmography
Medjuck became Reitman's most consistent producing partner over a thirty-year span.1 Their collaborations include:
| Film |
Year |
Medjuck Credit |
| Heavy Metal |
1981 |
Production Coordinator |
| Stripes |
1981 |
Associate Producer |
| Ghostbusters |
1984 |
Associate Producer |
| Legal Eagles |
1986 |
Producer |
| Twins |
1988 |
Executive Producer |
| Kindergarten Cop |
1990 |
Producer |
| Beethoven |
1992 |
Producer |
| Beethoven's 2nd |
1993 |
Producer |
| Dave |
1993 |
Producer |
| Junior |
1994 |
Producer |
| Space Jam |
1996 |
Producer |
| Father's Day |
1997 |
Producer |
| Private Parts |
1997 |
Producer |
| Six Days/Seven Nights |
1998 |
Producer |
| Road Trip |
2000 |
Producer |
| Evolution |
2001 |
Producer |
| Old School |
2003 |
Producer |
| Eurotrip |
2004 |
Producer |
| Disturbia |
2007 |
Producer |
| Chloe |
2009 |
Producer |
| Up in the Air |
2009 |
Producer |
| Hitchcock |
2012 |
Producer |
| Draft Day |
2014 |
Producer |
In television, Medjuck produced the Emmy-nominated HBO film The Late Shift (1996)1 and the animated series Mummies Alive!, in addition to his extensive Ghostbusters animation work detailed below.
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters (1984)
Medjuck came aboard Ghostbusters as Associate Producer, working alongside fellow associate producer Michael C. Gross.7 He was present throughout principal photography, including the New York location shoot. During filming at the New York City Public Library, Medjuck and some of the crew were staying at the Mayflower Hotel at 15 Central Park West. When crowds gathered around the crew filming the Ecto-1 driving toward 550 Central Park West and began asking what was happening amid the traffic, Medjuck told curious bystanders that Francis Ford Coppola was shooting The Cotton Club.
Medjuck also contributed creatively to the soundtrack: he had attended a performance by The Bus Boys and pushed to have the band featured. Music executive Gary Le Mel at Columbia Pictures helped facilitate their hiring.
Medjuck and his wife both appeared in the "Ghostbusters" music video by Ray Parker Jr. At the 3:13 mark, the couple appears in a window and shouts "Ghostbusters!"
Medjuck also contributed to the audio commentary track on the 1999 DVD release of the film.8
Cameos
Medjuck made two cameos within the film itself:8
- At approximately the one-minute mark, he walks across the reading room of the New York City Public Library during the opening ghost sighting sequence.
- During the "Ghost Fever Grips New York" montage, when the Omni magazine cover appears, Medjuck is visible standing behind Egon Spengler as the team emerges from a building with a loaded trap.
Ghostbusters II (1989)
Medjuck was promoted to Executive Producer for Ghostbusters II.4 A well-known piece of production trivia: the tie worn by Peter Venkman during his dinner date with Dana Barrett was kept by Medjuck as a personal memento from the shoot.
The Real Ghostbusters and animated series
Medjuck served as Executive Producer on all three animated series spun off from the films:
- The Real Ghostbusters: Executive Producer across all 140 episodes. Medjuck and Michael C. Gross were both deeply involved in the creative direction of the series, reading every script to ensure quality and consistency.9 Their standards nearly caused a conflict with ABC: the network wanted certain changes the producers refused, driving other producers to frustration. Medjuck also served as a commentator on The Real Ghostbusters DVD box set.10
- Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters: Executive Producer across all 33 episodes of the companion series.
- Extreme Ghostbusters: Executive Producer across all 40 episodes of the 1997 revival series.
Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)
Medjuck returned as Executive Producer on Ghostbusters: Answer the Call, the Paul Feig-directed reboot. The film marked his fifth major producer credit in the franchise, spanning more than thirty years from the original.
IDW comics
Medjuck is acknowledged within IDW Publishing's comics continuity. The map credit on the regular cover of Ghostbusters 101 #1 references him. In Ghostbusters Year One #2, on page 6, panel 4, a figure in the lower right is depicted to resemble Medjuck as he appeared in his library cameo, dressed as he appeared in the Chapter 14: Welcome Aboard montage cameo. The cover B of Ghostbusters Year One #4 features a photo next to a calculator depicting Egon's "I got it!" scene, with Medjuck visible in the same montage moment.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
The character "Deputy Medjuck" in Ghostbusters: Afterlife is named in his honor.
Personal life
Medjuck was raised in Fredericton, where he was later voted one of the 150 most fascinating Frederictonians as part of the city's Sesquicentennial celebration.5 He is married to Laurie Deans and resides in Montecito, California.1
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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"Joe Medjuck," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Medjuck
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"The Criterion Collection," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Criterion_Collection "The company was founded in 1984 by Robert Stein, Aleen Stein, and Joe Medjuck, who later were joined by Roger Smith."
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Ghostbusters Press Kit: Biographies (Columbia Pictures, 1984). Via Spook Central. Associate producer Joe Medjuck: "We had nearly as many people working on the special effects for 'Ghostbusters' as we had on our crew during the height of production."
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Ghostbusters II Press Kit: Production Information (Columbia Pictures, 1989). Via Spook Central. "The executive producers of 'Ghostbusters II' are Bernie Brillstein, Joe Medjuck and Michael C. Gross."
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MyNewBrunswick.ca, "Joe Medjuck," accessed 2026-06-13, https://mynewbrunswick.ca/joe-medjuck/
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The Complete SFX Guide to Ghostbusters (Future Publishing, 2016). Joe Medjuck profile. "Joe Medjuck has been working in the film industry since 1981, when he started out as an associate producer on his friend Ivan Reitman's war-comedy, Stripes."
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Greene, James, Jr. (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever. Lyons Press, Essex CT USA. ISBN 9781493048243.
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Spook Central, "Ghostbusters Hidden Cameos" (June 8, 2018), http://www.spookcentral.tk/2018/06/08/ghostbusters-hidden-cameos.html
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Spook Central, "The Real Ghostbusters: Series Bible (Syndication)" (February 20, 1986). "The only two people to have input into the series outside of this office are Michael Gross and Joe Medjuck from Columbia Pictures, where they were associate producers on the GHOSTBUSTERS movie -- and they are absolutely terrific."
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Spook Central, "The Real Ghostbusters Home Video Releases," accessed 2026-06-13, http://www.spookcentral.tk/sclib/the-real-ghostbusters-home-video.html
