Mark Urman, the veteran film distributer, has died at the age of 66.

Urman, who was most recently the president and CEO of New York’s Paladin Films, died on Saturday after a short battle with cancer. With career stints at the likes of Columbia Pictures and indie firm Dennis Davidson and Associates, Urman managed to deliver seven Academy Award nominations in six years.

The family of Urman have yet to release a statement but asked for privacy during the difficult time. Scott Macaulay, a producer and editor of Filmmaker magazine, confirmed the news in a tribute on social media, he wrote: “Sorry to hear about the passing of Mark Urman. I remember well his passionate, engaging and erudite pitches during his days as a publicist, which coincided with the early days of this magazine.”

He added: “He’d keep you on the phone until you too were a believer.”

Matt Dentler, the current head programmer for Cinetic Rights Management, also paid tribute: “R.I.P. Mark Urman, here in between myself & Daniel Battsek after a 2011 panel we did in his beloved Montclair, NJ. I always admired his ability to balance marketing with the artists’ goals. No distributor gave statements in press releases like he did. Much love to his family.”