Steve Sarowitz is a film producer, business leader, humanitarian, and changemaker whose efforts in entertainment are focused on creating impactful, purpose driven content. In a continuation of this personal mission, Sarowitz co-founded Wayfarer Studios—alongside multihyphenate Justin Baldoni—as an independent financial and production engine to pioneer multi-platform film and television productions that elevate and speak to the human spirit on a global scale.

As a passionate believer in the power of television and film to reach the hearts of their audience and foster progress, Sarowitz has made it his mission to produce projects that can serve as true agents for social change. In 2016, he served as Executive Producer for the Peabody Award-winning Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, which chronicles the incomparable writer who forever impacted the literary landscape of America and who also blazed a brave and original life as a performer, actress, and activist integral to the Civil Rights movement.  Sarowitz has helped fund and promote a number of powerful, award-winning documentaries including He Named Me Malala which was short-listed for the 88th Academy Awards in the Best Documentary Features category and received two Women’s Image Network Awards nominations, including Best Documentary and Best Producer. 

A dedicated member of the Bahá’í faith, Sarowitz Executive Produced The Gate: Dawn of the Bahá’í Faith, an award-winning documentary chronicling the origins of the Bahá’í Faith and its acknowledgement of the oneness of humanity’s major religions in order to promote peace and unity rather than intolerance and extremism. 

As a native to the corporate world, Sarowitz is the Founder and Chairman of Paylocity—a leading U.S. provider of payroll and HR solutions. He also currently serves in leading roles at global payroll providers Blue Marble and Payescape, but his true passions extend well beyond the boardroom. Sarowitz has long been an international philanthropist with an interest in promoting unity, peace, and universal education to create lasting, actionable change for a brighter future. Apart from his seat on Paylocity’s board, he serves on a number of boards for nonprofit organizations such as the National Center for Arts & Technology, the Chicago Center for Arts & Technology, Raising Haiti, and more. Sarowitz and his wife helm the Julian Grace Foundation, an organization dedicated to community impact on a global scale through a variety of programs centered around foster care, disaster relief initiatives, and donations to increase socio-economic mobility globally and enable lasting social reform. 

Sarowitz holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Illinois. He is an avid runner, a member of the Chicago Area Runners Association Hall of Fame and a 3-time winner of the MSE Division of the Chicago Chase Corporate Challenge. He lives in Highland Park, Illinois with his wife, 2 children, 2 dogs and a turtle named Duchess. When Sarowitz is not working or participating in one of his many philanthropic initiatives, he spends his time guiding at the Baha’i Temple in nearby Wilmette, Illinois.