With a profit of $700 million from selling The Money Store, Turtletaub decided to go into the film Business. He describes himself as a child of the counter-culture and only wants to make films he is passionate about and that have redemption, something more than entertainment. He wants to touch and change people and use his money, through film, to do good. He looks for movies that have "something that touches my heart," have a powerful voice, and, Illuminate the human condition and emotional connections. He prefers script Writers and Directors who are doing their first films, as he is looking for a fresh perspective. Tutletaub's approach to filmmaking has been described as always "more idealistic than opportunistic." In 2000 he teamed with Producer David Friendly, forming Deep River Productions. The original plan was to use Turtletaub's resources to buy material to develop, then taking the properties to the studios for production. By 2005 he had scaled back, and, moved away from this strategy after an initial spending spree. Several movies were produced by Deep River, most notably Little Miss Sunshine, a 2006 Academy Award nominee for best picture. Turtletaub originally bought the script for $250,000, repurchased it two years later for $400,000 and then paid the $8 million costs of production. The film was a box-office success and critically acclaimed. Friendly and Turtletaub split after a six year run. He joined with Peter Saraf in 2004 to form Big Beach Films, with Turtletaub realizing the "need to specialize." They have produced over 20 movies, and, are best known for lower budget comedy-drama films, such as Little Miss Sunshine and Safety Not Guaranteed. In 2014 they started a TV division, Big Beach TV, which works closely with their L.A. affiliate, Beachside, focusing on micro-budget features and digital content. His theatrical producing debut was in 2009, the Off-Broadway Sleepwalk With Me. In 2014 he co-produced the Broadway revival Of Mice and Men.