Karen Furore Grau and Larry Grau officially launched Calamari Productions in 1995, after a decade of journalism and education policy experience. President and Executive Producer Karen Grau brings 25 years of broadcast experience to all Calamari projects. Her career also includes three years as Deputy Legislative Director to former Indiana Governor Evan Bayh, where her work included analyzing the content and fiscal impact of legislation drafted by state agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor's office. Karen also assisted in writing three State of the State addresses. In 2014, Karen was named a Knight Foundation Fellow in Ethics at Washington & Lee University.

Larry Grau served as Senior Education Policy Executive to former Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon, where he drafted and directed several major initiatives enacted into law, including creating a stakeholders' education roundtable, a statewide comprehensive education accountability system, establishing the state's first alternative education program, and creating Indiana's initial early education reading diagnostic policies and programs.
Calamari Productions remains the only production company in the United States with state Supreme Court access allowing documentary cameras inside child welfare juvenile courts, venues that are—by law—closed to the media and the public. Calamari has turned that trust and extraordinary camera access into unprecedented, award-winning documentary series and video content used around the globe, from television outlets and networks such as ABC, NBC, MSNBC, A&E, MTV, Dateline NBC, Hulu, Nightline, Good Morning America, 20/20, Court TV, PBS, Bio and Channel 4 (UK), to universities and state governments around the country. Calamari video content is used for education and training purposes in over 14 countries, 200 universities, 25 Policy and Advocacy organizations and 85 state government agencies and facilities.

Today, Karen and Larry continue to direct and manage the creative vision that has put the company on the cutting edge of news, documentary and digital content programming. In their spare time they can be found spending time with their adult children, volunteering with at-risk kids and rescuing stray animals when not behind a camera!