Rich Cowan (born February 7, 1956) was the 2012 Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington's 5th congressional district. He is also an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He co-founded North by Northwest Productions, a video and film production company based in Spokane, Washington. After starting the company in 1990 with a group of partners, he served as its CEO for 22 years, launching the movie industry in the Inland Northwest and producing more than 40 feature films.