Fifth Season has promoted Christopher Slager to head of film as it expands in-house production and development and announced that Alexis Garcia is leaving to set up his own venture with backing from the company.
Slager, who has been at Fifth Season for some time, previously served as a partner and SVP of film finance and sales at Endeavor Content, and before that worked at WME.
Prior to that he was at Focus Features. Credits include The Florida Project, Mudbound, The Banker, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Pig, and the Book Club franchise.
Slager will take charge of the film studio...
Slager, who has been at Fifth Season for some time, previously served as a partner and SVP of film finance and sales at Endeavor Content, and before that worked at WME.
Prior to that he was at Focus Features. Credits include The Florida Project, Mudbound, The Banker, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Pig, and the Book Club franchise.
Slager will take charge of the film studio...
- 3/27/2024
- ScreenDaily
Fifth Season has upped Christopher Slager to Head of Film as the studio expands its in-house production and development of feature films.
Slager will oversee the studio’s anticipated productions including Netflix/Artists Equity’s Animals, starring Matt Damon and directed by Ben Affleck, as well as the Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman movie The Beast directed by Emmy winner James Madigan.
Alexis Garcia, who previously managed features, will launch a new venture with backing from Fifth Season, details to be announced down the road. Garcia will remain a consultant to the studio during his transition.
Among those titles on the horizon for Fifth Season under Slager’s watch are Stephen Chbosky’s Nonnas, starring Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon, and Linda Cardellini; Jan Komasa’s Anniversary, starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Dylan O’Brien, Zoey Deutch, Phoebe Dynevor, Madeline Brewer, Mckenna Grace, and Daryl McCormack; Nick Rowland’s She Rides Shotgun,...
Slager will oversee the studio’s anticipated productions including Netflix/Artists Equity’s Animals, starring Matt Damon and directed by Ben Affleck, as well as the Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman movie The Beast directed by Emmy winner James Madigan.
Alexis Garcia, who previously managed features, will launch a new venture with backing from Fifth Season, details to be announced down the road. Garcia will remain a consultant to the studio during his transition.
Among those titles on the horizon for Fifth Season under Slager’s watch are Stephen Chbosky’s Nonnas, starring Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon, and Linda Cardellini; Jan Komasa’s Anniversary, starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Dylan O’Brien, Zoey Deutch, Phoebe Dynevor, Madeline Brewer, Mckenna Grace, and Daryl McCormack; Nick Rowland’s She Rides Shotgun,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Christopher Slager has been promoted to head film operations at Fifth Season, with longtime features head Alexis Garcia exiting the company to launch a yet-to-be revealed venture.
Garcia, whose new outfit is receiving backing from Fifth Season, will remain with the company as a consultant through the transition.
According to Wednesday’s announcement from Fifth Season co-CEOs Graham Taylor and Chris Rice, Slager will focus on in-house production and development. The company’s recent film credits include 80 for Brady, the Apple Sundance acquisition Flora and Son and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter.
“Christopher is one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial executives working today,” said Taylor and Rice. “We believe there is a huge opportunity ahead in the film space, and we are committed to expanding our focus on in-house production and development under his leadership.”
Added Slager, “Over the last decade and a half, I’ve been inspired...
Garcia, whose new outfit is receiving backing from Fifth Season, will remain with the company as a consultant through the transition.
According to Wednesday’s announcement from Fifth Season co-CEOs Graham Taylor and Chris Rice, Slager will focus on in-house production and development. The company’s recent film credits include 80 for Brady, the Apple Sundance acquisition Flora and Son and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter.
“Christopher is one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial executives working today,” said Taylor and Rice. “We believe there is a huge opportunity ahead in the film space, and we are committed to expanding our focus on in-house production and development under his leadership.”
Added Slager, “Over the last decade and a half, I’ve been inspired...
- 3/27/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Once the Hollywood strikes were over, Fifth Season, run by co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor, moved in to get production on six series up and running by January, including The Savant, starring and executive produced by Jessica Chastain.
The new limited series for Apple TV+ is the first production under a first-look deal Fifth Season Television has made with Chastain’s Freckle Films (George & Tammy), run by President Kelly Carmichael, to develop and produce projects.
In addition to The Savant, which marks Fifth Season’s seventh series at Apple TV+, other series that ramped up quickly after the strikes include Season 2 of Apple TV+’s Severance and the upcoming The Chief Of War starring Jason Momoa and Lady In the Lake (in post-production) with Natalie Portman — all on Apple TV+ — Season 2 of Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers starring Nicole Kidman and Australian series The Last Anniversary, which Kidman produces.
The new limited series for Apple TV+ is the first production under a first-look deal Fifth Season Television has made with Chastain’s Freckle Films (George & Tammy), run by President Kelly Carmichael, to develop and produce projects.
In addition to The Savant, which marks Fifth Season’s seventh series at Apple TV+, other series that ramped up quickly after the strikes include Season 2 of Apple TV+’s Severance and the upcoming The Chief Of War starring Jason Momoa and Lady In the Lake (in post-production) with Natalie Portman — all on Apple TV+ — Season 2 of Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers starring Nicole Kidman and Australian series The Last Anniversary, which Kidman produces.
- 3/22/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Imagine Entertainment co-chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard have entered into a multi-year co-financing and production partnership with Fifth Season and their co-CEOs Graham Taylor and Chris Rice.
Both companies have been busy in the docu space, and the move will give more autonomy. Imagine Documentaries president Sara Bernstein runs the division, and Justin Wilkes, who is Imagine president. Imagine will handle creative and production, while Fifth Season will handle sales and distribution. Fifth Season’s Non-Scripted division is run by EVP Mary Lisio.
The arrangement will start with feature docus on two iconic figures: Howard will direct a docu on the life of celebrated photographer Richard Avedon, and Big Chill helmer will make a docu on the life and comedy of Only Murders in the Building star Martin Short. Imagine and Fifth Season will co-finance the projects together, and they have put together a slate to follow these films.
Both companies have been busy in the docu space, and the move will give more autonomy. Imagine Documentaries president Sara Bernstein runs the division, and Justin Wilkes, who is Imagine president. Imagine will handle creative and production, while Fifth Season will handle sales and distribution. Fifth Season’s Non-Scripted division is run by EVP Mary Lisio.
The arrangement will start with feature docus on two iconic figures: Howard will direct a docu on the life of celebrated photographer Richard Avedon, and Big Chill helmer will make a docu on the life and comedy of Only Murders in the Building star Martin Short. Imagine and Fifth Season will co-finance the projects together, and they have put together a slate to follow these films.
- 1/22/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
The fifth annual Horizon Award for up-and-coming female directors has been presented to Caroline Friend and Zenzele Niambi Ojore. The two were honored at a ceremony held during the Sundance Film Festival by award co-founders Cassian Elwes, Lynette Howell Taylor, and Christine Vachon.
The winners received an all-expenses-paid trip to Sundance and meetings with producers, filmmakers, festival programmers and others in the film industry. Both winners had submitted three times previously before finally breaking through to the winner’s circle.
This year’s judges included Minhal Baig, Maria Bello, Catherine Hardwicke, Anne Hathaway, Hannah Minghella, Dee Rees, and Tanya Wexler. Working from this list, the final two filmmakers were decided by the Horizon Award co-founders and Sundance feature film director Michelle Satter.
Attendees at the awards included presenters David Oyelowo, Cheryl Hines, and Cameron Bailey, as well as Jennifer Salke; Graham Taylor; Cassian Elwes; Michelle Satter; Cathy Schulman; Joana Vicente; Cameron Bailey; Kirsten Schaffer; Alison Emilio; Shivani Rawat: Monica Levinson; Justine Bateman; Maria Bello; and Franklin Leonard (The Black List founder)
Horizon Award organizers reached out to 275 schools worldwide, resulting in over 400 submissions from a broad range of schools, including leading film schools, including New York University, USC, UCLA, Yale, Columbia, Emerson, Brown, Boston University, Australian Film Television and Radio School, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia State, Florida State, Lebanese University (Lebanon), London Film School, Los Angeles Community College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Polish National Film School in Lodz Poland, Tel Aviv University, and Columbia College Chicago
Female Filmmaker Awards:
Zenzele Niambi Ojore
Official Title: The South is My Sister’s Skin
School: Rhode Island School of Design – Class of 2018
Bio: Zenzele Ojore is a writer/director and interdisciplinary artist. While studying photography and film at the Rhode Island School of Design, she traveled to Chile with Adobe to capture a story on the melting glaciers of Patagonia, and received a fellowship to work on a photo series in the Southwest section of Uganda titled “The Buhoma Side of Bwindi”. Zenzele screened her first short film at the 2013 SXSW film festival in Austin; raised in Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia her work is inspired by the eccentric spirit of the American South.
Caroline Friend
Official Title: Under Darkness
School: USC – Class of 2016
Bio: Caroline is a filmmaker with a passion for bringing the past to life through writing and directing. She is a recent graduate from the University of Southern California where she majored in Film & TV Production, as well as History. While at USC, she was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant to write and direct Under Darkness, a short film about a female World War II photographer and soldier. Caroline has directed other projects in collaboration with the USC History Department and Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation, and her work has been screened at film festivals internationally. She currently lives in Los Angeles and continues to seek meaningful historical content to bring to the screen.
Also Awarded:
Michelle Satter, Founding Director, Sundance Feature Film Program; Co-Founder, Horizon Award – Founders Award
Alison Emilio, Director, ReFrame and Co-Founder, Horizon Award – Contribution to Female Film Makers Award...
The winners received an all-expenses-paid trip to Sundance and meetings with producers, filmmakers, festival programmers and others in the film industry. Both winners had submitted three times previously before finally breaking through to the winner’s circle.
This year’s judges included Minhal Baig, Maria Bello, Catherine Hardwicke, Anne Hathaway, Hannah Minghella, Dee Rees, and Tanya Wexler. Working from this list, the final two filmmakers were decided by the Horizon Award co-founders and Sundance feature film director Michelle Satter.
Attendees at the awards included presenters David Oyelowo, Cheryl Hines, and Cameron Bailey, as well as Jennifer Salke; Graham Taylor; Cassian Elwes; Michelle Satter; Cathy Schulman; Joana Vicente; Cameron Bailey; Kirsten Schaffer; Alison Emilio; Shivani Rawat: Monica Levinson; Justine Bateman; Maria Bello; and Franklin Leonard (The Black List founder)
Horizon Award organizers reached out to 275 schools worldwide, resulting in over 400 submissions from a broad range of schools, including leading film schools, including New York University, USC, UCLA, Yale, Columbia, Emerson, Brown, Boston University, Australian Film Television and Radio School, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia State, Florida State, Lebanese University (Lebanon), London Film School, Los Angeles Community College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Polish National Film School in Lodz Poland, Tel Aviv University, and Columbia College Chicago
Female Filmmaker Awards:
Zenzele Niambi Ojore
Official Title: The South is My Sister’s Skin
School: Rhode Island School of Design – Class of 2018
Bio: Zenzele Ojore is a writer/director and interdisciplinary artist. While studying photography and film at the Rhode Island School of Design, she traveled to Chile with Adobe to capture a story on the melting glaciers of Patagonia, and received a fellowship to work on a photo series in the Southwest section of Uganda titled “The Buhoma Side of Bwindi”. Zenzele screened her first short film at the 2013 SXSW film festival in Austin; raised in Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia her work is inspired by the eccentric spirit of the American South.
Caroline Friend
Official Title: Under Darkness
School: USC – Class of 2016
Bio: Caroline is a filmmaker with a passion for bringing the past to life through writing and directing. She is a recent graduate from the University of Southern California where she majored in Film & TV Production, as well as History. While at USC, she was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant to write and direct Under Darkness, a short film about a female World War II photographer and soldier. Caroline has directed other projects in collaboration with the USC History Department and Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation, and her work has been screened at film festivals internationally. She currently lives in Los Angeles and continues to seek meaningful historical content to bring to the screen.
Also Awarded:
Michelle Satter, Founding Director, Sundance Feature Film Program; Co-Founder, Horizon Award – Founders Award
Alison Emilio, Director, ReFrame and Co-Founder, Horizon Award – Contribution to Female Film Makers Award...
- 1/27/2019
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Projects on debut slate include Aquarium starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
Alexei Boltho and Rhodri Thomas, the former partners at UK production outfit The Ink Factory whose credits include The Night Manager, have officially launched their new production company Ray Pictures.
The company has backing from Us sales and packaging outfit Endeavor Content and private asset management firm MediaNet Partners. It will be based in London and Los Angeles.
Ray Pictures will develop, finance and produce work across multiple platforms, with a focus on premium scripted drama and feature films.
Boltho and Thomas are launching with a debut slate that includes Aquarium,...
Alexei Boltho and Rhodri Thomas, the former partners at UK production outfit The Ink Factory whose credits include The Night Manager, have officially launched their new production company Ray Pictures.
The company has backing from Us sales and packaging outfit Endeavor Content and private asset management firm MediaNet Partners. It will be based in London and Los Angeles.
Ray Pictures will develop, finance and produce work across multiple platforms, with a focus on premium scripted drama and feature films.
Boltho and Thomas are launching with a debut slate that includes Aquarium,...
- 1/25/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Former Ink Factory partners Alexei Boltho and Rhodri Thomas, executive producers on The Night Manager, have launched new production company Ray Pictures, we can reveal. Backed by Endeavor Content and MediaNet Partners the company will develop, finance and produce for film and TV but will focus on scripted drama.
The London and La-based company’s first projects include a feature film adaptation of John Boyne’s novel, A Ladder to the Sky, with filmmakers to be announced shortly, and a Tokyo-set TV series, Occupied City, written by Ben Hervey (Taboo) from the novel by David Peace. Currently casting is feature film Aquarium adapted from David Vann’s book by Marnie Dickens (Gold Digger), to be directed by debut feature director Lauren Caris Cohan and set to star Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle).
At The Ink Factory the duo worked on hit series The Night Manager (sold by Wme-img) and movies such as...
The London and La-based company’s first projects include a feature film adaptation of John Boyne’s novel, A Ladder to the Sky, with filmmakers to be announced shortly, and a Tokyo-set TV series, Occupied City, written by Ben Hervey (Taboo) from the novel by David Peace. Currently casting is feature film Aquarium adapted from David Vann’s book by Marnie Dickens (Gold Digger), to be directed by debut feature director Lauren Caris Cohan and set to star Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle).
At The Ink Factory the duo worked on hit series The Night Manager (sold by Wme-img) and movies such as...
- 1/24/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Endeavor Content has named Tim Robinson as its chief operating officer, a newly created role.
As COO, he will helm Endeavor Content’s overall operations, including business affairs, finance, human resources and corporate development. He will also play a “key role” in the acceleration of the its growth strategy both at home and abroad, according to the company.
Most recently, Robinson was COO of talent management and production company Avalon, and prior to that served as interim COO of Elizabeth Murdoch’s digital content studio Vertical Networks. Leading up to that, he spent the bulk of his TV career at Shine Group, and was ultimately named the company’s global COO in 2013, where he was “integral” to the Endemol merger in 2015.
“Tim’s track record of leading media companies during their most pivotal stages of growth, his international background, and overall reputation within our industry makes him the ideal individual...
As COO, he will helm Endeavor Content’s overall operations, including business affairs, finance, human resources and corporate development. He will also play a “key role” in the acceleration of the its growth strategy both at home and abroad, according to the company.
Most recently, Robinson was COO of talent management and production company Avalon, and prior to that served as interim COO of Elizabeth Murdoch’s digital content studio Vertical Networks. Leading up to that, he spent the bulk of his TV career at Shine Group, and was ultimately named the company’s global COO in 2013, where he was “integral” to the Endemol merger in 2015.
“Tim’s track record of leading media companies during their most pivotal stages of growth, his international background, and overall reputation within our industry makes him the ideal individual...
- 1/22/2019
- by Elaine Low
- Variety Film + TV
Endeavor Content has hired Tim Robinson as its new COO, in which he will assist in the company’s domestic and international growth strategy, Endeavor announced Tuesday.
In the newly created role, he will also oversee the company’s overall operations, which include business affairs, finance, Hr and corporate development.
Most recently, Robinson served as COO of talent management and production company Avalon. Before then, he was interim COO of Vertical Networks, Elizabeth Murdoch’s digital content studio.
Also Read: Endeavor Launches New Streaming Venture With NeuLion's Internal Video Platform
During his television career, Robinson also assisted in building Shine Group into an international business of 27 companies. His roles at Shine included COO of Shine Australia and Deputy CEO of Metronome Group in Stockholm, as well as global COO of Shine Group in 2012. He also previously worked in business affairs at Celador (“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”) and was...
In the newly created role, he will also oversee the company’s overall operations, which include business affairs, finance, Hr and corporate development.
Most recently, Robinson served as COO of talent management and production company Avalon. Before then, he was interim COO of Vertical Networks, Elizabeth Murdoch’s digital content studio.
Also Read: Endeavor Launches New Streaming Venture With NeuLion's Internal Video Platform
During his television career, Robinson also assisted in building Shine Group into an international business of 27 companies. His roles at Shine included COO of Shine Australia and Deputy CEO of Metronome Group in Stockholm, as well as global COO of Shine Group in 2012. He also previously worked in business affairs at Celador (“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”) and was...
- 1/22/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Endeavor Content has appointed former Avalon COO Tim Robinson to the same role. In the newly created position, Robinson will oversee operations including business affairs, finance, Hr and corporate development and will also be tasked with helping to drive growth in the U.S. and international markets.
Brit Robinson, who will be based in Los Angeles, was most recently COO of talent management and production company Avalon (Last Week Tonight With John Oliver) and before that, was interim COO at Vertical Networks, Elisabeth Murdoch’s digital content outfit.
Prior to that he held various positions within Murdoch’s Shine Group, including COO of Shine Australia in Sydney, Deputy CEO of Metronome Group in Stockholm, and ultimately global COO from 2013 before the firm merged with Endemol in 2015. Robinson also worked in business affairs at Celador (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire) and was a partner at media law firm Sheridans.
“Tim...
Brit Robinson, who will be based in Los Angeles, was most recently COO of talent management and production company Avalon (Last Week Tonight With John Oliver) and before that, was interim COO at Vertical Networks, Elisabeth Murdoch’s digital content outfit.
Prior to that he held various positions within Murdoch’s Shine Group, including COO of Shine Australia in Sydney, Deputy CEO of Metronome Group in Stockholm, and ultimately global COO from 2013 before the firm merged with Endemol in 2015. Robinson also worked in business affairs at Celador (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire) and was a partner at media law firm Sheridans.
“Tim...
- 1/22/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Executive played key role in Shine Group’s merger with Endemol.
Tim Robinson, the former COO of talent management and production company Avalon and Elizabeth Murdoch’s Vertical Networks, has joined Endeavor Content in the same capacity.
In the new role Robinson will be tasked with growing Endeavor Content’s Us and international business and will also oversee operations including business affairs, finance, Hr, and corporate development. He will be based in Los Angeles.
“Tim’s track record of leading media companies during their most pivotal stages of growth, his international background, and overall reputation within our industry makes him...
Tim Robinson, the former COO of talent management and production company Avalon and Elizabeth Murdoch’s Vertical Networks, has joined Endeavor Content in the same capacity.
In the new role Robinson will be tasked with growing Endeavor Content’s Us and international business and will also oversee operations including business affairs, finance, Hr, and corporate development. He will be based in Los Angeles.
“Tim’s track record of leading media companies during their most pivotal stages of growth, his international background, and overall reputation within our industry makes him...
- 1/22/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
New hire reports to recently appointed chief strategy officer Ashley Levinson.
Bron has officially unveiled Bron Ventures and appointed Jennifer Arceneaux to run the strategic investment division.
Bron Ventures, which Screen first revealed last month, was set up to make strategic equity investments in cutting-edge content-driven production companies and leaders in the film, TV, digital and animation space.
The division recently completed an investment and strategic partnership with Brooklyn-based It Follows production company Animal Kingdom led by Joshua Astrachan and David Kaplan.
Arceneaux (pictured at left), is the former chief development officer at Sundance Institute and most recently served as...
Bron has officially unveiled Bron Ventures and appointed Jennifer Arceneaux to run the strategic investment division.
Bron Ventures, which Screen first revealed last month, was set up to make strategic equity investments in cutting-edge content-driven production companies and leaders in the film, TV, digital and animation space.
The division recently completed an investment and strategic partnership with Brooklyn-based It Follows production company Animal Kingdom led by Joshua Astrachan and David Kaplan.
Arceneaux (pictured at left), is the former chief development officer at Sundance Institute and most recently served as...
- 10/4/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Aaron L. Gilbert’s Bron has launched Bron Ventures, a division that will make strategic equity investments in content-driven production companies and leaders in the film, TV, digital and animation spaces.
The new unit will be led by Jennifer Arceneaux — a former exec at Acorns, the Sundance Institute and The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles — who joins the company as Svp Venture Partnerships. She will report to Chief Strategy Officer Ashley Levinson, who joined the company earlier this year.
Bron Ventures already has its first deal in place, recently completing an investment and a strategic partnership with Brooklyn-based Animal Kingdom. The production company headed by Joshua Astrachan and David Kaplan is behind films including Short Term 12, It Follows, Paterson, Tramps, Beach Rats and It Comes at Night.
Bron Ventures will function as a creative and strategic advisor to its joint-venture partners and offers back-office support in all aspects of production,...
The new unit will be led by Jennifer Arceneaux — a former exec at Acorns, the Sundance Institute and The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles — who joins the company as Svp Venture Partnerships. She will report to Chief Strategy Officer Ashley Levinson, who joined the company earlier this year.
Bron Ventures already has its first deal in place, recently completing an investment and a strategic partnership with Brooklyn-based Animal Kingdom. The production company headed by Joshua Astrachan and David Kaplan is behind films including Short Term 12, It Follows, Paterson, Tramps, Beach Rats and It Comes at Night.
Bron Ventures will function as a creative and strategic advisor to its joint-venture partners and offers back-office support in all aspects of production,...
- 10/4/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Emmy-winning actor and producer Lena Waithe on Tuesday will join a GLAAD and Wme panel to discuss the state of Lgbtq inclusion in film and television, the media-advocacy organization said Monday.
The panel will also feature director and producer Kay Cannon and actor Nico Santos, GLAAD said. The discussion, to be held at Wme’s headquarters in Beverly Hills, Calif., coincides with the annual release of GLAAD’s Studio Responsibility Index, which rates quality, quantity, and diversity of Lgbtq characters in films by the major film studios.
Tuesday’s panel and unveiling of the report is a first for GLAAD, which will be releasing its sixth report Tuesday morning.
“We are honored to host this inaugural forum in partnership with GLAAD, who continue to be at the forefront of the conversation about inclusion and media,” said Endeavor Content co-president Graham Taylor in a statement. “We are committed to finding solutions...
The panel will also feature director and producer Kay Cannon and actor Nico Santos, GLAAD said. The discussion, to be held at Wme’s headquarters in Beverly Hills, Calif., coincides with the annual release of GLAAD’s Studio Responsibility Index, which rates quality, quantity, and diversity of Lgbtq characters in films by the major film studios.
Tuesday’s panel and unveiling of the report is a first for GLAAD, which will be releasing its sixth report Tuesday morning.
“We are honored to host this inaugural forum in partnership with GLAAD, who continue to be at the forefront of the conversation about inclusion and media,” said Endeavor Content co-president Graham Taylor in a statement. “We are committed to finding solutions...
- 5/21/2018
- by Ricardo Lopez
- Variety Film + TV
“We don’t want to produce, that’s not our goal,” says Chris Rice, co-president of Endeavor Content. The content division of talent agency Wme-img does, however, want to disrupt the mechanics behind production as well as find business where it historically does not exist.
Rice oversees the company’s global TV team while co-president Graham Taylor looks after film. It is on the small screen that Endeavor Content has been making the most recent headlines, with a number of high-profile deals for series including Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie’s The Night Manager and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Sandra Oh-fronted Killing Eve.
“Our entire business is built around providing infrastructure and services—whether that’s support, sales, financing or business affairs—to some of the world’s most fantastic producers, to offer them whatever they need to operate their business in the most effective way,” says Rice. “But we are not producers.
Rice oversees the company’s global TV team while co-president Graham Taylor looks after film. It is on the small screen that Endeavor Content has been making the most recent headlines, with a number of high-profile deals for series including Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie’s The Night Manager and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Sandra Oh-fronted Killing Eve.
“Our entire business is built around providing infrastructure and services—whether that’s support, sales, financing or business affairs—to some of the world’s most fantastic producers, to offer them whatever they need to operate their business in the most effective way,” says Rice. “But we are not producers.
- 5/13/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
By way of explaining Endeavor Content's aim, Co-President Graham Taylor told the Intv conference here in Jerusalem today, “All we're trying to do is make dreams come true.” He was being slightly cheeky at the close of a panel titled “Disruption in Film,” but added quite seriously, “Apathy and cynicism are the death of great art and great artists.” The panel was moderated by power attorney and dealmaker Craig Emanuel, who is exiting firm Loeb & Loeb to join Paul Hastings…...
- 3/13/2018
- Deadline
Black Panther star’s Outlier Society Productions will use diversity clause.
Michael B Jordan’s production company Outlier Society will start using ‘inclusion riders’.
It is a clause in an actor’s contract that requires a diverse cast and crew, and was brought into the public eye by Frances McDormand’s best actress acceptance speech at the Oscars.
Writing on Instagram, Jordan said: “In support of the women and men who are leading this fight, I will be adopting the Inclusion Rider for all projects produced by my company Outlier Society.
“I’ve been privileged to work with powerful woman...
Michael B Jordan’s production company Outlier Society will start using ‘inclusion riders’.
It is a clause in an actor’s contract that requires a diverse cast and crew, and was brought into the public eye by Frances McDormand’s best actress acceptance speech at the Oscars.
Writing on Instagram, Jordan said: “In support of the women and men who are leading this fight, I will be adopting the Inclusion Rider for all projects produced by my company Outlier Society.
“I’ve been privileged to work with powerful woman...
- 3/8/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Vallée and longtime producing partner Nathan Ross will develop, finance and produce original film and TV content.
Source: Fox Searchlight
Jean-Marc Vallée directing ‘Wild’
Hot on the heels of four Golden Globe wins for Big Little Lies, Jean-Marc Vallée has launched Crazyrose and has agreed to a first-look deal with Bloom that gives the sales agent a key strategic production partner and entry point into TV.
Vallée and longtime producing partner and former ICM agent Nathan Ross will develop, finance and produce original film and TV content.
The deal with Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s Bloom will cover projects that Vallée himself directs as well as Crazyrose material directed by others.
Endeavor Content serves as advisor to Crazyrose and recently acquired a majority stake in Bloom. Representatives had not replied to Screendaily at time of writing as to whether Endeavor Content would fund Crazyrose’s overheads.
Big Little Lies won Globes on Sunday for best television...
Source: Fox Searchlight
Jean-Marc Vallée directing ‘Wild’
Hot on the heels of four Golden Globe wins for Big Little Lies, Jean-Marc Vallée has launched Crazyrose and has agreed to a first-look deal with Bloom that gives the sales agent a key strategic production partner and entry point into TV.
Vallée and longtime producing partner and former ICM agent Nathan Ross will develop, finance and produce original film and TV content.
The deal with Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s Bloom will cover projects that Vallée himself directs as well as Crazyrose material directed by others.
Endeavor Content serves as advisor to Crazyrose and recently acquired a majority stake in Bloom. Representatives had not replied to Screendaily at time of writing as to whether Endeavor Content would fund Crazyrose’s overheads.
Big Little Lies won Globes on Sunday for best television...
- 1/10/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Bloom majority owner Endeavor Content serves as advisor to Crazyrose.
Hot on the heels of four Golden Globe wins for Big Little Lies, Jean-Marc Vallée has launched Crazyrose and has agreed to a first-look deal with Bloom that gives the sales agency a key strategic production partner and entry point into TV.
Vallée (pictured) and longtime producing partner and former ICM agent Nathan Ross will develop, finance and produce original film and TV content.
The deal with Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s Bloom will cover projects that Vallée himself directs as well as Crazyrose material directed by others.
Endeavor Content serves as advisor to Crazyrose and recently acquired a majority stake in Bloom. Representatives had not replied to Screendaily at time of writing as to whether Endeavor Content would fund Crazyrose’s overheads.
Big Little Lies won Globes on Sunday for best television limited series or motion picture made for television; best actress in the category...
Hot on the heels of four Golden Globe wins for Big Little Lies, Jean-Marc Vallée has launched Crazyrose and has agreed to a first-look deal with Bloom that gives the sales agency a key strategic production partner and entry point into TV.
Vallée (pictured) and longtime producing partner and former ICM agent Nathan Ross will develop, finance and produce original film and TV content.
The deal with Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s Bloom will cover projects that Vallée himself directs as well as Crazyrose material directed by others.
Endeavor Content serves as advisor to Crazyrose and recently acquired a majority stake in Bloom. Representatives had not replied to Screendaily at time of writing as to whether Endeavor Content would fund Crazyrose’s overheads.
Big Little Lies won Globes on Sunday for best television limited series or motion picture made for television; best actress in the category...
- 1/10/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Preferred Content founder and CEO Kevin Iwashina has joined Endeavor Content, the division formerly known as Wme Global led by co-presidents Graham Taylor and Chris Rice. Iwashina will wind down his company and join Endeavor Content as an agent focusing on non-fiction content. He will work alongside the team there and bolster a department whose recent non-fiction film efforts have included the Oscar-winning docu Undefeated, Chef's Table, The Ivory Game, Amanda K…...
- 11/2/2017
- Deadline
Endeavor is restructuring Wme and Img’s film and scripted TV finance and sales groups to form a new division titled Endeavor Content, it announced Monday. The new division will bring together Wme Global and Img’s entertainment sales groups which have financed, packaged an/or sold more than 100 films and TV shows in the most recent year — that includes the films “Arrival,” “Hell or High Water,” “La La Land” and “Manchester by the Sea.” In TV, this includes “The Night Manager” and “The Young Pope.” Graham Taylor and Chris Rice will serve as co-presidents of Endeavor Content, and Endeavor Content partners.
- 10/16/2017
- by Wrap Staff
- The Wrap
Wme and Img’s film and scripted television finance and sales groups have been brought together under Endeavor Content, a label that will be steered by co-presidents and Wme partners Graham Taylor and Chris Rice. The move comes a week after Wme | Img revived the Endeavor label as a holding company, bringing back the name of the agency steered by Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell that merged with Wma eight years ago. Wme will continue to be the name of the talent agency…...
- 10/16/2017
- Deadline TV
Wme and Img’s film and scripted television finance and sales groups have been brought together under Endeavor Content, a label that will be steered by co-presidents and Wme partners Graham Taylor and Chris Rice. The move comes a week after Wme | Img revived the Endeavor label as a holding company, bringing back the name of the agency steered by Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell that merged with Wma eight years ago. Wme will continue to be the name of the talent agency…...
- 10/16/2017
- Deadline
A week after Wme-img rebranded as Endeavor, the company is bringing together its Wme Global and Img entertainment finance and sales groups to form Endeavor Content.
Graham Taylor and Chris Rice will serve as co-presidents of the new Endeavor division. Ken Kao and Alex Walton's film finance and international sales company Bloom, in which the agency acquired a majority stake in August, will continue to operate as a standalone entity now under Endeavor Content.
"With the continued disruption taking place across the media landscape, we are forming Endeavor Content to enable talent to achieve better economics...
Graham Taylor and Chris Rice will serve as co-presidents of the new Endeavor division. Ken Kao and Alex Walton's film finance and international sales company Bloom, in which the agency acquired a majority stake in August, will continue to operate as a standalone entity now under Endeavor Content.
"With the continued disruption taking place across the media landscape, we are forming Endeavor Content to enable talent to achieve better economics...
- 10/16/2017
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Robbie stars as a bank robber on the run not only from the local police and the FBI — but a 15-year-old hellbent on catching her and collecting the bounty on her head to save his family’s farm. Sierra/Affinity is handling international sales on the project, for which Robbie also serves as producer “Book Club” Wme’s formidable indie team, lead by Graham Taylor and Liesl Copland, will take this romp to the Marche: Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda have complicated but rich lives that get thrown into chaos when the women chose “50 Shades of Grey” as their.
- 5/17/2017
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
Late in the evening of Jan. 25, teams from Fox Searchlight, Netflix, The Weinstein Co. and Sony converged in a lounge off Main Street in Park City to begin their pitches for Nate Parker's The Birth of a Nation. Hours earlier, the Nat Turner biopic had premiered to uproarious applause at the Eccles Theater, and Wme Global head Graham Taylor, the lead agent for the film, was ready to spearhead a monster sale. Parker, who actually had fired Wme and moved to rival CAA only weeks before Sundance (Taylor continued to rep the film), also was busy consulting with his new agents,
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- 9/7/2016
- by Tatiana Siegel, Ashley Cullins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Festival resurges as launch pad for awards contenders while sales agents are prepared for healthy market
Those up in arms over Hollywood’s limited roles for women and minorities should be excited for the diversity of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, which kicks off Thursday with no shortage of films that address the broad range of human experience, while renewing the festival as a key launch platform for awards season hopefuls.
For all the talk of work drying up for over-40 actresses, they’re well represented this year in Park City between “Lila & Eve” with Jennifer Lopez and Viola Davis, “Strangerland...
Those up in arms over Hollywood’s limited roles for women and minorities should be excited for the diversity of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, which kicks off Thursday with no shortage of films that address the broad range of human experience, while renewing the festival as a key launch platform for awards season hopefuls.
For all the talk of work drying up for over-40 actresses, they’re well represented this year in Park City between “Lila & Eve” with Jennifer Lopez and Viola Davis, “Strangerland...
- 1/22/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
If the acquisitions frenzy and precedent-setting deals struck in Berlin and Cannes is going to continue, it will surprise many of the sellers who’ve come to the Toronto Film Festival to fill slots in their 2015 slates. Maybe it’s because there were so many spectacular deals this year, of perhaps it’s because Toronto 2014 is so stocked with studio films that star the likes of Robert Downey Jr, Bill Murray and Denzel Washington. Whatever the reason, acquisition titles seem to be lower key than last year, when Can A Song Save Your Life and Bad Words prompted overnight auctions and $7 million deals, and just about every movie that played here found distribution.
The deal action got underway yesterday and today with Relativity’s acquisition of The Woman In Black 2 and Saban Entertainment’s deal for fest title Tracers. All the ingredients for a continued buying surge seem to be there,...
The deal action got underway yesterday and today with Relativity’s acquisition of The Woman In Black 2 and Saban Entertainment’s deal for fest title Tracers. All the ingredients for a continued buying surge seem to be there,...
- 9/5/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
Miramax will partner with Roadside Attractions on domestic theatrical release of film directed by Bill Condon and starring Ian Mckellen and Laura Linney
Miramax has acquired all Us distribution rights to Mr Holmes and will partner with Roadside Attractions on domestic theatrical distribution of the film.
Directed by Oscar-winner Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey), Mr Holmes stars Ian McKellen and Laura Linney.
The film, based on the novel A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin and adapted for the screen by Jeffrey Hatcher, is currently in post-production.
Thomas J. Barrack, Jr., chairman of Miramax, described the feature as “a smart, exciting film”.
Producers are Anne Carey of Archer Gray Productions and Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films (The King’s Speech, Shame).
Executive producers are Aviv Giladi and Len Blavatnik of AI Film, Christine Langan on behalf of BBC Films, which is also co-financing the film, and [link=nm...
Miramax has acquired all Us distribution rights to Mr Holmes and will partner with Roadside Attractions on domestic theatrical distribution of the film.
Directed by Oscar-winner Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey), Mr Holmes stars Ian McKellen and Laura Linney.
The film, based on the novel A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin and adapted for the screen by Jeffrey Hatcher, is currently in post-production.
Thomas J. Barrack, Jr., chairman of Miramax, described the feature as “a smart, exciting film”.
Producers are Anne Carey of Archer Gray Productions and Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films (The King’s Speech, Shame).
Executive producers are Aviv Giladi and Len Blavatnik of AI Film, Christine Langan on behalf of BBC Films, which is also co-financing the film, and [link=nm...
- 9/3/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Breaking: Miramax acquired U.S. distribution rights to the Bill Condon-directed Mr. Holmes, and Roadside Attractions will handle the domestic release. The film reunites Condon with his Gods And Monsters star Ian McKellen, who stars with Laura Linney. Pic’s an adaptation of the Mitch Cullin novel A Slight Trick Of The Mind, and Jeffrey Hatcher scripted. Pic’s in post.
Miramax chairman Thomas J. Barrack Jr called Mr Holmes a “‘smart, exciting film that has attracted the highest caliber director, cast and producers, and it is a perfect fit for Miramax.” Said Roadside co-prexy Eric d’Arbeloff: “Bill Condon and Ian McKellen’s collaboration on ‘Gods and Monsters’ continues to inspire us, so we are very excited to join with Miramax in releasing ‘Mr. Holmes,’ their fantastic take on the world’s favorite master sleuth.”
The logline: Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) returns from Japan, where, in search of...
Miramax chairman Thomas J. Barrack Jr called Mr Holmes a “‘smart, exciting film that has attracted the highest caliber director, cast and producers, and it is a perfect fit for Miramax.” Said Roadside co-prexy Eric d’Arbeloff: “Bill Condon and Ian McKellen’s collaboration on ‘Gods and Monsters’ continues to inspire us, so we are very excited to join with Miramax in releasing ‘Mr. Holmes,’ their fantastic take on the world’s favorite master sleuth.”
The logline: Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) returns from Japan, where, in search of...
- 9/3/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
The former co-ceo of Focus Features Andrew Karpen has announced his New York-based distributor backed by 5-Hour Energy founder by Manoj Bhargava.
Bleecker Street will hit Toronto scouting for content and has closed an output deal with Shivani Rawat’s ShivHans Pictures, whose slate includes Trumbo directed by Jay Roach starring Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Diane Lane and Elle Fanning.
Karpen aims to release three to five films in 2015 and will expand in the years ahead.
“I’m looking forward to bringing the work of great filmmakers into the marketplace and I couldn’t be more excited to be launching this new company in New York City,” said Karpen, who will serve as CEO.
“Bleecker Street will be well positioned to distribute films on a platform or national basis, whatever best suits each title.”
The ShivHans Pictures titles include Viggo Mortensen drama Captain Fantastic directed by Matt Ross, as well as Danny Collins directed by Dan Fogelman starring...
Bleecker Street will hit Toronto scouting for content and has closed an output deal with Shivani Rawat’s ShivHans Pictures, whose slate includes Trumbo directed by Jay Roach starring Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Diane Lane and Elle Fanning.
Karpen aims to release three to five films in 2015 and will expand in the years ahead.
“I’m looking forward to bringing the work of great filmmakers into the marketplace and I couldn’t be more excited to be launching this new company in New York City,” said Karpen, who will serve as CEO.
“Bleecker Street will be well positioned to distribute films on a platform or national basis, whatever best suits each title.”
The ShivHans Pictures titles include Viggo Mortensen drama Captain Fantastic directed by Matt Ross, as well as Danny Collins directed by Dan Fogelman starring...
- 8/13/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The former co-ceo of Focus Features has announced his New York-based distributor backed by 5-hour Energy founder by Manoj Bhargava.
Bleecker Street will hit Toronto scouting for content and has closed an output deal with Shivani Rawat’s ShivHans Pictures, whose slate includes Trumbo directed by Jay Roach starring Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Diane Lane and Elle Fanning.
Karpen aims to release three to five films in 2015 and will expand in the years ahead.
“I’m looking forward to bringing the work of great filmmakers into the marketplace and I couldn’t be more excited to be launching this new company in New York City,” said Karpen, who will serve as CEO.
“Bleecker Street will be well positioned to distribute films on a platform or national basis, whatever best suits each title.”
The ShivHans Pictures titles include Viggo Mortensen drama Captain Fantastic directed by Matt Ross, as well as Danny Collins directed by Dan Fogelman starring Al Pacino...
Bleecker Street will hit Toronto scouting for content and has closed an output deal with Shivani Rawat’s ShivHans Pictures, whose slate includes Trumbo directed by Jay Roach starring Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Diane Lane and Elle Fanning.
Karpen aims to release three to five films in 2015 and will expand in the years ahead.
“I’m looking forward to bringing the work of great filmmakers into the marketplace and I couldn’t be more excited to be launching this new company in New York City,” said Karpen, who will serve as CEO.
“Bleecker Street will be well positioned to distribute films on a platform or national basis, whatever best suits each title.”
The ShivHans Pictures titles include Viggo Mortensen drama Captain Fantastic directed by Matt Ross, as well as Danny Collins directed by Dan Fogelman starring Al Pacino...
- 8/13/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Breaking: A new major independent film distributor has emerged, just in time for Toronto. Andrew Karpen, the longtime co-ceo of Focus Features, has unveiled Bleecker Street, a New York-based distribution company that has backing from 5-Hour Energy founder Manoj Bhargava.
Karpen has long been a well regarded part of the independent film strata, but he left Focus last March. That was the final piece of a restructuring by Universal Pictures that began in October with the exit of CEO James Schamus, and saw the closing of the Focus Gotham office when the pieces of Peter Schlessel’s FilmDistrict were combined with Focus. Schlessel took the reins of that company and kept some key Focus executives like Jeb Brody, who has been running point on the label’s biggest film Fifty Shades Of Grey. Schlessel wanted to keep Karpen, but after initially running FilmDistrict with key execs Bob and Jeanne Berney on the opposite coast,...
Karpen has long been a well regarded part of the independent film strata, but he left Focus last March. That was the final piece of a restructuring by Universal Pictures that began in October with the exit of CEO James Schamus, and saw the closing of the Focus Gotham office when the pieces of Peter Schlessel’s FilmDistrict were combined with Focus. Schlessel took the reins of that company and kept some key Focus executives like Jeb Brody, who has been running point on the label’s biggest film Fifty Shades Of Grey. Schlessel wanted to keep Karpen, but after initially running FilmDistrict with key execs Bob and Jeanne Berney on the opposite coast,...
- 8/13/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
Following a successful midnight screening at SXSW, Lionsgate announced that they’ve acquired North American distribution rights to Exists, a new bigfoot movie from The Blair Witch Project co-director Eduardo Sánchez:
“Lionsgate (NYSE: Lgf) has acquired North American distribution rights to Exists, a new horror film from The Blair Witch Project director Eduardo Sánchez. The film played last night to a sold-out midnight screening at SXSW in Austin.
In Bigfoot’s bold return to the big screen, five friends on a camping weekend in the remote woods of East Texas struggle to survive against a legendary predator that is stronger, smarter, and more terrifying than anything they would have ever believed exists.
The film stars Chris Osborn, Dora Madison Burge, Roger Edwards, Samuel Davis, Denise Williamson and Brian Steele and is produced by Jane Fleming, Mark Ordesky, Robin Cowie and J. Andrew Jenkins. Exists is executive produced by George Waud,...
“Lionsgate (NYSE: Lgf) has acquired North American distribution rights to Exists, a new horror film from The Blair Witch Project director Eduardo Sánchez. The film played last night to a sold-out midnight screening at SXSW in Austin.
In Bigfoot’s bold return to the big screen, five friends on a camping weekend in the remote woods of East Texas struggle to survive against a legendary predator that is stronger, smarter, and more terrifying than anything they would have ever believed exists.
The film stars Chris Osborn, Dora Madison Burge, Roger Edwards, Samuel Davis, Denise Williamson and Brian Steele and is produced by Jane Fleming, Mark Ordesky, Robin Cowie and J. Andrew Jenkins. Exists is executive produced by George Waud,...
- 3/8/2014
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Hot off last night’s midnight premiere at SXSW, Lionsgate has acquired the North American distribution rights to the Bigfoot found footage movie Exists.
Exists follows a group of five friends as they struggle to fight off the Bigfoot during a camping trip in the remote Texas woods.
This is very cool news. I been tracking this project for a minute and can’t wait to check it out. For those not in the know Exists was directed by Eduardo Sanchez who co-directed The Blair Witch Project back in the day. Full press release below.
(Austin, TX & Santa Monica, CA, March 8, 2014) — Lionsgate (NYSE: Lgf) has acquired North American distribution rights to Exists, a new horror film from The Blair Witch Project director Eduardo Sánchez. The film played last night to a sold-out midnight screening at SXSW in Austin.
In Bigfoot’s bold return to the big screen, five friends on...
Exists follows a group of five friends as they struggle to fight off the Bigfoot during a camping trip in the remote Texas woods.
This is very cool news. I been tracking this project for a minute and can’t wait to check it out. For those not in the know Exists was directed by Eduardo Sanchez who co-directed The Blair Witch Project back in the day. Full press release below.
(Austin, TX & Santa Monica, CA, March 8, 2014) — Lionsgate (NYSE: Lgf) has acquired North American distribution rights to Exists, a new horror film from The Blair Witch Project director Eduardo Sánchez. The film played last night to a sold-out midnight screening at SXSW in Austin.
In Bigfoot’s bold return to the big screen, five friends on...
- 3/8/2014
- by El Mayimbe
- LRMonline.com
Sunday’s Sundance revelry started with football. TWC chief Harvey Weinstein held his annual football viewing party at the fest, this time at the Waldorf Astoria in Park City. The hotel’s long bar area was set up with multiple TVs to accommodate a mix of agents (CAA’s Roeg Sutherland and Maha Dakhil, and Wme’s Graham Taylor), other biz folk and a smattering of talent (Don Johnson, Zach Braff, Anne Hathaway). The afternoon’s host held court in a back room in front of the largest screen TV. At one point, Weinstein was asked if he’d had fun at the SAG Awards the
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- 1/21/2014
- by Sharon Swart
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Breaking: Wme has minted 20 new partners into the agency fold, and those include the tireless Sundance dealmakers working under Wme Global Finance & Distribution chief Graham Taylor. Mark Ankner, Liesl Copland and Alexis Garcia all have made partner. On the talent side, Esther Chang, Brandon Liebman, Doug Lucterhand, Boomer Malkin, and Brent Morley got partner stripes. On the motion picture lit side, Sarah Self is a new partner. In Scripted TV, Zach Druker, Lisa Harrison and Theresa Kang have made partner; from the Music Department, Michele Bernstein, David Levy, Rob Markus, and Joel Zimmerman made partner; from Commercials, Jeff Googel and Will Ward are now partners; Andy McNicol from Books is partner and so is Keith Friedenberg from Administration. This comes after the agency saw two longtime partners exit, with Brian Swardstrom moving to UTA and Christopher Donnelly becoming a manager at Lbi.
- 1/17/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline TV
Breaking: Wme has minted 20 new partners into the agency fold, and those include the tireless Sundance dealmakers working under Wme Global Finance & Distribution chief Graham Taylor. Mark Ankner, Liesl Copland and Alexis Garcia all have made partner. On the talent side, Esther Chang, Brandon Liebman, Doug Lucterhand, Boomer Malkin, and Brent Morley got partner stripes. On the motion picture lit side, Sarah Self is a new partner. In Scripted TV, Zach Druker, Lisa Harrison and Theresa Kang have made partner; from the Music Department, Michele Bernstein, David Levy, Rob Markus, and Joel Zimmerman made partner; from Commercials, Jeff Googel and Will Ward are now partners; Andy McNicol from Books is partner and so is Keith Friedenberg from Administration. This comes after the agency saw two longtime partners exit, with Brian Swardstrom moving to UTA and Christopher Donnelly becoming a manager at Lbi.
- 1/17/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Exclusive: FilmNation Entertainment will provide financing for The Prototype, an action thriller written and directed by Andrew Will (Archangel) and produced by Bandito Brothers in much the same maverick fashion as they generated Act Of Valor. FilmNation will handle international sales, and Bandito Brothers’ Max Leitman will produce with Shawn Wallace and Will of Variant Films, and Sean Cushing. Deadline first caught wind of this project back in late June, when the short film by Will leaked when it was being shopped by Wme Global. The Prototype is an experimental drone soldier that is being hunted by the FBI’s elite Critical Incident Response Group after it escapes from a top-secret military base and goes on the run. It’s based on a short film by the writer-director. It’s an under-$40 million film somewhat likened to District 9, with casting getting underway. Sunrise Pictures’ Peter Schafer and Brillstein Entertainment Partners...
- 9/19/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Exclusive: In the second seven-figure deal so far today at the Toronto Film Festival, IFC is acquiring U.S. rights to Byzantium, the vampire film by Neil Jordan that has festgoers feeling the filmmaker has returned to the terrain of Interview With The Vampire. I’m told that the deal coming together is several million dollars in minimum guarantee and marketing commitment. While IFC has been heavy into multiplatform, this film has designs on a theatrical release broadening out to several hundred screens. Related: Toronto: Lionsgate & Roadside Near Consummation On ‘Thanks For Sharing’ Scripted by Moira Buffini, Byzantium stars Gemma Arterton, Caleb Landry Jones, Daniel Mays, Jonny Lee Miller, Sam Riley and Saoirse Ronan. It is produced by Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen. The story focuses on two vampires who are on the run from the past and who are hiding a terrible secret. Related: Toronto 2012: Mike Fleming On...
- 9/11/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Exclusive: In what is shaping up as their second big Toronto Film Festival deal in the last 12 hours, Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions have teamed to acquire the Stuart Blumberg-directed Thanks For Sharing. I’m hearing the deal is nearly done for an over $2 million minimum guarantee for U.S. rights with a commitment for a theatrical release and not a day-and-date VOD plan. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Josh Gad and Gwyneth Paltrow, and it made its debut Saturday night at the Ryerson. This follows last night’s Lionsgate-Roadside deal for the Kristen Wiig-Annette Bening comedy Imogene. Blumberg, who scripted this and also wrote the indie smash The Kids Are All Right, here focuses on three recovering sex addicts who, despite a history of promiscuity and raucous romps, struggle to maintain meaningful relationships among lingering temptations as they go through a 12-step rehab program. It’s Blumberg’s directing debut.
- 9/11/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
While buyers and sellers are hustling to hammer out distribution deals, a different market is heating up at the Toronto International Film Festival: the agency chase for in-demand unsigned talent. Festivals like Toronto, Sundance and Cannes are becoming increasingly fertile venues for agencies looking to sign the next Daniel Espinosa or Anton Corbijn. An agency like Wme or CAA sends some 15 agents to the festival with the express purpose of landing hot unattached talent. At this year’s Sundance festival, Beasts of the Southern Wild director Benh Zeitlin spawned a courtship frenzy (Wme’s Graham Taylor eventually succeeded in wooing the director into the fold). As this year’s
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- 9/9/2012
- by Tatiana Siegel
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Bandito Brothers, the group that made the hit Act of Valor, is at it again with The Prototype. This is a hot package for an under $40 million action thriller in the vein of District 9 that wasn’t supposed to be auctioned until after I got back from vacation after July 4. Then the teaser leaked. Andrew Will is the writer and director and his producing partner is Shawn Wallace, and they have been working with Cantina Creative and the Bandito Bros in scouting, designing tests for the action scenes, etc. They worked under radar on Act of Valor, but no such luck this time. I got a peek at the teaser trailer, and it’s pretty impressive. Wme Global chief Graham Taylor is getting barraged by calls, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a deal before the holiday. Check it out:...
- 6/21/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Exclusive: In what is shaping up as the first major deal made on the ground at the Cannes Film Festival, The Weinstein Company is in hot and heavy negotiations for U.S. rights to Code Name Geronimo, the John Stockwell-directed drama about the manhunt for 9/11 terror attack mastermind Osama bin Laden. The deal is in the $2 million range, and is being negotiated on the basis of a trailer for a film that is in post-production. That footage was unveiled today by Voltage Pictures’ Nicolas Chartier and Wme Global’s Graham Taylor (who just landed in Cannes), and Weinstein moved quickly to hammer out a deal with attorney Craig Emanuel. What is most intriguing about this is that TWC can put the film into theaters in early fall, a move that would put it before the Kathryn Bigelow-directed Zero Dark Thirty. That film, which has an ensemble cast including Joel Edgerton and Jessica Chastain,...
- 5/16/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Breaking: The Terry George-directed Whole Lotta Sole has sold in a near seven figure deal to Arc, which plans an aggressive day and date multiplatform release. Richard Guardian of Lightning is selling foreign and Wme Global’s Graham Taylor and Deb McIntosh brokered the deal. Pic premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, and stars Brendan Fraser and Colm Meaney. It’s a fish story in which a hapless guy with gambling debts robs a fish market which is owned by the same mobster he owes money to. Cornered in a local curio shop, where he takes hostage an assortment of colorful characters, including a man who might be his illegitimate father. Surrounded by the Police, the Sas, and the Mobster’s crew, the young man must find a way out of his precarious predicament with the help of his oddball captives.
- 5/16/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Exclusive: The Weinstein Company is negotiating to acquire U.S. and Latin America distribution rights to Quartet, the Dustin Hoffman-directed comedy that stars Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon and Pauline Collins. The script was written by Ronald Harwood. The deal is upwards of $3 million, I’m hearing. This was a stealth pursuit by TWC’s Harvey Weinstein and David Glasser, but that cover was blown when an acquisition screening scheduled for this evening was abruptly scrapped, with rumors that a buyer paid $4 million for the film. I expected this film to surface closer to Cannes, but TWC doesn’t like to wait, something that worked out when Weinstein acquired Best Picture winner The Artist on the eve of 2011 Cannes. In Quartet, Cecily, Reggie and Wilfred reside in a home for retired opera singers and each year they stage a concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday. Reggie’s ex-wife...
- 5/2/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
For a market that is supposed to be flat, there are a number of U.S. film acquisitions made in the month of March, not to mention February. If there's no money, are these companies acquiring them for no mgs? The films are also holding up surprisingly well in theaters which bodes well for future sales of independent films into the coming year. Rumblings from venture capital waiting in the wings to begin investing again are also heard. I predict 2010 will be the year of the turnaround when the buying cycle begins again. Meanwhile there are some bargains to be had. Also notable are the key festivals where these films have all shown.
Amreeka was acquired by National Geographic and will open New Directors/ New Films. It showed as a work in progress at the Dubai Film Festival and went from there to its world premiere at Sundance. William Morris Independent brokered the deal on behalf of E1 Entertainment which has acquired Charlotte Mickie's and Robert Lantos' Maximum as well as U.K. distribtution company Contender all of which are very notable moves in the industry.
Afghan Star which showed at IDFA went to ZeitgeistZeitgeist[/link] for U.S. It was the Sundance World Doc winner of both Best Director and Audience Awards. Earlier this month they acquired Three Monkeys from the bankrupt New Yorker whose auction earlier this month found no takers. So its catalog still resides with its creditor Technicolor.
Nowhere Boy went to The Weinstein Co. for U.S., Latin America and German speaking territories from Hanway.
The Greatest went to Senator for North America who saw it at Sundance. It was repped by Graham Taylor of Endeavor and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.
Paranoids went to Oscilloscope from Visit Films for North America just before its SXSW premiere. The Toronto and Berlin film of Fortissimo, Unmistaken Child, went earlier to Oscilloscope for North America. Earlier in the month Oscilloscope acquired Burma VJ and The Garden.
B-Side acquired its first film for U.S., RiP: A Remix Manifesto before its SXSW screening. Disinformation will release it on DVD. In Canada Eye Steele and National Film Board of Canada will partner with B-Side on its release there.
One of several new U.S. distributors, Trela Media, acquired its first of 6 envisioned yearly acquisitions, Guest of Cindy Sherman which has played in several festivals already for North America.
Another new and innovative U.S. distribution configuration of Variance Films, Elementary Films and Argyle Productons will will release the Hot Docs, Hamptons and Margaret Mead festival film Nursery University in April 2009 in New York.
Lorber HT Digital acquired Intangible Asset #82 before it SXSW premiere and Nollywood Babylon which showed in Toronto and Sundance for North America.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil was acquired by VH1 for North America.
Strand acquied U.S. rights to The Headless Woman from Focus. It had been named one of the best as yet undistributed films of 2008 by IndieWIRE after its premier in Cannes last year.
First Run acquired Four Seasons Lodge by Albert Maysles and a handpicked team for U.S.
Wolfe acquired Pedro for DVD and VOD, and MTV acquired TV rights in North America. Produced by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland for U.S., it premiered in Toronto.
The Cove which premiered in Sundance and was acquired for world sales by The Works went to Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions and Participant for U.S. The deal was made with William Morris Indendent and Submarine.
Alive Mind, Richard Lorber's intellectual, spiritual and alternative distribution outfit acquired North American rights to Theater of War.
Film Movement acquired North American rights to Munyurangabo from Umedia after its festival screenings in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, Berlin, Toronto and New Directors/ New Films. It premiered at Slamdance.
Regent acquired worldwide rights excluding North America to Weather Girl from Submarine Entertainment.
Amreeka was acquired by National Geographic and will open New Directors/ New Films. It showed as a work in progress at the Dubai Film Festival and went from there to its world premiere at Sundance. William Morris Independent brokered the deal on behalf of E1 Entertainment which has acquired Charlotte Mickie's and Robert Lantos' Maximum as well as U.K. distribtution company Contender all of which are very notable moves in the industry.
Afghan Star which showed at IDFA went to ZeitgeistZeitgeist[/link] for U.S. It was the Sundance World Doc winner of both Best Director and Audience Awards. Earlier this month they acquired Three Monkeys from the bankrupt New Yorker whose auction earlier this month found no takers. So its catalog still resides with its creditor Technicolor.
Nowhere Boy went to The Weinstein Co. for U.S., Latin America and German speaking territories from Hanway.
The Greatest went to Senator for North America who saw it at Sundance. It was repped by Graham Taylor of Endeavor and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.
Paranoids went to Oscilloscope from Visit Films for North America just before its SXSW premiere. The Toronto and Berlin film of Fortissimo, Unmistaken Child, went earlier to Oscilloscope for North America. Earlier in the month Oscilloscope acquired Burma VJ and The Garden.
B-Side acquired its first film for U.S., RiP: A Remix Manifesto before its SXSW screening. Disinformation will release it on DVD. In Canada Eye Steele and National Film Board of Canada will partner with B-Side on its release there.
One of several new U.S. distributors, Trela Media, acquired its first of 6 envisioned yearly acquisitions, Guest of Cindy Sherman which has played in several festivals already for North America.
Another new and innovative U.S. distribution configuration of Variance Films, Elementary Films and Argyle Productons will will release the Hot Docs, Hamptons and Margaret Mead festival film Nursery University in April 2009 in New York.
Lorber HT Digital acquired Intangible Asset #82 before it SXSW premiere and Nollywood Babylon which showed in Toronto and Sundance for North America.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil was acquired by VH1 for North America.
Strand acquied U.S. rights to The Headless Woman from Focus. It had been named one of the best as yet undistributed films of 2008 by IndieWIRE after its premier in Cannes last year.
First Run acquired Four Seasons Lodge by Albert Maysles and a handpicked team for U.S.
Wolfe acquired Pedro for DVD and VOD, and MTV acquired TV rights in North America. Produced by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland for U.S., it premiered in Toronto.
The Cove which premiered in Sundance and was acquired for world sales by The Works went to Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions and Participant for U.S. The deal was made with William Morris Indendent and Submarine.
Alive Mind, Richard Lorber's intellectual, spiritual and alternative distribution outfit acquired North American rights to Theater of War.
Film Movement acquired North American rights to Munyurangabo from Umedia after its festival screenings in Cannes' Un Certain Regard, Berlin, Toronto and New Directors/ New Films. It premiered at Slamdance.
Regent acquired worldwide rights excluding North America to Weather Girl from Submarine Entertainment.
- 3/23/2009
- Sydney's Buzz
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