September 21
6 comments
September 21
6 comments
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This is a treasure trove of profound knowledge. I love what Charles King is doing as well. Mudbound, Fences and Black Messiah resonated with me deeply and with audiences.
Also, the eco system of BLUM HOUSE really helped me to understand what they are looking for.
In addition, this reminded me of the importance of a screenplay with a strong concept. Thousands of screenplays land on their desks. And yes, they do look at spec screenplays but it has to not good bug AWESOME!
I found this article uplifting as well. New voices are important and welcomed as long as it offers them the SHOW and the BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.
Lastly, this article taught me the back part of business we rarely ever here. Well done!
Thank you for the break-down of the following companies: A24, Blumhouse, and Image entertainment.
Wow I did not know the specifics about Blumhouse, that is really unbelievable. Specifically the part about debt and equity financing with the expectation of high returns.
I feel like that model is definitely a risky move.
That is such an important thing to keep in mind. Having a pre-agreed price for the finished film.
Oh my gosh! Development hell is the worse. I have heard of so many projects having to suffer because of their project being “Bottlenecked”.
It’s so interesting the companies you mentioned Overbrook and Springhill, it kind of looks as if they produce stories that they can star in (i.e. Will Smith and LeBron James)
Overall thank you for this article. I appreciate the insight on the companies that are on the lookout for black or diverse storytelling and the type of scripts they are expecting to consider.
I received a lot of great detailed information. This is so helpful!
It’s wonderful to get an insider’s ‘lay-of-the-land’, like this. Knowing the internal side of what they do and how they do it, is beneficial to writers at our stage. It reinforces that fact of how good our spec scripts have to be, in order to even be considered. Kudos David
Wow, this is such an amazing article. Thank you so much for sharing all of this information. Looking forward to the next one! Z
It’s inspiring to see Black-led production companies like Overbrook, MACRO, Hoorae, and SpringHill making a powerful impact in elevating Black talent and telling diverse stories. For Black screenwriters, understanding our unique focus and development process is key to finding the right opportunities. I’m eager to learn more about how development executives work and how to tailor my projects better to align with these incredible companies. David, thank you for this eye-opening wealth of information.
Thanks for this wonderful detailed article. It was very helpful, David. I was listening to a training today and it was saying something very similar. I appreciate the breakdown of negative pick-up deals, and how the producers will share the cost, and then bring on distribution. I know I need to work on more partnerships with other producers who have more experience and connections/relationships with streaming platforms, networks, and larger production companies than I do. Blumhouse has a great plan; plus, I enjoyed the Invisible Man film. I love what Charles King is doing. I had an opportunity to meet him. A really nice guy. I hope to work with him. Black Messiah, Fences, and Mudbound were great films that had outstanding storytelling with lead black characters. I love that! Plus, great plan to secure financing and distribution before production. I want to duplicate this model and I want to avoid the “development hell” but I’m thankful for the SVOD/AVOD streaming platforms, for as long as we have them. Repeatedly I hear that many streaming platforms won’t stick around and maybe that’s why you see the collaboration, which is smart.
This article is just in time as I am researching and asking these questions right now as I want to produce more films and other projects. I want to take on the role of a thriving production company and I look forward to more helpful articles. I appreciate you.