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Wanna follow A24 (company)'s net worth? And I was ready to say: It was me! But its present success and continued survival are dependent on a massive deal that seems to directly contradict everything thats made the company so special. Rather than carpet-bomb the whole country with prohibitively expensive television ads, A24 partnered with a social marketing agency called theAudience in order to more precisely reach its target demographic. Igoe: At SXSW, we had Spectacular Now, and Spring Breakers showed there. And I was just acting! Send us a tip using our annonymous form. Films distributed by A24 ended up getting nominated for seven Academy Awards that year, including Best Picture (Room), Actress (Brie Larson), Documentary (Amy), and Original Screenplay (Ex Machina). There is no Tinder for Room! So everyones wrapping up this gift basket that Im supposed to deliver to Megan [Ellison, one of the producers of Spring Breakers, who was on location in Pittsburgh] and say, like, This is why you should go with us. Sacco: We probably saw 20 versions. Heading into production nearly a decade after the premiere of Jenkins only other feature (the excellent Medicine for Melancholy), the film has been waiting a long time for a company with the confidence required to finance it. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE|SUBSCRIBE|CONTACT. See what happens.. John Hodges is leaving A24, the Oscar-winning indie studio that he co-founded. Patrick Stewart (actor, Green Room): [The premiere of Green Room] was at the Toronto Film Festivals Midnight Madness. And then it was consolidation. We saw the red envelope. Theirs is a potent brand that Ive admired for a long time, and their reputation as innovative partners to talent is second to none.. The outfit is new enough that the same people have been working there from the very beginning, and the consistency of their titles reflects that of their tastes. Aizenberg: I was at the Q&As at the ArcLight [in Los Angeles], and I remember taking a picture of the screen, and then all of a sudden it was like every screen at the ArcLight: Spring Breakers, Spring Breakers, Spring Breakers. Mahershala Ali (actor, Moonlight): I definitely have a lot more opportunity right now than Ive ever had before. As Korine told Rolling Stone: I want to do the most radical work, but put it out in the most commercial way. A24 just took him up on it. Set in 1630s New England, a family is banished from their village and starts to unravel when their baby vanishes. I liked the fact that they had never made a doc. @ After a brief flurry of acquisitions gossip, and Monday's announcement that A24 co-founder John Hodges will exit the company, A24 and/or Apple "insiders" let it be known that Apple wasn't. Miramax, they were a huge deal, and also Fox Searchlight. All the actors had taken the risk. You get a movie with them and it represents something. Deploying for Major CAT Events, tornadoes . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. A24 may not yet inspire the same kind of blind devotion in theatergoers that the Criterion Collection does in home video obsessives, but its the only indie distributor that feasibly could. Aizenberg: Remember he didnt show up to the premiere? Like, there was one that was like the shotit was [Francos character] Alien with the two girls, and hes holding machine guns or something. It is based in New York City . In 2023, A24 became the most nominated single studio of that year's awards with 18 total nominations between 6 of its films (Everything Everywhere All at Once (11 nominations, the most nominated film of that year's awards, including Best Picture), The Whale (3 nominations), Aftersun, Causeway, Close, and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (each with 1 nomination)).[5]. You prepare like for your dissertation at Harvard. A24's television division has produced The Carmichael Show, At Home with Amy Sedaris, Ramy, Euphoria and Mr. Corman. Katz: We broke the record that weekend. In the last few years, there have been a spate ofindie horror films that have broken into the mainstream. Johns experience and taste is evident in the films he has developed and produced over the years. That broke the film out., For Room director Lenny Abrahamson, working with A24 on his films campaign has been a dramatic change. It is currently unknown if this slate of films will have a theatrical release or be exclusive to Apple's Apple TV+ streaming service. You could tell that they wanted to be great. I woke up one morning to an e-mail from Daniel that was sent at three in the morning: Can you go to Pittsburgh? I come into the office, and there are interns running around like in some crazy factory. And suddenly its all over, and you think, Of all people, I knew the most about my film, so why was I was on the periphery of its release? But working closely with A24 throughout Rooms pre-release has altered his philosophy on film marketing: I used to think that the publicity process was both morally questionable and smoke and mirrors, that it was one of those invented jobs. Drinking champagne at nine in the morning. Katz: That was a good learning experience for us. March 3, 2018. With Hodges leaving, the company behind the Oscar-winning best pictureMoonlight made it clear that no additional changes in management will be made. The monster at the center of The Babadook is a personal demon, not a literal one. The indies can be liquid and fluid. A24 may be growing fast, but no one has displayed greater agility in navigating the waters of a business that constantly seems to be changing course. You know more than me.. We spoke with the companys friends, collaborators, and employees to make sense of how A24 became the most interesting, creative, and reliable film company of the 21st century. We literally didnt know what to do. We all go nuts for a few minutes, and then were all like, Okay, what do we do?. Over the past six years I have been fortunate to work with a diverse group of talented storytellers across film and TV and look forward to continuing those collaborations in my future endeavors.. It wasnt just that, for a new distribution company, it seemed to have a level of taste and an instinct for cool that is atypical in Hollywood. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Like, no way in hell. And we werent thinking about that. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Gif excerpt from the film Ex Machina via A24 Films. Hodges, along with Katz and Fenkel, largely shunned the spotlight, giving few interviews even as A24 made a name for itself by releasing edgier, filmmaker-driven fare from directors such as Lenny Abrahamson, Alex Garland, and the Safdie Brothers. They wanted, like, the Disney, massive one. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Lets go wide! The best scares always come from unexpected places. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. A24 was founded on August 20, 2012, by film veterans Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges. Katz: Yeah! Quite often you finish a film, he told me, youve had no contact with the distributor, you hand it to them, you get a quick look at the poster. Noah Sacco (head of acquisitions and production, A24): I think some of our biggest movies had no stars in them at the time of releaseEx Machina, Moonlight, The Witch, Room, The Spectacular Now. Other companies wanted to do stuff with it. Fenkel: It actually went very well, for what the movie was. You will be redirected back to your article in, Lionsgate Re-Ups Vice Chairman Michael Burns And COO Brian Goldsmith With Starz Transaction Looming, Tom Sizemore Dies: 'Saving Private Ryan' & 'Black Hawk Down' Star Was 61; Reactions + Career In Photos, Dark Harvest: Casey Likes & Emyri Crutchfield Tapped To Star In MGM Horror Film, Robbie Amell & Stephen Amell To Star In Code 8 Sequel, Abby Miller Toplines Jess Plus None; Chiara DAmbrosio Joins Bandit; Bianca DAmbrosio Cast In Call Jane; Lawrence Kao, Kai Cech Star In The Longest Sleep- Film Casting Briefs, Rachael Ray Daytime Talk Show To End After 17 Seasons, Eyes $45.5M Opening In U.S., A Record For Rocky Spinoff Franchise & Amazon, SAG-AFTRA And Casting Directors Weigh In On Self-Tape Controversy, Oscar Winner Guillermo Del Toro On The Films That Lit His Fuse. But the back end was so crazy. John. We were planting seeds to grow. Wouldnt call us back. Prior to joining Jax in 2019, John was a founding partner of A24, where he helped oversee acquisition and distribution on some of the company's roster of more than 70 films, which includes Spring Breakers, Ex Machina, Amy, Lady Bird, and Best . A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Theyre on the tarmac, and were having to find a new jet for them within twenty minutes. I felt like there was a huge opportunity to create something where the talented people could be talented. In 2012, Fenkel, Hodges, and Katz left their jobsat Oscilloscope, Big Beach, and Guggenheim Partners, respectivelyto start A24. I just trust, you know, Drag City or Merge or SST or Dischord. It was a perfectly good jet! We wanted to deliver in a meaningful way. I legitimately watched people almost pass out. The optimistic way to view this situation is that A24 is getting much better at buying good movies for its DirecTV deal, rather than filler like Barely Lethal. Harmony Korine (director, Spring Breakers): They have balls. Hollywood is run by accountants at this point. 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Rowling More Grace and Listen to Her, Britain's $4 Billion Boss: ITV Chief Carolyn McCall Bets It All on Talent, 2023 Music Festivals: How to Buy Tickets to Coachella, Governors Ball, Lollapalooza and More. Katz: And we were all like, You know what? To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. Despite lacking any pre-defined structure, episodes generally contain discussions around recent works of the two guests, allowing for branching discussions to other areas. If anything, it was the bastard stepchild at that point. Larson: I couldnt be more grateful for an experience that changed the course of my life and career immeasurably. The companys expansion into film is a natural progression as the company continues to produce scripted and non-scripted television as well as stand-up comedy specials. Daniel Radcliffe (actor, Swiss Army Man): Ive had experiences on films in the past where they get bought by somebody who sees something in it that they like, which is nice, but it also happens to be notand is sometimes antithetical towhat the people who made the film wanted it to be. Aizenberg: When I came to A24, they had Charles Swan already. Description. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter, As one of the founding members of the New York-based company, Hodges played a key role in putting A24 on the map, culminating with last year's best picture winner, 'Moonlight.'. Meanwhile, A24 has already been building an ark. Gif excerpt from the film Room via A24 Films. A vital piece of work far too delicately perverse to have sustained a theatrical run, it was the ideal choice to launch the program. Discover Johnny Hodges's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. There are exceptions to this rule, such as Miramax, the company that upended indie cinema in the 90s, backing then unknown filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh and Quentin Tarantino. Signed on as producer beginning with the second season. And theyre aiming at them. And the interns are running around trying to find a glassblower. Korine: I dont think I was there, but I heard people were walking out. David Fenkel and I have had some great conversations about film - the whole A24 team have a great and deep love for cinema. Under the Skin reintroduced Scarlett Johansson as a killer alien from outer space (and, more jarringly, a shockingly brave improv performer). And, like, within two blocks, I have to stop. Right after we did those three films, I dont think we had really purchased a film for the following year. Filmmakersoften the toughest audiences for their own films marketing campaignsrecognize the companys real excitement for their films. And with the opening weekend, with the numbers that we did, it became very clear that, yes, this is a viable strategy, to keep this very small, gay, art-house hood-ass filmlike, yeah, were just gonna keep it in theaters. A24 typically pays a bit more for these movies than it does the ones the it buys itself, andlike most VOD content providersit doesnt make its grosses public. Fenkel: I just cannot stop. Aizenberg: Nine to ten people walked out. PARK CITY, Utah At the Sundance Film Festival here in January, executives at A24, the upstart movie and television studio, stood in the back of a makeshift theater looking as if . Jenkins: I just would never allow myself to believe that something I made could win Best Picture. But we got A Glimpse Inside the Mind. They entered into deals with DirecTV Cinema and Amazon Prime in late 2013, with some films distributed through them, and the name was changed to A24 in 2016.[3]. Buying and burying not-great movies isnt necessarily a problem if it grows the business without harming the brand. Please, just let those two!. Take the fate of John Macleans Slow West, one of the years best films, a neo-Western starring Michael Fassbender as a bounty hunter. The tech titan is reportedly in the midst of dropping $1 billion on original content, but has yet to make a major film market move. Prior to A24, all had worked extensively in film and production before leaving their current positions to co-found the company, originally A24 Films, which specialized in film distribution. That didnt come with any veto rights or cut rights, Abrahamson told me. Daniel Katz and David Fenkel will continue to oversee the NYC-based indie. The films backers will be made whole, its makers will get another chance at bat, and its distributors will continue to enjoy the financial solvency provided by the DirecTV dealnot to mention the $50 million line of credit the company secured last fall. Were passionate. A24 Founding Partner John Hodges to Exit Daniel Katz and David Fenkel will continue to oversee the NYC-based indie Thom Geier | March 26, 2018 @ 10:08 AM A24 founding partner John Hodges. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Or a director. People want to see movies. GQ Style. When your audience does the work for you. The photo has been replaced. Rather than focusing on acquisitions, as was its early strategy, A24 is now producing its own movies, as well as its own podcast. The company is behind instant fan favorites like Uncut Gems, Ladybird, The Lighthouse, and Everything Everywhere All at Once. And when youre a loser, you think for a split second, Maybe they got it wrong. Like, you believe in something, you fall in love with it, and then you work for three months on trying to make it work. Dave Franco & Alison Brie Take a Couples Quiz, Heres a First Look at Daniel Lees Burberry, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez Are Shaping NASCAR's Future, Inside Daniel Lee's Burberry Debut, London Fashion Week's Biggest Show. He later left A24 on March 2018 to focus on future opportunities. On the TV side, Jaxs current projects include the recently released Russian Doll on Netflix, starring Natasha Lyonne; The Other Two, which was just picked up for a second season; and the final season of Broad City for Comedy Central. [21][22] Episodes are based around a discussion between two members of the film industry. As one of the founding members of the New York-based company, Hodges played a key role in putting A24 on the map, culminating with last years best picture winner, Moonlight, just five years after it was launched. But I think she saw this, and it hijacked her image and personality, and we didnt ask her. Place Beyond the Pines, wed worked with the producers before. Contrast that with its embrace of every grimy detail of demented dubstep nightmare Spring Breakers, for which the company went so far as to mount a sincere consider this sh*t awards campaign for James Franco. And A24 was the place that took the risk. So I think they were hoping, and discovering, that they might be able to do that with The Witch. Sacco: And people on planet Earth, you know, they go see movies that they need to want to see or hear about. Sacco: Gun bongs. Your eyes dont gloss over James Franco as a trap music Jesus. John Hodges is leaving A24, the Oscar-winning indie studio that he co-founded. Were gonna get there on time. And we got Best Picture [also for Room]. Like I had glandular problems. [laughs] I remember I had to have a conversation with Alicia about it, where she was saying, What the hell? and I was saying, I dont know. Yes, Scream VI Marketing Is Behind the Creepy Ghostface Sightings Causing Scares Across the U.S. David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan's 'Bass Reeves' Series at Paramount+ Casts King Richard Star Demi Singleton (EXCLUSIVE), Star Trek: Discovery to End With Season 5, Paramount+ Pushes Premiere to 2024. Robert Pattinson (actor, The Rover, Good Time): Its crazy that there is an article about a distribution company. John Cornelius Hodge (Squatty Roo, Jeep, Rabbit) was born on 25 July, 1907 in Cambridge, MA, is an American saxophonist. BREAKING: John Hodges, one of the founding members of A24, has announced his departure from the production and distribution studio to focus on future opportunities. So everything had to be explained to me, and by the time it was explained, it was over. And Under the Skin, from Jonathan Glazer, is one of my favorite movies in the past 15 or 20 years, you know? I asked him what he wants his company to be. Its infamously irreverent official Twitter account, run by an employee named Zoe Beyer, is as likely to tweet about the Spice Girls or trash-talk Tom Cruise as it is to tweet about one of the companys own movies. They didnt have a ton of movies, you know? Igoe: Even with Ex Machina at the time, we were getting bigger, but we still had that kind of start-up mentality that I dont know wed be able to get away with now. I mean, I have no idea what theyre doing, really. A24 is an American independent entertainment company founded on August 20, 2012, by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, and John Hodges and based in New York City. The Bling Ring provoked Emma Watson to cast off the shadow of Hermione Granger and step into the pink Juicy Couture sweatpants of a spoiled teen criminal in contemporary Hollywood. I dont even look at him. I think when we started [2016], it was another, like, what Id consider a building year. A24 is not like other entertainment companies. Fifty-six-year-old guy. And someone was like, Where did those images come from? And I was like, Google? And yeah, I just think that it takesit doesnt happen that often that a new studio starts. Leave it to Jim Jarmusch to make the coolest vampire movie ever. When historians of the future try to pinpoint the precise moment that the film industry crawled out of its deathbed and back onto its feet, theres a good chance theyll land somewhere in March 2013, when a fledgling distribution company called A24 Films transformed a Harmony Korine movie starring a cornrowed James Franco into a genuine cultural event. And I remember hearing she was really upset. Dede Gardner (producer, Plan B, Moonlight): When we and Barry said it was absolutely critical that we shoot in Miami, they said, Of course it is. And you know, many, many others wouldve said, Well, you can get the rebate if you go to Atlanta. But anyone whos read it knows that Liberty Square and that particular light and that particular culture was a character. Nandan: I remember seeing a screener of [The Witch], and yeah, it was like, oh, right, howd that movie not sell for more money? Fenkel: So hes booking, what, fifteen hundred screens? You know what? Trench coat was enough. And the guy asked me, Is there anything we might find suspicious in there? I said, Theres an art piece inside in the shape of a gun. And literally the entire security department was like, What is wrong with you? Long story short, it made it through. Signed on as producer beginning with the third season. Losing a movieI wanted to jump off a bridge. So when I saw that, I was like, Okay, those guys, they know what they are doing.. By the end of its opening weekend, it had raked in more money than all of Korines other films combined. Distribution: Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, USA. The division of labor is clear, but there arent any titles for the companys employees, who all work elbow to elbow in a single room. Aizenberg: That first private plane didnt make it to Austin. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. They just need to know how it feels.. Theres aesthetic and political values to the people behind the company. A24s television division released The Carmichael Show.. I dont mean it that way. Production Company. And weve been so consistent about thanking them. None Of Us Thanked Them. Annapurna Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection, Moonlights Mahershala Ali Picks His Own Oscar Winners. Brie Larson (actress, Room, The Spectacular Now): A24 has the unique ability to find and champion authentic narratives that cut to the core in a raw and honest way. [23], On March 26, 2018, co-founder John Hodges announced that he was exiting the company. Saulnier expertly contains conflict, depth and gore within small confines. Fenkel: I stare straight ahead. John Hodges will be leaving A24 to pursue other opportunities, the indie distributor announced Monday. Earlier this year I was drinking in a hotel bar with the head of another distribution company at a film festival. That kind of audience. It made me crack up. Heavey: People were, like, crying. Get it now by subscribing here. Surely theyve learned by now that theres a ceiling for arthouse films these days. A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. Also Read: Sundance, SXSW Comedy 'Never Goin' Back' Sells to A24, John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, the studio said in a statement. Were gonna put it in theaters, and were gonna find a way to keep it there. Now, look, at that point, none of us were thinking, Hey, were gonna win Best Picture! But we wanted to give the movie the chance to have as much of a life as we possibly could. God bless em. If theaters are to remain something more than a repository for superhero movies, everybody might have to be. It was crazy. That was the first time it screened for U.S. audiences. Coppola: I was a little nervous about not going with a company that I knew had a track record, but I knew that they were going to really do their best. Worst case, youll get the trench-coat crowd. You know what the trench-coat crowd is? Fenkel: Do you have to be a genius to do Sofia Coppolas movie, or Harmonys? This is a growing company, not a struggling one. A24 co-founder John Hodges is exiting the indie company to "focus on future opportunities," he and the company jointly announced on Monday. Fenkel: You dont know how to control yourself. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. Focus and Fox Searchlight had become kind of isolated in what they did. A mile and a half. So we ran there. [16] The company, with cooperation from Bank of America, J.P. Morgan & Co. and SunTrust Banks, also raised its line of credit from $50 million to $125 million a month later to build upon its operations. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, noted A24 in a statement. How great it was. Its like, oh, this person has no idea what Moonlight is, and it just won Best Picture. Garland: Under the Skin is exactly the kind of movie that you would not see distributed by a major studio. Fenkel: And they were like, You cant do that! Garland: I would say that if Ex Machina had been distributed by a big studiothis isnt actually a criticism of studios; its actually just a statement of factthe film would not have been remotely as well received or successful as it was. Anything in between is dead in the water. Ali Herting (acquisitions and development, A24): We were never gonna get Place Beyond the Pines. The fact that we were able to sign any movies out of that office is absurd. As one of the founding members of the New York-based company, Hodges played a key role. And they were like the third guy at the company. I was like, Fuck yeah!, Sacco: I think its inspiring and motivating to a younger generation: Oh, that movie cost this, and it did this. We werent doing anything like that. Because they didnt expect the traffic. A24, which was founded in 2012, said that no additional changes in management will be made.