It has been 15 years sinceGlen Basnerstarted the venture.
Mandate was sold to Lionsgate and became a U.S. distributor, and Summit started their own U.S. distribution company.
Since then, weve survived the biggest healthcare crisis in 100 years and now through two different guild strikes.
Glen BasnerCourtesy of FilmNation Entertainment
I think its that balance, that anxiety, that always drives us to look at things differently.
I have never lost my faith in the fact that people all around the world love feature films.
People then get to watch movies on all these wonderful streaming services and platforms that make accessibility so exciting.
(L-R) Ben Browning and Drew SimonCourtesy of FilmNation Entertainment
Our job is not to question whether people want to see movies or television series going forward.
The results have been undeniable.
The companys ambitions have grown despite wariness by many other companies as the business sorts itself.
The company has expanded into podcasting (the Ed Helms-hostedSnafuhas been picked up for two more seasons).
There are active television businesses in the U.S. and UK, and live theater.
The company is shepherding several titles at AFM.
The Lars Jacobson-scripted thriller has aSAG-AFTRA interim agreement, and franchise potential.
There is a bit ofDie Hardin there, and some great set pieces, Basner said.
This goes along withCooler, an action thriller vehicle for Dave Bautistascripted and to be directed by Drew Pearce.
FilmNation and Infrared won the package at a pre-Cannes auction, and the company is selling international rights.
FilmNation is also brokering international deals onThe Process, the Tara Miele-directed psychological thriller that willstar Halle Berry.
Theyve vacated that space.
If you look at the most prolific companies in New York now, FilmNation is right there.
Basners reputation for civility and living up to his word has stamped the entire company.
A third series will shoot in the spring.
The growth has been deliberately incremental, and built on strong storytelling.
It blows my mind that we started with four people in a one-room office with no windows.
The average tenure for the leadership team is eight or nine years, he continued.
Steve Samuels, Dominic Visconsi Jr and Anthoni Visconsi II, theyve been great partners.
The other has been Roadshow Distribution in Australia, which weve had for almost eight years.
COO Milan Popelka: Weve never been growing towards a business plan or growing for growths sake.
We love theater, but got into it becauseThe Bands Visitcame across our desk.
(Popelka was EP onArrival, Promising Young Womanand Tom Hanks WWII epicGreyhound.)
Alison Cohen, General Counsel, EVP of Business and Legal Affairs and a managing partner.
She was a partner at the top law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Sells.
Basner gave her an offer she couldnt refuse: the chance to be closer to the creative flame.
When he started FilmNation, he called and I said I cant afford to work for you, Glen.
ConclavedirectorEdward Berger:Its hard to find the right home for any film.
In the case ofConclaveit was easy.
FilmNation does not only have the best global sales and market expertise, but also incorruptible creative instincts.
To find that in one home is incredibly rare.
And when you do, you have to grab hold of it and never let go.
Red RockethelmerSean Baker:Working with FilmNation has been a true pleasure.
Not to mention, they are also wonderful people.
Ben Browning, President of Production: I think a watershed moment for us was whenArrivalcame out in 2016.
We aimed for clutter-busters films driven by fresh concepts, characters, and talent tailored for a global audience.
Can it be a clutter-buster?
And most importantly, do we love it?
The answer to all those questions was no, so we passed.
If we develop a crime show, what would the FilmNation version be?
The whole team did whatever it took to stay on track.
