Phil Hunt is not a conformist.
And its working well for him.
I wrote a terrible business plan, recalls Hunt.
Phil Hunt, Founder & CEO of Head GearHead Gear
And I said to Compton, Look, Im probably going to fail.
And he said, Lets just give it go.
As it turned out, it did fail but Hunt and Ross were undeterred.
‘The Forgiven’
I remember thinking, lets forget about developing and be an investor, says Hunt.
(Davis stepped down after 11 years in 2018 and Kelliher remains MD at the company now).
Head Gear invested minimum guarantees into projects within the banner.
But it was 2012sBelle, directed by Amma Asante, that marked a big turning point for the company.
Fox Searchlight picked up the title for North America and the UK.
Soon after, Beyond folded and Hunt picked up the rest of the companys catalog.
I didnt want to just do a half dozen movies a year.
I didnt want to just do the Bankside taste or be limited to that, he says.
I wanted to expand, and I saw opportunities in tax credits and pre-sales as a business.
In 2012 my aim was to deploy 5M and I deployed 17M.
Its about giving back, says Hunt of Bohemia.
I want to give a shot to change perception a little bit.
Mister Smith is selling the title internationally.
In terms of synergies with companies, Hunt says, Its whatever is best for the film.
I dont try and force anything into any of these companies as they are all a bit different.
Lessons learned
Hunt quips his career trajectory has seen him go from being an artist to a risk analyst.
He adds, But no one really knows, right?
Throughout it all, remaining true to his punk roots has stood him in good stead.
What punk was really about was art and creativity and doing things your own way.
