And they did. Its exciting. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. James Ponsoldt (director, The Spectacular Now, The End of the Tour): Ive heard people refer to Miramax. While there is speculation in the trades that A24 may be on the block, I get the impression that sale rumors are just that rumors. IMDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. That was a thing. The news of Hodges exit was abrupt, but one source said the move has been in the works for some time.
John Hodges - Entertainment Executive | Variety.com Lets run there. Johnny Hodges Net Worth. raised the Oscar at them. Theirs is a potent brand that Ive admired for a long time, and their reputation as innovative partners to talent is second to none.. Jeremy Kleiner (producer, Plan B, Moonlight): It wasnt like, Oh, this is low-hanging fruit, lets grab on to this one. It was a passionate embrace of the movie. Itd be very unlikely for that to happen. But more independent existed then. The company said he will exit to focus on "future opportunities," but did not clarify beyond that statement. The things about it that didnt were what made me most excited, both for Moonlight and the future of a company thats confident enough in its sense of self to stretch toward something new. IP & Literary Intern, Literary & IP Acquisitions at Amazon Studios, Assistant, Physical Production at Lionsgate, Executive Assistant/Production Office Coordinator for iONE Digital (NY), Manager, Scripted Film and Television, Cond Nast Entertainment. Pattinson: I mean, with Twilight, the first tour we did was literally going to suburban shopping malls and doing local-news stuff. We still dont. [14], In May 2015, A24 announced that it would start a television division and began producing the USA Network series Playing House, as well as working to develop a television series that would later become Comrade Detective, produced by Channing Tatum. A24 will. It was millions in one day. Many of the countrys most vital filmmakers, unwilling to accept that their next movie would have to be either shot on an iPhone or connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have begun to abandon ship. (He won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for Best Supporting Actor). I think theatrical will always be there, but most of my biggest experiences of cinema have been in front of a TVno one was screening Fellini films in Ireland when I was 19 or 20.. And weve been so consistent about thanking them. [15], In January 2016, Sasha Lloyd joined the company to handle all film, television distribution and business development in the international marketplace. Fenkel: You dont know how to control yourself. No!.
Who are A24 - the company behind Uncut Gems, Euphoria and Hereditary? I legitimately watched people almost pass out. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. And I think it is down to companies like A24. Fenkel: Id love to say from the first cut we knew. The story behind the studio that brought you Moonlight and It Comes At Night, as told by Barry Jenkins, Sofia Coppola, James Franco, Robert Pattinson, and the founders of A24 themselves. Other indie labels, like Megan Ellisons Annapurna Pictures (which co-produced Spring Breakers), tend to go in the other direction, releasing a minuscule handful of movies into the currents of Oscar season in the hopes that the waters will carry them toward a crowd. Talk me through it. The filmmakers were like, I made a good movie. And theyre aiming at them. We werent doing anything like that. Since the small blast of trade articles that greeted the companys inception, theyve remained unusually quiet. Franco: I would bet that [Alien] was one of the biggest, most popular Halloween costumes that year. So Im showing up to the airport with no luggage and a cardboard box with duct tape wrapped around it. And check out the haunting synth score by Disasterpiece. Youre incredible. As of April 2022[update], twenty-seven episodes had been released. The Oscar-nominated actor gives us his all-time favorites of film. Judging by the fact that the trailer racked up more than 3 million views in its first week online, the crowds are ready with their pitchforks. Notable guests on the show have included Bo Burnham, Paul Schrader, Sofia Coppola, Alia Shawkat and Martin Scorsese. [24], On November 15, 2018, A24 and Apple announced that they had entered into a multi-year partnership where A24 will produce a slate of original films for Apple. You look at the underdog story, I think thats not by accident. II was tasked. All Rights Reserved. The films were darlingsincluding David Michds The Rover, starring Robert Pattinson; Denis Villeneuves Enemy, starring Jake Gyllenhaal; and Jonathan Glazers Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johanssonand, by and large, box-office underperformers. Gif excerpt from the film The End of the Tour via A24 Films. It was our first Sundance all together. Drinking champagne at nine in the morning.
John Hodges - Head of Film - Jax Media | LinkedIn Hodges: The office literally looked like a pump-and-dump stock operation. No Comments Yet Be the first to comment on John Hodges! I felt bad that David had to be put through that. They had heart to them.Harmony Korine, Sacco: I wouldnt say I got it. Fenkel: We test-screened [Spring Breakers] in downtown Manhattan. When an A24 acquisitions exec pitched the story to me, excitedly laying out the plot in broad but heartbreaking strokes, he asked if it sounded like an A24 film. Activity. Franco: I actually did win some awards. John Cornelius Hodge (Squatty Roo, Jeep, Rabbit) was born on 25 July, 1907 in Cambridge, MA, is an American saxophonist. We were like, Im pretty sure this is gonna be Star Wars, but maybe Mad Max. Thats what I said to them right before. A24 took Ex Machina to the 2015 South by Southwest festival and built a Tinder chatbot with the face of Alicia Vikander to help promote the film. Sasha Lane (actress, American Honey): They were like, You guys are who you are and were not going to change that. No one had to be perfected for anything. "I'm thrilled to be joining the team at Jax,". 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. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Theyre super-smart people. 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.
John Hodges - IMDb And I was with a bunch of friends, and we were in the south of Italy, and we were driving into Rome and I kind of had this moment of clarity. And you could tell that it was in their reach. 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 . Katz: There was still, I think, the element ofthey thought we got lucky. Aizenberg: Nine to ten people walked out. These films speak for themselves. I am incredibly proud of the company we created and of the amazing team at A24 that has been integral to its success. By the end of its opening weekend, it had raked in more money than all of Korines other films combined. It was like being in some kind of arena. But we liked them. Theres aesthetic and political values to the people behind the company. Aizenberg: Yeah. [19], In January 2017, the company acquired the United States and Chinese distribution rights for their first foreign language film, Menashe. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Photos courtesy A24, by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images, and Janette Pellegrini/WireImage/Getty Images. Its DirecTV/A24 release grossed $229,094 and never played on more than 54 screens. John Heavey (distribution, A24): Especially the first two years, we fell in love with every movie. [17] In April, the company acquired all foreign rights to Swiss Army Man, distributing the film in all territories, and partnering with distributors who previously acquired rights to the film, a first for the company. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. That kind of audience. And yeah, I just think that it takesit doesnt happen that often that a new studio starts. But we said, Lets invest in it. Theres a difference. Beyer: I think the operating principle was, Dont ask for permission. Kleiner: They had the movie, I want to say, 22, 23 weeks in theatrical release?
A24 Founder John Hodges To Part Ways With The Company "I'm thrilled to be joining the team at Jax,". But I put no limitations on what theyre capable of. He booked the theaters over the phone. I mean, I have no idea what theyre doing, really. I thought it would get a distributorI thought it was good enough for that. Greetings From the Vortex of Unpredictability, Robert Pattinson singing Keri Hilsons Pretty Girl Rock. Hodges, who previously served as head of production at the indie production company Big Beach (Little Miss Sunshine), did not announce any immediate career plans. 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. You know more than me.. Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges have unveiled New York-based A24 as a distribution, financing and production company with plans to release eight to 10 titles annually. And although it describes itself as Midnight Madness, the film didnt start until close to one oclock in the morning. Garland: I didnt know what Tinder was until the festival.
How A24 Revolutionised What It Means To Be A Film Studio And it was on the A24 [motorway]. That Oscar win came within five years of A24s launch, but so did Open Roads win for Spotlight, and now that company is part of the larger entity Global Road. Production Company. [29][30], "A24 Films" redirects here. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories.
A24 co-founder John Hodges to depart - IMDb Fenkel: In LA, every meeting is about the hot air. I think when movie companies get started, people want to define you immediately. 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. A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. 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. Fenkel: Look at The Witch. He recently profiled Conor McGregor for GQ Style. We step up to a guy we really respect. Fenkel: Lenny [Abrahamson, for Room] beats out Ridley Scott! In 2017,[4] Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture (the first such award for the company), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali). They kept shutting us down. But A24, it became clear when I spoke to the companys employees, saw Spring Breakers as a Trojan horse for progressive cinemathe company less concerned about the nine kids who found the film too weird than they were the one kid who went home and rented Gummo. Im glad it all worked out. Like, you believe in something, you fall in love with it, and then you work for three months on trying to make it work. Sacco: Frances Ha was the first heartbreak. Its a film about guilt that forever haunts you and the fear of being watched. Maybe we werent geniuses with Spring Breakers, but we were the ones who said, Lets put it in theaters, because we could build on that. People liked Spring Breakers. You dont watch something like Spring Breakers or Under the Skin without thinking: Where the hell did that come from? It specializes in film distribution, and film and television production. A24 has also been nominated and won many Golden Globes, British Academy Film Awards, and Critics' Choice Movie Awards. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. And I think that really helped the movie. 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. I just But in a shift from its typical way of doing business, A24 acquired Room based on its script, before shooting had even begun. Barry Jenkins (director, Moonlight): A24s the kind of company where they say, Yeah, they dont need to know what its about. You lost. Please, just let those two!. 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. Surely theyve learned by now that theres a ceiling for arthouse films these days. [9], The company began its distribution of films in 2013. His relationship with talent and creators is exceptional and we look forward to having him make Jax his new home.. It was also that A24 was releasing these films not with a sigh and a shrug, but with panache, style, and humor: bright neon colors, guerrilla marketing tactics, and in the case of James Francos Britney Spears-loving gangster character from Spring Breakers, an actual Oscar campaign. Your eyes dont gloss over James Franco as a trap music Jesus. A24 has an estimated net worth of about $1.89 million. Said Korine: They saw that marketing was a creative act that could be entertaining in and of itself. And, you know, partly as a filmmaker, youre like, My God! I open the curtains when Im in L.A., and everywhere I see films on billboards. We took a risk on the movie, and it fucking paid off, so why should we cut down our back end? [laughs] I mean, I doubt that, because I know the people that work there. There are more glamorous things to be, in Hollywood, than an independent distribution company. I think we lost control. I think he would say something now. Jenkins: They were like, Look. There was nothing bad-spirited about it. Take its efforts on Spring Breakers, for example.
For instance, an actress. Mahershala Ali (actor, Moonlight): I definitely have a lot more opportunity right now than Ive ever had before. Buying and burying not-great movies isnt necessarily a problem if it grows the business without harming the brand. We wanted to deliver in a meaningful way. 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 . It was another way of getting the message out there. We get credit for it even when we have nothing to do with it. Trey Edward Schultz's moody, atmospheric thriller plays on our country's present division and how mistrust in others can come back to harm us. Of the 174 million impressions that the movie made in the weeks leading up to its debut, 49 percent were organic, meaning that you were just as likely to learn about a new Harmony Korine film from your weird aunts personal page as you were from a promoted update in your news feed.
A24 Co-Founder John Hodges Exits | Art and Experience Cinema junio 12, 2022. cottage for sale in timmins on . We wish Hodges the best of luck with his next endeavor, since the indie landscape has certainly benefited from his contributions. Ali Herting (acquisitions and development, A24): We were never gonna get Place Beyond the Pines. All three had grown up admiring the rich world of 90s independent cinema, and they noticed a void where those movies had once been. From It Follows to The Babadook, these horror gems didnt have blockbuster budgets. Leave it to Jim Jarmusch to make the coolest vampire movie ever. John. [20], On February 20, 2018, A24 launched a podcast titled The A24 Podcast. And it was like. Fenkel: And then I started saying, No way. Distribution: Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, USA. Hodges had been an integral part of the studio since its inception in 2012, along with co-founders David Fenkel and Daniel Katz. We all go nuts for a few minutes, and then were all like, Okay, what do we do?. It made me crack up. Sacco: To engrave the Spring Breakers logo onto the glass-gun bong. I think we all were kind of a bit shell-shocked. In 2012, Fenkel, Hodges, and Katz left their jobsat Oscilloscope, Big Beach, and Guggenheim Partners, respectivelyto start A24. And on some level, honestly, I was afraid to go out on my own and try to make it work. 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.. We closed the deal on The Bling Ring on the way to Sundance. [8] In October 2012, Nicolette Aizenberg joined as head of publicity from 42West where she was senior publicity executive. A24 knew that Slow West was great well before it premiered to rave reviews, but the company also recognized that it was an odd duck, neither broad enough to be a prestige picture nor strange enough to galvanize a legion of fans. But in general distribution is like plumbing: unseen, unnoticed, and notable only when it malfunctions. Agent. [27], A24 distributes and produces around 18 to 20 films a year. Steven Spielberg publicly predicted the implosion of the film industry, which is sort of like God telling you to brace for rain. Thats not a go-wide movie. Or a screenwriter. I say, Dont go there. Because what happened was, someone ran out with a red envelope. It was such an out-of-body experience. 2023 THE TRACKING BOARD. Subsequent DirectTV titles havent fared much better (in fact, most have fared much worse), and it soon became clear that these early acquisitions were the unloved stepchildren of the A24 family. It was social media. This elegant, yet sadistic horror film from Austria resembles Michael Hanekes Funny Games, yet the home invader was under the victims noses all along. Theyre making people want to go to the cinema again to see this kind of stuff, rather than staying at home. But then when we started to screen the film at Sundance and saw the audience reactions, it was clear that there was a much larger audience for this movie than any of us thought. Fenkel: Well, of course Selena Gomez in a bikini worked. Aizenberg: We had a couple movies in there that we tried to force into making, like, event-y theatrical, and they werent. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. 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. They had faith that people would continue to show up. Franco: I hope they dont get too big that they forget what got them started. So I suppose the question now surrounding A24 is what Fenkel and Katz plan to make of it. [8][28] Its five highest grossing films are Everything Everywhere All at Once ($107.2 million), Hereditary ($82.5 million), Lady Bird ($79 million), Moonlight ($65.3 million) and [11][12], In September 2013, A24 entered a $40 million deal with DirecTV Cinema, where DirecTV Cinema would offer day-and-date releases 30 days prior to a theatrical release by A24; Enemy was the first film to be distributed under the deal. So long as A24 continues tooperate independently and make edgy films from newcomers and established veterans alike, Ill be a happy moviegoer. Or a director. That didnt come with any veto rights or cut rights, Abrahamson told me. I dont mean it that way. Next year theyll re-team with While Were Young director Noah Baumbach on his brilliant doc about Brian De Palma, distribute one of the best horror films since The Shining, and release the first of the films theyve financed themselves. TV production powerhouse Jax Media is expanding into film and tapped John Hodges, one of the founding partners of A24, as its new head of film. We were about to have two movies [Ex Machina and While Were Young] with him.
A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. [7], Guggenheim Partners provided the seed money for A24 The company was started to share "movies from a distinctive point of view". And she said it sucked. We were planting seeds to grow. TV production powerhouse Jax Media is expanding into film and tapped John Hodges, one of the founding partners of A24, as its new head of film. 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. Coppola: That was the worst. In the last 18 months alone,along with Room and The End of the Tour,it has pioneered the abortion comedy with Obvious Child, scored a commercial hit with the seductive thriller Ex Machina, released one of the most daring science fiction films this side of 2001 in Under the Skin, and driven the most lucrative documentary in years with Asif Kapadias Amy Winehouse portrait, Amy. It was like two hours before, and they were like, Hes not gonna make it. 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. Spring Breakers had a whole Oscar campaign: Consider This Shit.Zoe Beyer. No one cared about our language or our clothes. Ad Choices. Filmmakersoften the toughest audiences for their own films marketing campaignsrecognize the companys real excitement for their films.
A24 - Wikipedia 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. On a notepad and Post-Its. Sacco: I show up at the airport. People want to see movies. Some dissatisfied customers later accused the marketing campaign of misrepresenting the movie as a fun adolescent romp. And then, in 08, the bubble burst, and the economic downturn probably had a little bit of impact. Zach Baron is GQs staff writer. [Sofia] was like, Oh, will you at least partner with Harvey? We were like, No!.