Aizenberg: That first private plane didnt make it to Austin. Still, A24 has never enjoyed a box-office breakout hit. 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.. John Cornelius Hodge (Squatty Roo, Jeep, Rabbit) was born on 25 July, 1907 in Cambridge, MA, is an American saxophonist. And it was like. Gif excerpt from the film Ex Machina via A24 Films. Alex Garland (director, Ex Machina): They make things work that according to standard procedures really shouldnt work. The company may be a lovely acquisition target for a buyer seeking an arthouse pipeline,but A24 is still building itself as a brand one that is synonymous with quality. Most importantly, an A24 film is a happening. The company offered no additional details other than to say his vacancy would not lead to any additional changes in management. And even this public face represents the companys nonhierarchical structure: Thats only funny, Beyer once observed, because youre not quite sure whos saying it. Like Get Out, or Baby Driver. Theyre one of the few companies that have shown that indie films can still be viable. And you can really see over the past few years, it really, really hasnt at all. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, noted A24. Without the same star power or effects as your typical studio horror film, these scary movies rely on mood, style and character to create a feeling of dread, rather than jump scares. And [my producer] kept saying it, and I kept thinking, Okay, at some point Ill figure out what hes talking about. Here's who: Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, John Hodges and James Schultz. Since its inception in 2012, A24 has become one of the hottest destinations for indie filmmakers, ushering such edgy films to theaters as The Bling Ring and Spring Breakers. 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.. But I think she saw this, and it hijacked her image and personality, and we didnt ask her. It was millions in one day. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. The first: Barry Jenkins Moonlight, which chronicles a gay mans coming of age across three stages of his life in war on drugsera Miami. All Rights Reserved. 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. Like I had glandular problems. 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. Korine: I could tell that they were on some new shit, you know? Heavey: People were, like, crying. 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. [29][30], "A24 Films" redirects here. Aizenberg: That Oscar-nomination morning, I remember walking into the office that day, and I was like, Please, dear God, just let Amy and Brie get nominated. Jennifer Kents drama is a psychological heavyweight that examines how parents feed their demons to quell the pain. Three were winners. Jenkins: We shot for five weeks, and they came down during the first week. 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. Aizenberg: Yeah. A24 has only managed to turn each of its main-slate films into an event because the companys been ruthless and visionary when it comes to determining the difference. Hodges: The office literally looked like a pump-and-dump stock operation. But I remember vividly that they had chosen some specific movies, one of which was Under the Skin. raised the Oscar at them. He later left A24 on March 2018 to focus on future opportunities. We had to get a second one. It was, like, every time another person walked out, I was like, Oh, there goes another one!, Sacco: All my friends and family, they kept asking about this new company. In between, A24 went from being a tiny, disorganized room of eight or so people to being the place where big stars like Robert Pattinson and Scarlett Johansson go to make small, strange movies, and auteurs like Jonathan Glazer and Denis Villeneuve go to make deeply personal films unmolested by studio notes or clueless executives. In 2016, films distributed by A24 won Academy Awards for Best Actress (Brie Larson in Room), Best Documentary Feature (Amy), and Best Visual Effects (Ex Machina). Katz: We broke the record that weekend. We werent doing anything like that. This is a growing company, not a struggling one. And I think it is down to companies like A24. Katz formerly led the film finance group at Guggenheim Partners, Fenkel was the president, co-founder and partner at Oscilloscope, and Hodges served as Head of Production and Development at Big Beach. Thats not a go-wide movie. The gross guysand hes like, All right. we don't have a good idea of their yearly revenue either as the most recent stats were from 2012 estimating around $20 million, but that wasn't putting into account pure profit only the overall gross of all the films released that year. But it was word of mouth. IFC earned a raft of Oscar nominations when it decided to put its muscle behind Boyhood and transform it into a phenomenon, but dumping all of its eggs into one beautifully textured basket helped to underline the paucity of love that most indies receive from their distributors, who ferry them from festivals to home video with all the solemn purpose of Charon taking passengers across the river Styx. 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. Mr Katz had worked in film financing at Guggenheim Partners, and . Stay plugged in to the industry with our free newsletter. Im thrilled to be joining the team at Jax, Hodges said. Miramax, they were a huge deal, and also Fox Searchlight. Im glad it all worked out. 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. Lets go wide! I kept calling the guy. The filmmakers were like, I made a good movie. Its first release was A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III in 2013, followed by Spring Breakers later that year. Distribution: Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, USA. [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. I think he was in Hawaii on his honeymoon or something while it was all going down, so I felt terrible. Steven Spielberg publicly predicted the implosion of the film industry, which is sort of like God telling you to brace for rain. An A24 film has an affinity for subverting a celebritys established persona. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, noted A24 in a statement. And it was the hair and makeup people. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. We allowed them to come on set to see what was happening, and they in turn were sharing their release plans and their marketing materials, and we were commenting on that. That shift points to a greater move afoot at A24, as the company begins to develop its own projects from within. I remember when all the commotion started, I look at David. Denis Villeneuve (director, Enemy): I never saw them as businessmen. 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. So everything had to be explained to me, and by the time it was explained, it was over. Drinking champagne at nine in the morning. And I was ready to say: It was me! Hes not gonna be able to do this right now. Our first release. Katz: Some of it was probably misplaced, dont you agree? And integral and critical for the film to rise on its own feet. And on some level, honestly, I was afraid to go out on my own and try to make it work. I mean, I have no idea what theyre doing, really. Deploying for Major CAT Events, tornadoes . John Hodges is leaving A24, the Oscar-winning indie studio that he co-founded. The whole thing was really intense. Its funny. Its exciting. Fenkel: But it was like, Youre not going to be 20 minutes late for Scott Rudin. So you ran. As of 2023[update], the company's films had received a total of 49 Academy Award nominations. Aizenberg: When I started, we didnt have Spring Breakers yet, but the whole focus of that very first meeting I went to was like, How do we get Spring Breakers? 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. We just had to catch up to that idea. An Industry Arts Company. People want to see movies. Focus and Fox Searchlight had become kind of isolated in what they did. 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. Hodges previously served as head of production and development at Big Beach Films and exec produced "Our Idiot Brother" and "Safety Not Guaranteed.". Hodges had been an integral part of the studio since its inception in 2012, along with co-founders David Fenkel and Daniel Katz. 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). And, I mean, there was one moment in the movie when my character was booed and hissed so vociferously, I felt as though I was in a Roman arena and my life was at stake. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein, Would It Kill You to Laugh? This was not a first-look deal, meaning that A24 can continue to produce and acquire films to release outside of the deal, and that it would not affect previous deals that A24 had signed with other companies. Kapadia: Theyve won Best Picture. No!. Katz came from a film finance group, while Fenkel and Hodges both left positions at other independent film companies. Mahershala Ali (actor, Moonlight): I definitely have a lot more opportunity right now than Ive ever had before. How A24 is Disrupting Hollywood | GQ The next day it was like, Anythings possible.. And then we opened. 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. [21][22] Episodes are based around a discussion between two members of the film industry. Katz: Theres an A24 audience, and sometimes a movie connects with the A24 audience. Fenkel: I remember we were just getting to know Scott Rudin. And check out the haunting synth score by Disasterpiece. Thats an achievable budget number for me. You know what I mean? Apply Bed Bath and Beyond Coupon and save 25% Off your entire purchase, Target Circle: up to 50% Off with Target promo code, Save 25% on your purchase of Spring Styles with Asos Coupon, Michael Kors Promo Code: sign up for KORSVIP + Get 10% Off on First Order, 2023 Cond Nast. They just seem like theyre the first company thats really abandoned a lot of the old models. Fifty-six-year-old guy. Sacco: It was my first festival ever. Its true that most audiences may not care about who it is thats releasing the movies they see, but an A24 film demands even casual viewers to consider the source. Beginning with hedonistic images of Disney starlets gone wild, the campaign consisted of producing Facebook ads that could also function as contentpeople wanted to share this stuff. For a start, it was founded on the wrong coast - New York, not Los Angeles - by three relatively young arthouse film executives, Daniel Katz, David. And while they invited me into their headquarters to get a feel for the place and chat on background with the core team, they stressed that theyd prefer their movies to speak for themselves. The rise and rise of A24, a champion of storytelling on screen When Ex Machina director Alex Garland was asked what he liked about working with A24, he compared the major studios to ocean liners: To change direction it takes them two days to even start to make that turn. You walk through that office, and there arent a lot of people that look like theyre from Liberty City, Miami. Since then his contributions to growing the company have been invaluable and we cant wait to see what he does next., Hodges said in a statement, I am incredibly proud of the company we created and of the amazing team at A24 that has been integral to its success. Memphis, Tennessee, United States. John Hodges (co-founder and co-head of TV, A24): It was one of those conversations where it was always like, How would we do it differently? And it was usually fueled by beer and things scribbled down on napkins and a lot of bravado. In 2012, Fenkel, Hodges, and Katz left their jobsat Oscilloscope, Big Beach, and Guggenheim Partners, respectivelyto start A24. Theres music labels I can think of as well. There was nothing bad-spirited about it. 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. Harmony Korine (director, Spring Breakers): They have balls. Were putting together a gift basket of glass guns and a gift basket with munchies. Four short years later, the companys first original production, Barry Jenkinss Moonlight, won the Academy Award for Best Picture. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. He was calling me. I was like, I think I need to find another job., Aizenberg: They were basically like, Dont release this movie.. People had thought that entire part of the industry had just died. Notable guests on the show have included Bo Burnham, Paul Schrader, Sofia Coppola, Alia Shawkat and Martin Scorsese. And so with [The Rover], they took that into account, and instead of blowing loads of money, [they did] more targeted marketing and also really sophisticated online campaigns and stuff. See what happens.. A24, originally a small independent movie distributor, has quickly transformed into one of the most respected and successful names in cinema production. 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. Sacco: We probably saw 20 versions. It wasnt disrespectful. Beyer: Alicia VikanderI think she read about it, or she saw this photo of her that was being used. I thought it would get a distributorI thought it was good enough for that. Theyre on the tarmac, and were having to find a new jet for them within twenty minutes. A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. Which is vanishingly rare in the film industry. Or a screenwriter. And although it describes itself as Midnight Madness, the film didnt start until close to one oclock in the morning. John Hodges will be leaving A24 to pursue other opportunities, the indie distributor announced Monday. With Hodges leaving, the company behind the Oscar-winning best pictureMoonlight made it clear that no additional changes in management will be made. We tried to put together a slate in, like, four months, as opposed to just really growing it, building it in the right way. This elegant, yet sadistic horror film from Austria resembles Michael Hanekes Funny Games, yet the home invader was under the victims noses all along. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Katz: In LAwhatever just transpired last month, you feel it in LA. Fenkel: More than 50 percent chance La La Land. When I arrived at A24s office, in an anonymous building so close to the western lip of lower Manhattan that it can practically taste New Jersey, my fears that the company might be growing too fast werent exactly assuaged by learning that within weeks it was moving to an enormous office closer to midtown. [laughs] I mean, I doubt that, because I know the people that work there. 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. No additional changes in management will be made, said A24, which will continue to develop and produce a growing slate of content across film and television. But we liked them. 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. When your business model is predicated on treating each movie like an event, how do you get bigger without changing who you are? 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. Franco: I hope they dont get too big that they forget what got them started. 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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, Fenkel, Hodges launch A24 - Variety I think he would say something now. But what happens when the titles involved in this deal get bettera lot better? At the same time, we get a call saying that Selena and Ashley [Benson], their hair and makeup team hadnt gone on the private jet we had got for them, because they didnt think it was big enough or secure enough. And then we drank a huge amount of red wine. Heavey: He didnt really use a computer. They didnt have a ton of movies, you know? Beyer: I remember when we had Room, like, six months after Ex Machina or something, Fenkel was like, Whats the Tinder for Room? And I was like, No, no! Fenkel: Do you have to be a genius to do Sofia Coppolas movie, or Harmonys? And then you meet Barry and hear Barry talk, and its like, Of course! Were gonna get there on time. The bottom line is that there were 677 new releases in 2013, and that number is only getting bigger. The only monsters we ever see in "It Comes at Night" are the ones that live under one roof. 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. We get movies. And the only thing we could put it in was a cardboard box with duct tape. Fenkel: Look at The Witch. How A24 is Disrupting Hollywood. There is no Tinder for Room! 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. According to Ponsoldt, who recently became the companys first repeat filmmaker: A24 films run the gamut of genre and style, but they all seem to be incredibly specific, personal visions.. Its coveted because six of the past seven winners were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and the harrowing, emotional Room looks poised to follow in their footsteps after it opens in October. James Ponsoldt (director, The Spectacular Now, The End of the Tour): Ive heard people refer to Miramax. It was like being in some kind of arena. How do you know when an ad campaign is working? This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Jeanie Igoe (production, A24): None of us really knew what we were doing. Since then his contributions to growing the company have been invaluable and we cant wait to see what he does next., Added Hodges, I am incredibly proud of the company we created and of the amazing team at A24 that has been integral to its success. For a medium-size film to succeed without a marketing blitz twice the size of its production budget, its not enough for it to be goodit has to have a hook. Beyer: It was all about this tension between, like, trying to legitimize ourselves as a real company that can handle working with, like, big. [23], On March 26, 2018, co-founder John Hodges announced that he was exiting the company. Whoa! Because theyd made a curated, awesome, crafted film. Selena and Ashley had no issue with this. Fenkel: That kind of hit. It was social media. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. That kind of audience. It was me! A24, which was founded in 2012, said that no additional changes in management will be made. 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. They just need to know how it feels.. IMDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. Fenkel: And the Spring Breakers trailer dropped the first day of Sundance, and MTVs servers fucked up, because we gave them the exclusive, and they stopped serving the video. I dont think it was related to her professional career. 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. Please! Igoe: At SXSW, we had Spectacular Now, and Spring Breakers showed there. [13] That same year, A24 entered a deal with Amazon Prime, where A24-distributed films would be available on Amazon Instant Video after becoming available on DVD and Blu-ray. Daniels like, Okay. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Hodges had run A24 with David Fenkel and Daniel Katz as a ruling troika, albeit one that operated without offices (located in Chelsea, the company was known for its open space and banquette tables). I Just Raised The Oscar At Them. Losing a movieI wanted to jump off a bridge. Fellow founding partners Daniel Katz and David Fenkel will continue to oversee the NYC-based indie studio, which has seen great success with Oscar-winning films such as Room, Ex Machina and last years surprise Best Picture winner Moonlight.. Starring Splits Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Eggers creates a world devoid of God in this thunderous and bleak religious melodrama. Description. But if it is, a monastic degree of focus will be required to recognize which A24 titles might fare better on VOD. I Was Like, Fuck Yeah!Barry Jenkins. Lets run there. You could tell that they wanted to be great. 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. In 2021, A24 won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Yuh-jung Youn in Minari, who became the first Korean actress to win an Oscar). Apple Not Buying A24, but Silicon Valley Increasingly - IndieWire Thats very unusual. A24 Films is a US theatrical distribution and production company founded by Daniel Katz, John Hodges and David Fenkel. That was a thing. All the actors had taken the risk. 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. Eddie Guy. We sit in. Hodges: I started my career at USA Films, which became Focus Features. Wouldnt call us back. Sofia Coppola (director, The Bling Ring): I really like those guys. Katz: That was a good learning experience for us. Hodges has been an integral part of the studio since its inception in 2012. Said Korine: They saw that marketing was a creative act that could be entertaining in and of itself. Aizenberg: When I came to A24, they had Charles Swan already. Nandan: I remember seeing a screener of [The Witch], and yeah, it was like, oh, right, howd that movie not sell for more money? Like, standing ovation, fucking applause in the middle of the movie. Jenkins: I dont know if [Moonlight] was a glittering jewel of a project. And it was like a snowy and rainy day, and there was a ton of traffic. All Rights Reserved. You know what? Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Barry Jenkins (director, Moonlight): A24s the kind of company where they say, Yeah, they dont need to know what its about. And then over the course of, like, four months, we bought a lot of movies. Far left, from left: A24 founders David Fenkel, John Hodges, and Daniel Katz. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful. They came on strong in the late 90s, really. It was a perfectly good jet! Sacco: And people on planet Earth, you know, they go see movies that they need to want to see or hear about. Whatever lingering reservations I had about the VOD side of A24s business were dismantled by the recent rumblings of a demonically possessed goat: The DirecTV logo may still be lurking toward the bottom of The Witchs teaser poster (which accurately identifies and champions Black Phillip as the movies breakout star), but at some point along the way it was decided that this crowd-pleasing, pants-ruining work of art has the makings of a communal sensation, and A24 pivoted. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. We wanted to deliver in a meaningful way. 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. 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. Its like, oh, this person has no idea what Moonlight is, and it just won Best Picture. But in general distribution is like plumbing: unseen, unnoticed, and notable only when it malfunctions.