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 took a risk on the movie, and it fucking paid off, so why should we cut down our back end? Im thrilled to be joining the team at Jax, Hodges said. John Hodges is a producer and the founder of A24 alongside David Katz and David Fenkel. 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. Talk me through it. Moonlight we hadnt seen yet. And I remember hearing she was really upset. This monster slowly stalks you when you sleep with the wrong person, and the only way to pass it on is to bed another partner. The exceptionand basically the only part of A24 that has any public profile at allis the companys social media presence. Because even the companys failures are interesting. Take the fate of John Macleans Slow West, one of the years best films, a neo-Western starring Michael Fassbender as a bounty hunter. Katz: I dont think we had The Bling Ring yet. We wanted to deliver in a meaningful way. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, noted A24. It specializes in film distribution, and film and television production. Spring Breakers had a whole Oscar campaign: Consider This Shit.Zoe Beyer. Whether thats old white people in the Academy, or people all over the country, or frankly the rest of the world. I just Pattinson: Theyre definitely the place to be now. Asif Kapadia (director, Amy): I suppose most filmmakers have had bad experiences in the past where you do all the hard work, and then these guys in slick suits come along and theyre like, We know what were doing now! Radcliffe (actor, Swiss Army Man): I could see them saying, like: Weve got a reputation now, and have money now. A lot of people in that position would then go, Okay, lets become quite conservative in our choices. And whats lovely is they are choosing to still channel that stuff back into supporting weird, different, ambitious ventures. But I do remember finally looking over, because I didnt know where they were sitting, and I spotted Dan Katz and Dave Fenkel, and, man, the smile on their faces! Fenkel: We may have had to fire a fake intern for that. A24s initial funding came via an infusion of capital from Guggenheim Partners, the investment firm at which Katz previously oversaw film financing. Katz: Harvey Weinstein called the agent and said, How could you give a Sofia Coppola movie to this new? I can only imagine. Production Company. No one had a voice. Some dissatisfied customers later accused the marketing campaign of misrepresenting the movie as a fun adolescent romp. Her film The Invitation" plays on agitation and insecurities between a group of old friends and some suspicious strangers at a lavish dinner party. 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. But I put no limitations on what theyre capable of. Genre hounds stoked by the Sundance hype would surely seek it out, but Eggers extraordinary debutabout a family of early American pilgrims who get banished to the wrong forestwould never be given the opportunity to meaningfully connect with its audience and worm its way into the culture. But I remember vividly that they had chosen some specific movies, one of which was Under the Skin. The company has laid the groundwork to evolve from just another upstart distribution label into a multiheaded ministudio capable of developing its own contentand so far theyve done it by releasing movies that tend to earn more cultural cachet than they do money. In pretty decent seats, actually. You lost. We just had to catch up to that idea. 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. In 2012, Fenkel, Hodges, and Katz left their jobsat Oscilloscope, Big Beach, and Guggenheim Partners, respectivelyto start A24. An A24 project is far more likely to be female-driven than a film released by another company, and it is typically directed by a major filmmaker (Sally Potter, Sofia Coppola, Noah Baumbach) or a filmmaker on the cusp of becoming one (J.C. Chandor, James Ponsoldt). James Franco (actor, Spring Breakers, The Adderall Diaries): This is one of the things theyre great at: taking something small and delicate and giving it the kind of support that other people cant. First movies gonna be so exciting! And I remember everyone came back from that test screening. [7], Guggenheim Partners provided the seed money for A24 The company was started to share "movies from a distinctive point of view". 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. Since the small blast of trade articles that greeted the companys inception, theyve remained unusually quiet. And that was our communication for booking theaters. 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. We still dont. (He won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for Best Supporting Actor). With how bad it tested. 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. If the cost of helping great movies find their theatrical audiences and lure them into theaters is to release other great movies that audiences have to find for themselves, thats probably a price most of us are willing to pay. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. When we started, we wanted it to be about the films and filmmakers, not us, Katz told the Hollywood Reporter at the end of 2013, and that culture remains evident in all aspects of their business. So whos to say that, you know, A24 wont become Warner Brothers five years from now? And integral and critical for the film to rise on its own feet. So I think they were hoping, and discovering, that they might be able to do that with The Witch. As of 2023[update], the company's films had received a total of 49 Academy Award nominations. Distribution: Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, USA. There is no Tinder for Room! Katz: Tusk, we were like, oh, Kevin Smith! If you were paying attention, you had to wonder: Who were these strange upstart New Yorkers who were making Hollywood a little bit great again? 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. I liked the fact that they had never made a doc. And I think thats the main thing, Id say. Fenkel: Do you have to be a genius to do Sofia Coppolas movie, or Harmonys? Saulnier expertly contains conflict, depth and gore within small confines. If the companys success continues apace, it might not be long before a profitable mid-budget movie no longer seems like a unicorn, and it might not be much longer until being an A24 film is the only hook a film needs. They dont have the personality of movie executives. Were always cognizant of trying to sell the film by not selling it, said marketing exec Jesse Patrone-Werdiger, speaking to A24s rare faculty for promoting around the product its trying to push, shifting the tectonic plates of culture in the hopes of giving rise to a mountain. Oh my god, its new! A24 went on a spending spree and released 11 movies in their second year of operation. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The world opened itself up. And it satisfied something they werent getting. Fenkel: The world kind of shifted in its direction, where the film was for an audience, and then you realize, Whoa, the movie is needed by other people. When the film comes out in early 2016, it will arrive exclusively in theaters, and its trial by fire will be exclusively in theaters. It was millions in one day. And it was on the A24 [motorway]. Sofia Coppola (director, The Bling Ring): I really like those guys. 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. (Joy, Annapurnas only 2015 title, arrives in theaters on Christmas Day.). Notable guests on the show have included Bo Burnham, Paul Schrader, Sofia Coppola, Alia Shawkat and Martin Scorsese. And that takes time. 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. Aizenberg: Yeah. GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. So long as A24 continues tooperate independently and make edgy films from newcomers and established veterans alike, Ill be a happy moviegoer. How A24 is Disrupting Hollywood. you never leave your partner especially in a fire villas san angel rosarito a24 john hodges net worth. Thats the chief message of an A24 campaign, really, from elegant design to sharp social media to clever co-branding choices: This is a company that gets it. 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. I just trust, you know, Drag City or Merge or SST or Dischord. Signed on as producer beginning with the third season. Fifty-six-year-old guy. We literally didnt know what to do. Were gonna get there on time. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. 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. Worst case, youll get the trench-coat crowd. You know what the trench-coat crowd is? Beyer: Alicia VikanderI think she read about it, or she saw this photo of her that was being used. They just seem like theyre the first company thats really abandoned a lot of the old models. 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. Its funny. A24s biggest success, Lady Bird, grossed $49 million domestically, so can that ceiling support the duos ambitions, or will a larger distributor make them an offer they cant refuse? Good A24 films anticipate the zeitgeist, and the best ones galvanize it. Fenkel: That kind of hit. And she said it sucked. Thats completely nuts. Thats an achievable budget number for me. You know what I mean? That was tough. 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]. Fenkel: We had a meeting. 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. Probably the best place to screen-test the movie. I was proud of the film but I thought it was weird and boring. How do you know when an ad campaign is working? You know what? Rather than focusing on acquisitions, as was its early strategy, A24 is now producing its own movies, as well as its own podcast. They kept shutting us down. Theres aesthetic and political values to the people behind the company. [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. By surgically inserting each release into the zeitgeist, it has paved a new road for provocative, modestly sized cinema, bridging the gap between microbudget indies and monolithic studio products in much the same way Italys Autostrada A24 connects Rome to Teramo. And Im not saying theyre magicians. 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. Hodges teamed with Daniel Katz and David Fenkel to launch the company, which is based in New York City. The company, improbably, was based in New York, not Los Angeles. 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.. The filmmakers were like, I made a good movie. And then we opened. Hodges: I started my career at USA Films, which became Focus Features. junio 12, 2022. cottage for sale in timmins on . I dunno! I mean, it made sense at the time. [15], In January 2016, Sasha Lloyd joined the company to handle all film, television distribution and business development in the international marketplace. Itd be very unlikely for that to happen. Surely theyve learned by now that theres a ceiling for arthouse films these days. And I was ready to say: It was me! None Of Us Thanked Them. Katz: We did great movies. Katz: People say, Oh, Barry, why didnt you bring us Moonlight?As if that was the most obvious Best Picture! John Hodges is leaving A24, the Oscar-winning indie studio that he co-founded. 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. Johns experience and taste is evident in the films he has developed and produced over the years. 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. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Fenkel: If you look at our films, we bought The Lobster in February and released it in May. Sacco: I show up at the airport. Katz: That was a good learning experience for us. 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. [27], A24 distributes and produces around 18 to 20 films a year. Igoe: At SXSW, we had Spectacular Now, and Spring Breakers showed there. They had heart to them.Harmony Korine, Sacco: I wouldnt say I got it. Zach Baron is GQs staff writer. Said Korine: They saw that marketing was a creative act that could be entertaining in and of itself. Really? 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. Fenkel: And then I started saying, No way. I felt like there was a huge opportunity to create something where the talented people could be talented. 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. For a truly great film like this, being excluded from the conversation into which A24 works so hard to insinuate its main slate can feel like a fate worse than Harvey Weinstein. Katz: In LAwhatever just transpired last month, you feel it in LA. Jul 2021 - Present1 year 7 months. 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. His relationship with talent and creators is exceptional and we look forward to having him make Jax his new home.. 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. Zoe Beyer (marketing, A24): Spring Breakers had a whole Oscar campaign. Aizenberg: That first private plane didnt make it to Austin. Ask for forgiveness. I think it just showed that we cared about these movies so much. 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. And then over the course of, like, four months, we bought a lot of movies. Katz: I always had dreams of [starting a company]. Login to view all information @ A24 co-founder John Hodges is exiting the indie companyto focus on future opportunities, he and the company jointly announced on Monday. Katz: David and I are sitting next to each other. They rented some office space in Manhattan. Were good. Or a director. It Follows takes the horror trope of getting punished for having sex to a new level. Asif Kapadia (director, Amy): I had never heard of A24. A24 was set up ten years ago by David Fenkel, John Hodges and Daniel Katz, all veterans of New York's independent film business. Not heyday. 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 is cool and I know they say great things about Miramax, which makes me feel proud and old at the same time. As of April 2022[update], twenty-seven episodes had been released. Under the Skin reintroduced Scarlett Johansson as a killer alien from outer space (and, more jarringly, a shockingly brave improv performer). But it was word of mouth. Aizenberg: I was already, like, putting together the distribution plans for Frances Ha. Halfway through the campaign, I think it went the other way. See what happens.. 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. Discover Johnny Hodges's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. 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. We wish Hodges the best of luck with his next endeavor, since the indie landscape has certainly benefited from his contributions. And I think it is down to companies like A24. Johansson plays something between an android and alien symbiote who seduces men in order to envelop them in a dark, infinite pool of nothingness. Three were winners. 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. Lady Bird remains its biggest success, earning $49 million domestically to date. Maybe even that guy with a two-way radio who keeps you from walking through a movie set. 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. It would be fascinating for just the unnerving dread of an awkward gathering of friends, but Kusama then provides the film a killer twist. Ali Herting (acquisitions and development, A24): We were never gonna get Place Beyond the Pines. Put it on screens. From It Follows to The Babadook, these horror gems didnt have blockbuster budgets. It was another way of getting the message out there. All three had grown up admiring the rich world of 90s independent cinema, and they noticed a void where those movies had once been. I actually tied with Jared [Leto], who obviously won the Oscar that year, for L.A. Film Critics. 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. 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. They were not the company that they are today. Hodges. [18] In June, the company, along with Oscilloscope and distributor Honora, joined BitTorrent Now to distribute the work of their portfolio across the ad-supported service. In 2013, A24 released their first five films: Sally Potters Ginger & Rosa, Harmony Korines Spring Breakers, Sofia Coppolas The Bling Ring, James Ponsoldts The Spectacular Now, and Roman Coppolas A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, starring Charlie Sheen. But youre in a tuxedo and everyone around you is older and theyre quiet Jenkins: It sucks, man, because of how it happened, none of us thanked them! 2023 THE TRACKING BOARD. A24, which was founded in 2012, said that no additional changes in management will be made. 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). Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. We step up to a guy we really respect. Here's who: Daniel Katz, David Fenkel, John Hodges and James Schultz. Were putting together a gift basket of glass guns and a gift basket with munchies. 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.'. With Hodges leaving, the company behind the Oscar-winning best pictureMoonlight made it clear that no additional changes in management will be made. Jeanie Igoe (production, A24): None of us really knew what we were doing. Harmony Korine (director, Spring Breakers): They have balls. In September 2013, A24 struck a partnership valued up to $40 millionwith satellite television provider DirecTV. I mean, I have no idea what theyre doing, really. Katz: Maybe even greater. So I suppose the question now surrounding A24 is what Fenkel and Katz plan to make of it. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE|SUBSCRIBE|CONTACT. It was like Broadcast News. And so anytime you speak with someone whos not a pure accountant, is not a pencil pusher? Jennifer Kents drama is a psychological heavyweight that examines how parents feed their demons to quell the pain. Eggers: People always want to do bigger and better the next time, you know? An Industry Arts Company. They have a very good understanding of the Zeitgeist. You get a movie with them and it represents something. Fenkel: One thing we notice is now people are saying, Oh, good job. It took us ten minutes to get a block. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. Im dying. And The Place Beyond the Pines. We had a good history. It wasnt going to get lost in the shuffle. Correction, Sept. 30, 2015:This article originally contained a photo of John Hodges, a film producer, rather than John Hodges, co-founder of A24. It was me! Kapadia: Theyve won Best Picture. Franco: I would bet that [Alien] was one of the biggest, most popular Halloween costumes that year. Sacco: We probably saw 20 versions. Hodges: The office literally looked like a pump-and-dump stock operation. We werent a fully formed company yet. You walk through that office, and there arent a lot of people that look like theyre from Liberty City, Miami. Love that movie. When it wasnt us. The company also announced that they would also finance and develop pilots. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, A24 noted. Its exciting. Barry Jenkins (director, Moonlight): A24s the kind of company where they say, Yeah, they dont need to know what its about. 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. 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. God bless em. If theaters are to remain something more than a repository for superhero movies, everybody might have to be. 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. Katz came from a film finance group, while Fenkel and Hodges both left positions at other independent film companies. 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. Katz: Tuesday morning, I remember, we had a little whiskey for him. Drinking champagne at nine in the morning. Photo illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker. And David cannot stop perspiring. [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. Katz: We have a better relationship with him now. In the fall of 2012, A24 arrived at the Toronto International Film Festival with a plan to acquire several movies.