EXCLUSIVE: Veteran producers Frida Torresblanco (Pan’s Labyrinth) and Frank Murray (First Reformed) have teamed as much as launch Hangtime Worldwide Photos, a brand new transatlantic manufacturing firm headquartered in London and New York.
Backed by an eight-figure funding out of New York, the corporate will concentrate on growing and producing what London-based Murray and NYC-based Torresblanco described to us as “U.S. and regional content material with world attraction.”
The companions informed us they may work on high-end, specialist, and mainstream content material throughout movie, tv, and documentaries in each English and Spanish. Along with the US and Spain, Torresblanco and Murray informed us they may prioritize producing content material in different key markets, together with the UK, Eire, Australia, Canada, and LATAM. The corporate is at the moment within the strategy of securing money for a further improvement fund.
“We’re so very grateful to our backers for believing in our imaginative and prescient for Hangtime,” Murray informed us. “As a collective, we have been fast to acknowledge the worth of marrying Frida’s dedication to status auteur tasks to my very own devotion to exhausting and elevated style. The worldwide urge for food for tales that excite, problem, and even play to the darker corners of our nature is what I’m personally dedicated to satiating.”
Murray is greatest identified internationally for his current stint as Scripted Head of Manufacturing within the UK at Amazon MGM Studios. He oversaw manufacturing on a number of authentic collection together with The Satan’s Hour with Peter Capaldi and Jessica Raine which is at the moment filming its third season, and the science fiction thriller The Energy starring Toni Colette and John Leguizamo. Earlier than that, he was an impartial producer, engaged on titles like Paul Schrader’s First Reformed. He additionally labored in manufacturing administration throughout studio blockbusters and impartial characteristic movies together with The Wrestler, Younger Grownup, 22 Bounce Road, Hope Springs, and Sisters.
Torresblanco was most lately CEO of Braven Movies, which she based in 2010. Her credit at Braven included Sebastian Lelio’s Disobedience, starring Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, and Alessandro Nivola. Earlier than Braven, Torresblanco co-founded Esperanto together with her producing associate and four-time Oscar-winning filmmaker, Alfonso Cuarón. Throughout her tenure, she produced a number of titles together with Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth and The Assassination of Richard Nixon with Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.
Beneath, Torresblanco and Murray converse with us about why they determined to launch Hangtime, their upcoming slate, and why they’re each “optimistic” in regards to the present correction taking place out there.
DEADLINE: Frida and Frank, how did you first meet? And the way did we find yourself right here with Hangtime?
FRIDA TORRESBLANCO: We met a few years in the past. I used to be listening to Frank discuss and I used to be fascinated by him. I believed, this man is extremely clever and has a lot expertise. The best way he noticed the market was partaking and natural. We then began to go searching and take into consideration the trade. It was then that we recognized this enormous window of alternative and determined to associate and create this firm.
FRANK MURRAY: To echo what Frida mentioned, once we first related, it was actually on the again of me having distinctive visibility from inside a giant streamer that was making massive performs globally. What was fascinating in regards to the knowledge I had entry to was that it was exhibiting an growing demand for non-U.S. English language and Spanish language content material from world and U.S. audiences. When Frida and I got here collectively, we checked out our singular worldwide expertise. Me being French-Canadian from Montreal, developing within the enterprise in New York Metropolis, ending up within the UK. After which Frida got here up by means of Spain and ended up within the U.S. Having labored with many high-stakes A-list filmmakers, we realized we most likely are uniquely positioned to fill this want out there.
DEADLINE: So what yr did you determine to begin the corporate?
MURRAY: I believe we actually actively began speaking within the late summer season of 2020.
DEADLINE: You talked about noticing traits that sign a rise in non-U.S. English language and Spanish language content material. I do know there are lots of distributors on the market, notably within the UK, that may argue it’s nonetheless tough to get worldwide movies with subtitles on screens. Are you able to converse extra in regards to the particular traits you’ve seen?
MURRAY: To offer a bit extra readability on worldwide, though my first language is French, my focus is English-language. So we don’t have to fret an excessive amount of in regards to the subtitle or dub element. However that mentioned when it comes to traits, we attempt to be style agnostic, however we’re fairly focused about the place and what we work on. There’s a very particular strategic path that we wish to tackle a non-U.S. market-to-market foundation. That’s the place we begin exploring genres primarily based on territory, holding our ears to the bottom, and listening to what the commissioners and broadcasters are asking for. However, you already know, one’s intestine nonetheless informs issues. We’re in a really data-driven trade now the place every thing feels fairly reactive, however Frida and I are fairly assured in our skill to leapfrog the zeitgeist versus attempting to chase it.
TORRESBLANCO: To return to your authentic query, English is our major language. We have now a variety of English-language tasks, however we even have tasks in Spanish, as a result of it’s an rising market that’s rising extremely quick. Simply do not forget that 500 million folks converse Spanish on the earth and 16 million in America. So for us, it’s an important market to cowl. With that mentioned, the movie will all the time dictate the language as a result of, for us, the story is extremely necessary. Frank has a prolonged background within the studio system. I’ve been extra concerned within the impartial world. We don’t wish to have boundaries. In the event you see my filmography, you see it travels the world and folks keep in mind the movies as a result of the content material is highly effective. They don’t care in regards to the subtitles, they care in regards to the tales.
DEADLINE: What’s the construction of the corporate? And who’re your buyers?
MURRAY: Nicely, with out giving names as a result of we’re gonna preserve the cash quiet, the construction is a four-person workforce, us two because the founding companions, and the board is rounded out by our two major buyers who’re our first buyers. There’s one other funding spherical in progress with others for a improvement fund however that’s an announcement for later.
DEADLINE: What does your present slate appear to be? Who will you be working with?
MURRAY: We’re being fairly aware about not mentioning anybody by title. Our slate is there and it’s very diversified and might be introduced within the coming weeks. However what I can inform you is that it is rather a lot a continuation of the manufacturers Frida and I created independently. Frida’s is barely clearer as a result of I spent a lot time working as a bodily producer. However within the circles that know, I are usually undoubtedly on the tougher style and form of rising expertise aspect, prepared to lean into form of taking just a few extra dangers. But additionally on the tent pole aspect, the larger administrators I’ve labored with are nonetheless very a lot within the dialog.
TORRESBLANCO: The slate could be very sturdy. We’re gonna do movies in English and Spanish. We’re going to do tv and docuseries. The slate goes to be massive and we goal to develop.
DEADLINE: Frida, you had been connected to a number of tasks earlier than this announcement was made. Are these tasks now below Hangtime?
TORRESBLANCO: All the things that I’ve been engaged on up to now is now a part of this firm. Frank additionally had issues he was engaged on and has dropped at the slate, so we’re very fortunate. A variety of firms begin from zero. This firm already has a historical past with extraordinary expertise.
MURRAY: Sure, we got here in having to virtually do triage as a result of we had a lot stuff between every thing from Frida and every thing I took off ice from when my non-compete with Amazon ended, so we began from a spot of momentum as an alternative of a standstill.
DEADLINE: This can be an odd query to ask once you’ve simply began an organization. However are you two optimistic or pessimistic in regards to the path the trade is heading in?
TORRESBLANCO: I’m very constructive and optimistic. I believe the precise correction is occurring out there as a result of it prolonged too far. And when issues occur like that with out management you develop in a method that doesn’t make a lot sense. So I believe the correction taking place proper now will deliver a variety of stability to the trade. I actually consider the market goes to be a a lot better place. Maybe it’s going to be extra engaging for folks to make use of much less social media and begin watching extra movies and superb TV collection that might be of a a lot increased high quality. The longer term will possibly imply much less content material however of a better high quality.
MURRAY: I’m actually optimistic for us. I’m a fundamentals man. I got here up as a really excessive bond-rated fixer of drawback productions. I thrive on this setting. I take advantage of the phrase future proof on a regular basis in how we’re devising the strategic path of the corporate to guarantee that we proceed to be engaging to the individuals who know what it means to play the basics and the enterprise case leads virtually every thing to us.
