Why subscribe?
When it comes to the cinema industry and our own creative practices , some say I speak about what others only whisper — but I just try to see and share the truth from my point of view.
I write about the present state & future of cinema, pondering the why & the how, as well as the what else, with frequent excursions into the creative process, and my hope for sustainable cinema ecosystem.
You can read the HopeForFilm First Principles here and the HopeForFilm tenets here.
Stay up-to-date & access everything
You can read HopeForFilm in whatever format you enjoy most: as a newsletter in your inbox, on the webpage where it resembles a blog, or on the Substack app. Even if you prefer to subscribe so that new editions of the newsletter go directly to your inbox, please consider getting the app too, and joining the HopeForFilm chat where you can participate in discussions about our industry, initiated by both myself and others. Log into the website to enjoy a clean, ad-free reading experience in the Substack app. Online you can leave comments and help build community. Paying subscribers have access to all posts including the full archive of over 400 posts — but most importantly, paid subscribers keep this newsletter going.
Join the crew
Don’t take my word for it. Check this link to see why so many others already subscribe. Be part of a community of people who share your love of cinema and commitment to building a more fair, sustainable film ecosystem — one that is conducive to ambitiously authored work unafraid to tell it like it is, speak truth to power, or just push boundaries a wee bit further. We can build it better together, right? Let’s do it.
Who am I?
Still trying to figure that out, but I describe myself as a filmworker. I have had a long career making bold award-winning films, both independently and within the studio system. I’ve been a producer of over 70 films, and a studio executive on over 60, a CEO of a start-up streamer, a co-head of 3 production companies, executive director of a film society & festival, a Professor Of Practice at 2 universities, and founder of a post-production facility, 2 websites, 2 think tanks, & an app. I launched Amazon’s foray into feature film production in 2015, leading them to 19 Oscar nominations and 5 wins. As a producer, my films have received 25 Oscar nominations, with 6 wins. Beyond my newsletter, please read my memoir of the same name, Hope For Film.
I helped drive the feature film careers of Ang Lee, Nicole Holofcener, Hal Hartley, Michel Gondry and many others. My most recent films include the first narrative from Oscar-winning documentary director, Roger Ross Williams, Cassandro, the documentary Invisible Nation, directed and produced by Vanessa Hope, as well as two micro indies I helped executive produce, Crystal Moselle & Derrick B. Harden’s The Black Sea and Josh Mond’s It Doesn't Matter, currently on the festival circuit. I am currently in production of Mark Pellington’s Lone Wolf, starring Lily Gladstone & Bryan Cranston.
