We spoke with the companys friends, collaborators, and employees to make sense of how A24 became the most interesting, creative, and reliable film company of the 21st century. 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: We had a couple movies in there that we tried to force into making, like, event-y theatrical, and they werent. We all go nuts for a few minutes, and then were all like, Okay, what do we do?. I was thrilledwhen the news broke that A24 had acquired the domestic rights, and then gutted to learn that it was part of the DirecTV pact. Fenkel: You dont know how to control yourself. in the past 3 years a24 has managed to make from 90 - 110 million at the yearly box office. If anything, it was the bastard stepchild at that point. [20], On February 20, 2018, A24 launched a podcast titled The A24 Podcast. John Cornelius Hodge (Squatty Roo, Jeep, Rabbit) was born on 25 July, 1907 in Cambridge, MA, is an American saxophonist. The best scares always come from unexpected places. a24 john hodges net worth. 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. You prepare like for your dissertation at Harvard. David Fenkel (co-founder, A24): We find movies [for which] our perspective, our system, our people, can act to make it something special. Franco: All the distributors knew it was great. Leave it to Jim Jarmusch to make the coolest vampire movie ever. I felt bad that David had to be put through that. Love that movie. When it wasnt us. We wish Hodges the best of luck with his next endeavor, since the indie landscape has certainly benefited from his contributions. [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. Sacco: Its sobering and motivating in a different way. Katz: I always had dreams of [starting a company]. But as A24 initiates the second phase of its existence, a transition that includes financing its own films and branching out into television, the companys exponential growth may find it becoming part of the problem it had once seemed destined to solve. 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]. An A24 film has an affinity for subverting a celebritys established persona. Garland: Under the Skin is exactly the kind of movie that you would not see distributed by a major studio. But I remember vividly that they had chosen some specific movies, one of which was Under the Skin. You know what? Trench coat was enough. I dont think it was related to her professional career. And then it was consolidation. We are thrilled to have someone of Johns pedigree join the Jax Media team and lead our expansion into the film world, Jax Media partners Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns, John Skidmore, and Brooke Posch said in a joint statement. Still, A24 has never enjoyed a box-office breakout hit. Heavey: People were, like, crying. 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. [8] In October 2012, Nicolette Aizenberg joined as head of publicity from 42West where she was senior publicity executive. Franco: I actually did win some awards. John has been a trusted partner who helped conceive A24 and for that we will always be grateful, A24 noted. And we got Best Picture [also for Room]. All Rights Reserved. Maybe even that guy with a two-way radio who keeps you from walking through a movie set. The companys expansion into film is a natural progression as the company continues to produce scripted and non-scripted television as well as stand-up comedy specials. We just had to catch up to that idea. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Katz: Some of it was probably misplaced, dont you agree? Worst case, youll get the trench-coat crowd. You know what the trench-coat crowd is? Korine: I dont think I was there, but I heard people were walking out. I was proud of the film but I thought it was weird and boring. Jon Hodges CEO at Evergreen North America Industrial Services League City, Texas, United States 2K followers 500+ connections Join to connect Evergreen industrial services and GEM mobile. Sure, were talking about an aggressively uncommercial director whose previous feature was called Trash Humpers, but the success of Spring Breakersand how it was achieveddemonstrated that theres still an audience for the kind of challenging and essential medium-budget movies that most in the business left for dead. Katz: Theres all these really, really smart, capable, ambitious people that love movies. Hodges had been an integral part of the studio since its inception in 2012, along with co-founders David Fenkel and Daniel Katz. Alex Garland (director, Ex Machina): They make things work that according to standard procedures really shouldnt work. 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. I dont think that switch in psychology is supposed to happen that dramatically, or that abruptly. 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. I think my sisters still only seen one A24 movie: Spring Breakers. 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). Lets do Kevin Smith horror! The company also announced that they would also finance and develop pilots. Take its efforts on Spring Breakers, for example. Aizenberg: I was at the Q&As at the ArcLight [in Los Angeles], and I remember taking a picture of the screen, and then all of a sudden it was like every screen at the ArcLight: Spring Breakers, Spring Breakers, Spring Breakers. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. And then over the course of, like, four months, we bought a lot of movies. No way., Katz: It was just like, Wait. I want to be A24, he said. And then you meet Barry and hear Barry talk, and its like, Of course! Oh my god, its new! Correction, Sept. 30, 2015: This article originally contained a photo of John Hodges, a film producer, rather than John Hodges, co-founder of A24. In this newly created role, Hodges will be tasked with overseeing and growing all of Jax Medias film projects. Harvey Weinstein (via email): A24 is a great company. All Rights Reserved. But its present success and continued survival are dependent on a massive deal that seems to directly contradict everything thats made the company so special. We want to hear from you! They rented some office space in Manhattan. David Fenkel and I have had some great conversations about film - the whole A24 team have a great and deep love for cinema. 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. Four short years later, the companys first original production, Barry Jenkinss Moonlight, won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Take the fate of John Macleans Slow West, one of the years best films, a neo-Western starring Michael Fassbender as a bounty hunter. [9], The company began its distribution of films in 2013. 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! The exceptionand basically the only part of A24 that has any public profile at allis the companys social media presence. 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.'. They had heart to them. Activity. So I suppose the question now surrounding A24 is what Fenkel and Katz plan to make of it. A24 is not like other entertainment companies. 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). That was tough. Kapadia: There were other films that had a lot more money in their campaign and were everywhere. Theyre super-smart people. We saw the red envelope. So everything had to be explained to me, and by the time it was explained, it was over. Whoa! Because theyd made a curated, awesome, crafted film. Katz: I think if you had asked us beforehand, we would have said, you know, La La Lands gonna win. Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. The whole thing was really intense. 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! Focus and Fox Searchlight had become kind of isolated in what they did. 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. Moonlight we hadnt seen yet. Katz: They were kind of comfortable with the Under the Skin release. Fenkel: Id love to say from the first cut we knew. They had heart to them.Harmony Korine, Sacco: I wouldnt say I got it. This is Rudin. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The films backers will be made whole, its makers will get another chance at bat, and its distributors will continue to enjoy the financial solvency provided by the DirecTV dealnot to mention the $50 million line of credit the company secured last fall. Katz: We broke the record that weekend. And I think that really helped the movie. So I just called the guy. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. And theyre aiming at them. Fenkel: One thing we notice is now people are saying, Oh, good job. 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 exciting. When I was explaining to people what I was doing, it felt like a political campaign. They were not the company that they are today. Aizenberg: There was a week in January where we dropped the trailer of Spring Breakers. 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. Hodges previously served as head of production and development at Big Beach Films and exec produced "Our Idiot Brother" and "Safety Not Guaranteed.". 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. It made me crack up. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. All rights reserved. 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. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Starring Splits Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Eggers creates a world devoid of God in this thunderous and bleak religious melodrama. Zoe Beyer (marketing, A24): Spring Breakers had a whole Oscar campaign.