Warner Independent Pictures Launches

Posted on September 5, 2003

Warner Bros. Entertainment has announced the creation of Warner Independent Pictures, an autonomous film label to be headed by Mark Gill as its President. Gill will oversee all aspects of the new company, including development, production, acquisition, marketing and distribution. Warner Independent Pictures will be housed on the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank.

In making the announcement, Barry Meyer, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, and Alan Horn, President & Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., noted, "For strategic and creative reasons, we have long felt that in order to truly be a 'full-service' studio, we need to produce, distribute and market all genres of films, with all size budgets to all potential audiences and not be limited by traditional, mainstream definitions of a 'studio' film."

The initial strategy is for Warner Independent to produce or acquire up to 10 films per year with production budgets up to $20 million for worldwide release, drawing from new directors and established filmmakers, as well as from international filmmakers who are already a part of Warner Bros. Pictures International's "in-country" film production and distribution program. Warner Independent will also acquire films that are better suited for a boutique-like release slate. As with all feature films from Warner Bros. Entertainment Companies, Horn retains the ultimate "greenlight" authority, with Gill and Warner Independent reporting directly to Jeff Robinov, President, Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.

"Clearly, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that was impossible to resist," said Gill. "While I'll mainly be working with Jeff and the independent team we're assembling now, I'm also looking forward to the benefits of new relationships to be forged throughout Warner Bros. Entertainment."

Gill joins Warner Independent from Stratus Film Co. (a partnership with producer-financier Bob Yari and Saving Private Ryan producer Mark Gordon) where for the last year he developed, packaged, and served as executive producer on several films, including Laws of Attraction, a romantic comedy starring Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore.

Prior to Stratus Film, Gill spent five years as President of Miramax/L.A., where he was responsible for development, production, post-production, acquisitions and marketing. He joined Miramax in 1994 and served for three years as the company's marketing chief, based in New York. Prior to Miramax, Gill worked for six years at Columbia and TriStar Pictures, culminating in a three-year tenure as Senior Vice President of Marketing. Prior to joining Columbia, Gill spent some four years at Rogers & Cowan, the publicity agency, after having begun his career as a general assignment reporter for Newsweek magazine and the Los Angeles Times.



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