Dealmakers
JOHN FOGELMAN Chief executive and founder, FactoryMade Ventures
T CAREER
2011 Launches FactoryMade 2003 Aged 37, joins the WMA board, becoming worldwide head and executive VP of the motion picture department 2000 Becomes head of the motion picture talent deptartment at WMA 1992 Joins William Morris Associates when it acquires Triad for $25m 1990 Becomes an agent at Triad Agency 1987 Joins KPMG Peat Marwick as an auditor
here was a time when talent agents were an invisible infl u- ence on the entertainment
business. While company names like William Morris, ICM and CAA are leg- endary, the individuals doing the deals were happy to stay in the background. Increasingly, though, they’ve moved centre-stage, most notably agent- turned-studio-chief Ben Silverman. The increasingly prominent and
well-publicised role of agent is largely tied up with the changing face of media. As the industry tries to get to grips with digital disruption, branded content, showrunner and star power, and the role of international formats, there is a new generation of agents who want to be seen as pathfi nders, not packagers. To do this, they need to make sure they are known outside of Hollywood.
A-List backing A case in point is John Fogelman, a former William Morris Endeavor board member. Last month, he announced a plan to launch a develop- ment and consulting fi rm called Fac- toryMade Ventures – with JJ Abrams, the man behind Lost, Mission Impos- sible 3 and the recent reboot of Star Trek, as principal investor. Abrams isn’t the only A-Lister to
have backed Fogelman’s venture. At launch, FactoryMade unveiled alli- ances with Telefonica, Hasbro, RTL
Mission Impossible 3: JJ Abrams (left) with Tom Cruise
Group and Intel. As for talent, Fogel- man is developing projects with Abrams, Michael Bay, Robert Rod- riguez, Whoopi Goldberg and Thom Beers (one of US TV’s top reality pro- gramming producers). Hasbro, which has had a big impact in the TV and fi lm space in recent years, cites Fogelman as a key player in the development of movies such as Transformers (pictured, left), GI Joe and the upcoming Battles ih p, as well as the launch of The HUB TV network. Hasbo president and chief executive Brian Goldner says: “John Fogelman and his team have been a tremen- dous asset for us in the media and entertainment space, and we look forward to many more opportunities to build new experiences for our
brands, and to work on creat- ing new brands.” The phrase “Fogelman and his
team” is signifi cant, because Factory- Made has poached WME’s Strategic Planning & Business Development unit. Known to many as the ‘skunk- works’ unit, it’s a place where, as the offi cial line has it, “talent brainstormed ideas and corpo- rate clients explored garage- style media ideas”.
At FactoryMade, the team will be led by former
WME department head 34 | Broadcast | 30 September 2011
‘We recognise the characteristics of the constantly changing
media landscape’ John Fogelman
Cristina Patwa, who starts as presi- dent. The company’s mission statement
is suitably slippery. At launch, it said it will “partner with leading creative talent and inspired companies to develop and deliver content across multiple platforms”. Short-form programming, inter-
active viewing and gaming experi- ences all get a mention, as well as “incubating” projects for digital and mobile platforms, and launching cable and network television both domesti- cally and in emerging markets such as Brazil, Peru and Colombia. Fogelman says: “We recognise
the characteristics of the constantly changing media landscape that con- tinue to shift our view of entertain- ment. We welcome the industry’s most imaginative and inventive minds to strategise new ventures with us and build them into fully fl edged media businesses.” Still a bit vague, for sure, but given
his track record and client base, what harm can it do to give him a call?
www.broadcastnow.co.uk
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