PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Sony Installs Fede Goldenberg To Run Screen Gems
Image courtesy of Fede Goldenberg via THR // Illustration by Kate Walker
Sony announced that it has hired Fede Goldenberg, a top YouTube exec, to run its low-budget horror division, Screen Gems — a first-of-its-kind move for a mainstream studio division.
The Big Picture: Hollywood is still reckoning with the breakout success of Obsession, Backrooms, and Iron Lung — all made by YouTube creators. Now, every studio is racing to lock up digital talent and viral IP. Sony hopes that by hiring someone directly from the source, it can get the inside track on emerging filmmakers.
Behind The Scenes: Screen Gems is expanding its mandate from traditional horror films (and the occasional comedy) to films made by “digital-native storytellers.”
And hiring a guy who already knows those creators was its first move.
Goldenberg was the head of film and TV partnerships at YouTube, where he helped studios scale their presence on the platform.
According to THR, he’s “credited as a guiding hand in elevating the careers of Barker, Parsons, and Markiplier into the coveted filmmakers they became this year.”
He’s tasked with bringing in digital creators to discover fresh filmmaking talent and develop their ideas into theatrical films.
Prior to YouTube, he held roles at creator-focused firms Maker Studios and Fullscreen.
Screen Gems’ current head, veteran studio exec Ashley Brucks, will transition to a producing role at the division.
Final Credits: Sony is hoping that doubling down on digital creators will not only bring new storytelling perspectives into the studio, but also provide built-in fandom — making the studio’s marketing department’s job a bit easier.
Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group, said that “Fede has spent his career at the intersection of online creators and entertainment, and he is uniquely suited to build those relationships and help translate great storytelling from digital platforms to the big screen.”
Now, all eyes in Hollywood and the creator economy are on Screen Gems to see if it can get it right.
Coming Soon: Screen Gems won’t be the only one — expect every studio to either reorient an existing division or launch a new one focused on catering to creators.
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited, polled, and copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.