Ayana Hamilton is an entertainment journalist. Ayana is passionate about writing factual and reliable stories for readers because she knows how fast rumors can spread. She also loves talking about trends and pop culture in her podcast ‘Dog Happy Hour with Ayana‘. Her favorite thing to write and talk about is current issues in the entertainment industry.
Aug 1, 2024
Table of Contents
Few people nowadays probably can’t say that they have a favorite film company because of how much the industry has changed. The film genre has become oversaturated with superhero films, leading most people to start a conversation by asking, “Marvel or DC?” We don’t talk about what other companies are putting out or even acknowledge the future films that are coming out. Also, the way Walt Disney Studios has bought other companies makes it challenging for the common audience to step out and watch anything else. However, one company has been talked about a lot recently due to the films they’re distributing or making, and it’s the A24 company.
To get started, A24 is an American independent entertainment company based in New York City that specializes in film distribution as well as film and television production. The company was founded in 2012 by David Fenkel, Daniel Katz, and John Hodges, and it was originally called A24 Films because it only specialized in film distribution. The company name was inspired by the Italian A24 motorway that Katz was driving on when he decided to create the company. However, before A24, the founders worked in film and production before quitting their positions. Fenkel was the co-founder, partner, and president at Oscilloscope, Katz led the film finance group at Guggenheim Partners, and Hodges served as the Head of Production and Development at Big Beach.
Guggenheim Partners provided seed funding for A24, which is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. From there on, Nicolette Aizenberg joined the company as head of publicity and left 42West, where she was a senior publicity executive in October 2012. The company started distributing films in 2013, and the first theatrical limited release was Roman Coppola’s ‘A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III.’ The other releases of the year were Sally Potter’s ‘Ginger & Rosa’, Harmony Korine’s ‘Spring Breakers’, Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Bling Ring’ and James Ponsoldt’s ‘The Spectacular Now’.
In September 2013, A24 accepted a $40 million deal with DirecTV Cinema, where they would offer day-and-date releases 30 days prior to a theatrical release by A24. The psychological drama film Enemy, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was the first to be distributed under the deal. Then, in the same year, A24 entered a deal with Amazon Prime, where A24 films would be available on their service after becoming available on DVD.
The company announced in May 2015, that it would start a television division and start to develop and launch pilots. A24 began producing the ‘Playing House’ series on the USA Network, as well as developing ‘Comrade Detective’ produced by Channing Tatum. Then, by 2016, Sasha Lloyd joined the company to handle all film, television distribution and business development in the international marketplace. Things were looking up for the company because it acquired all foreign rights to the black comedy film ‘Swiss Army Man’ directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan. The company partnered with distributors who previously acquired the rights to the film, which was a first for the company, and distributed the film in all territories.
A24 also became a production studio in 2016 and fully financed its first feature film ‘Moonlight’ directed by Barry Jenkins, in partnership with Plan B Entertainment. The film was loved by critics and the general audience and then won three Academy Awards from eight nominations, including the most iconic win for Best Picture. Three films A24 distributed in the previous year received seven Academy Award nominations: ‘Ex Machina’ directed by Alex Garland, won Best Visual Effects, ‘Amy’ directed by Asif Kapadia, won Best Documentary Feature, and Brie Larson won Best Actress for her performance in ‘Room’ directed by Lenny Abrahamson.
2018 was an eventful year for the company. For starters, it launched a podcast titled ‘The A24 Podcast,’ and it’s simply two members of the film industry having a discussion about their recent works. The show’s guests include Alia Shawkat, Bo Burnham, Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, and Sofia Coppola, and as of May 2024, there are 41 episodes available. Co-founder John Hodges announced that he was leaving the company on March 26, 2018. Meanwhile, the studio started to become mainstream when it financed and released Ari Aster’s Hereditary, making it the company’s highest-grossing film at the box office with $81 million. In the same year, Bo Burnham’s coming-of-age film ‘Eighth Grade’ tied with Greta Gerwig’s‘Lady Bird’ as A24’s highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes with a 99% approval rating.
Apple and A24 announced on November 15, 2018, that they had entered into a multi-year partnership where A24 will produce original films for Apple. Also, this isn’t a first-look deal, which means it won’t affect previous deals A24 has with other companies, and it can continue to produce and acquire films to release outside the deal. Right now, it’s currently unknown if these films will have a theatrical release or be exclusive to Apple TV+. A24 then entered a premium cable television broadcast deal with Showtime Networks on November 13, 2019, and it covers all film releases through November 1, 2022.
The company explored a buyout for between $2.5 billion to $3 billion in July 2021. Also in that year, A24’s ‘Minari’ directed by Lee Isaac Chung, earned a record of six Academy Award nominations, and ‘Lamb’ directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson, was the first A24-distributed film to be selected as a country’s official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Then, in 2022, ‘Everything Everything All at Once’, directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, became its highest-grossing film domestically, with a $50 million gross in the United States. In conclusion, this company continues to put out phenomenal indie films and is the company many people want. Most people want original films and that’s what A24 is giving. I haven’t been disappointed by an A24 film yet and I don’t want to be because we need more creatives in the industry.
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Ayana Hamilton is an entertainment journalist. Ayana is passionate about writing factual and reliable stories for readers because she knows how fast rumors can spread. She also loves talking about trends and pop culture in her podcast 'Dog Happy Hour with Ayana'. Her favorite thing to write and talk about is current issues in the entertainment industry.
Ayana Hamilton is an entertainment journalist. Ayana is passionate about writing factual and reliable stories for readers because she knows how fast rumors can spread. She also loves talking about trends and pop culture in her podcast ‘Dog Happy Hour with Ayana‘. Her favorite thing to write and talk about is current issues in the entertainment industry.
Ayana Hamilton is an entertainment journalist. Ayana is passionate about writing factual and reliable stories for readers because she knows how fast rumors can spread. She also loves talking about trends and pop culture in her podcast ‘Dog Happy Hour with Ayana‘. Her favorite thing to write and talk about is current issues in the entertainment industry.
Limited Time Offer: Join for FREE today and get unlimited
The Hollywood Insider is against gossip and scandal, fully focused on substance & meaningful entertainment.
We choose quality over quantity, compassion over oppression, wisdom over intelligence.
Newsletter Subscription
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
