Ben Affleck and Matt Damon announced earlier this week that they plan to start an independent production company, Artists Equity. During the New York Times DealBook Summit in New York City, Affleck is said to have declared the couple’s new company a thrust against the way streaming services treat talent—specifically Maybe call Netflix an “assembly line”.
“I see no difference between commercial and quality,” said Affleck (via Limit line). “If you ask Reed Hastings [Netflix co-founder and CEO]… I’m sure there’s some risk in that and I’m sure they’ve got a great strategy, but I would say, ‘How are we going to make 50 great movies?! How is that possible? No committee is big enough. There’s not enough – you can’t do it. It’s something that requires attention and dedication and work and is resistant to the assembly line process.”
Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital, an investment partner in Damon and Affleck’s production company, added that “the first wave of streaming was in terms of volume, [and] the second wave is about quality.”
in one The New York Times In a more detailed article on the company’s formation, it is explained that Damon and Affleck plan to share the profits with their actors and off-camera talent—this is what most services do. streaming and studios currently do not offer. Affleck told The New York Times that he feels the cinematographers, editors and costume designers are among those who help make the film but are “very underpaid.”
Artists Equity expects three projects to be released by 2023, with a goal of five projects per year. As of this writing, there is no information about the production company’s upcoming projects or releases.
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