EXCLUSIVE: FilmNation Entertainment has hired Stacey Snider in the new role of Chief Creative Officer. After serving atop studios including 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks and Universal Pictures, Snider will use her experience and relationships to lead a FilmNation expansion in film and TV content.
Snider will start January 5, and right away will oversee FilmNation film and TV slates that include the Tom Hooper-directed Photograph 51 and the Greg Kwedar-directed Possum Song.
This is a clear signal that FilmNation will ramp up its output of quality fare that most recently has included the Sean Baker-directed Anora, which won five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actress for Mikey Madison, and the Edward Berger-directed Conclave, for which Peter Straughan won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar among the eight nominations the drama garnered. FilmNation’s Olivia Wilde-directed The Invite just set its World Premiere at next month’s Sundance Film Festival, with Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton, and Wilde starring.
Snider most recently spent four years partnering with Elisabeth Murdoch and Jane Featherstone building the financier/producer Sister. This seems a better match for a skill set that not only includes relationships and experience. She has also been a voracious readers of scripts and books. I cannot remember exiting her office on a visit without a list, or copies of books she thought I should read.
Under CEO Glen Basner, FilmNation already has a strong infrastructure, and taste that has made it a cornerstone player in the independent space. There has not been much to be optimistic about in Hollywood and the indie space recently with contraction and moves that seem to have little to do with empowering auteurs and elevating quality. FilmNation has had a history of doubling down with content investment when the industry and economy was at low ebb, and this all signals an uptick in the company’s future output, especially in the TV space. For that, this seems a move worth cheering.
Snider helped train many of the industry’s top exec talent, and she has championed such films as Gladiator, The Fast and the Furious, Logan, The Martian, The Bourne series, the Meet the Parents series, Lincoln, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, A Beautiful Mind, The Post, Brokeback Mountain, and Hidden Figures. Basner and Snider go way back. He was learning the ropes at the storied indie production company Good Machine when Snider spearheaded the acquisition of that company for Universal.
Said Basner: “Stacey brings next level creativity, leadership and experience to our team, further fueling our ambitious plans despite market climate. Her unparalleled track record speaks for itself. Hell yeah! We are going to have some fun!”
Snider called Basner “a steadfast champion of independent filmmaking, building FilmNation into a home for bold storytellers. His commitment to creative risk-taking and thoughtfully financed, globally minded cinema has helped sustain and expand the space for independent voices on the world stage. I’m excited for the opportunity to join the extraordinary FilmNation team and to direct my energies and experience towards a mission that speaks to me so personally.”
Snider will report to CEO Glen Basner and will join the company’s C-Suite and strategic leadership group.