Rich Spirit Company Profile

EXCLUSIVE: When a company called Rich Spirit recently stepped in to fill the multimillion-dollar financing gap for Donald Trump's controversial film The Apprentice after original backer Kinematics pulled out of the project, many wondered: who is Rich Spirit?

Today we can give you that answer and much more, including an interview with founder James Shani about what's next.

The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi, starring Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as his fixer Roy Cohn, debuted successfully at Cannes but got bogged down by legal threats from the former president who opposed the film. Then the producers had to deal with major financier Kinematics – backed by Trump supporter Dan Snyder – leaving the film. All of this prevented the team from securing national distribution, which is now scheduled with Tom Ortenberg's Briarcliff for an October 11 release.

We first announced producer Rich Spirit, overseen by Los Angeles-based USC alumnus Shani, in May, during the hustle and bustle of Cannes. The company, as we can reveal, has now expanded into distribution and is supporting the release of The Apprentice starring Briarcliff.

Shani tells us the evolved company will encompass production, financing and now distribution, with an emphasis on creative direction and guerrilla marketing for independent films with theatrical ambitions. The company will partner with established distributors to handle acquisition costs, P&A and core marketing aimed at younger audiences.

Shani invested his own capital to launch Rich Spirit earlier this year, invested $500,000 in The Apprentice early on as an EP, and when the opportunity arose bought Kinematics and used the film as a pilot for Rich Spirit's distribution ambitions, Shani raised additional funds. capital from private investors. Its model is to buy three to four films per year, invest 50% of the capital itself and partner with the investor group on the remaining 50%.

Here is our conversation with Shani:

DEADLINE: What is your background? Where does your capital come from?

JAMES SHANI: I began my career producing music videos and commercials for artists like Lady Gaga and John Legend, aiming to follow in the footsteps of producer Steve Golin. I then helped direct two films – Gully and Mama Bears – both of which had strong previews at the Tribeca and SXSW film festivals, respectively. Both films were picked up for distribution but quickly became one of over 100 titles they distributed that year and were never released properly.

DEADLINE: Tell us about Rich Spirit the distributor?

JAMES SHANI: Rich Spirit was founded on the belief that audiences – especially younger demographics – deserve more daring and original films that reflect their reality and experiences, and The Apprentice is the perfect opportunity for us to deliver that. Ali Abbasi's uncompromising vision, coupled with the opportunity to collaborate with Tom Ortenberg and his experienced team, convinced us that this was a risk worth taking. This is exactly the kind of bold art we want to present to audiences as we enter the theatrical landscape.

RELATED: Peter Bart: 'The Apprentice' and 'Reagan' Spark New Political Debate in Hollywood

The studio will focus on genre and international films made by filmmakers of color, recognizing young audiences' growing demand for original films and narratives with a distinct global perspective. As part of our distribution model, Rich Spirit will focus on creative direction, project positioning and marketing the experience of each film. The company also plans to engage communities at the local level through in-person activations and a non-profit arm in the near future.

DEADLINE: How much will you acquire?

SHANI: The intention is for us to be a true independent boutique studio, as we now have more niche independent labels, and to take a 360°, long-term approach to establishing and reaching audiences with our films. To do this well and give films the attention and resources they deserve, less is more; we will acquire and release no more than three or four films per year for the first few years until we have proven the model and feel we can scale without compromising efforts.

With The Apprentice, for example, our wide release in October is a crucial time, but we've talked about maintaining a long-term marketing strategy through mid-2025, where we're doing things like college screening events to bring together students and thought leaders around the world. the themes of the film. We also explore pop-up events in cities you wouldn't expect and ask one of our actors, filmmakers, or department heads to lead a discussion.

RELATED: 'The Apprentice' Producer Lifts the Lid on an 'Excruciating' Few Months Navigating Trump's Threats and Financier's Exit

DEADLINE: Will The Apprentice have an Oscar campaign? How many categories can he compete in?

SHANI: Yes, [Briarcliff CEO] Tom Ortenberg and I are preparing for the Oscar campaign. We are very keen on several categories, including Ali's direction, as well as Jeremy and Sebastian's performances. We are also exploring reward opportunities in many craft categories.

DEADLINE: When will the film be available online and on which platforms?

SHANI: I can't talk about it yet but things are falling into place.

“The Apprentice” Pief Weyman

DEADLINE: Has Rich Spirit already acquired a second film?

SHANI: We are currently in talks for a non-TIFF film. Additionally, we are in discussions with Briafcliff about partnering on a film they will release next year, as well as acquiring a second film together.

DEADLINE: Will Rich Spirit participate in major festivals and markets like Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, etc.? ?

SHANI: You know how most people in our industry have a cute, overly detailed story about how their love of movies and filmmaking started at a young age? I feel like I'm the rare breed who truly fell in love with this art form later in life – like years after college – and the experience that did it for me was my first trip to Sundance in 2015. And now, almost a decade later. , a big motivation for expanding Rich Spirit into distribution is to be an option for filmmakers at festivals – even if we only acquire a handful of films each year.

DEADLINE: Will the company increase its workforce? How does this process take place?

SHANI: We have made some hires and continue to grow. Our business model will be more boutique, where we maintain strategic partnerships with companies and individuals in key areas such as media buying and relationships with independent contractors for specific projects. This not only ensures simple and responsible management from an overhead perspective, but, more importantly, it allows us to be flexible and more easily customize the marketing and creative strategy for each film.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://deadline.com/2024/09/donald-trump-the-apprentice-movie-rich-spirit-meet-the-company-james-shani-1236100228/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos