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Participant Media

 
Wikipedia: Participant Media
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Participant Media
Type Corporation
Founded June 2004
Founder(s) Jeff Skoll
Headquarters Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Key people James Berk, Chief Executive Officer
Ricky Strauss, President
Industry Motion picture
Products Movies, television films and specials, new media
Website www.participantmedia.com

Participant Media is an American film and television production company which finances, produces, and distributes socially relevant films and documentaries.[1][2] The company is described as politically activist:[3] its films are typically based on current events and topical subjects and presented in such a way to inspire viewers to advocate for social change.[1][4][5] The studio has produced or co-produced a number of award-winning fiction films and documentaries. By the end of its second year in business, its films had been nominated for 11 Academy Awards.[6][7]

Contents

Founding

The company was founded in June 2004 as "Participant Productions" by Jeffrey Skoll, the "second employee" of eBay,[6][2] to produce projects that were both commercially viable and socially relevant.[8] Skoll had earlier co-founded Ovation Entertainment, a start-up film production company, in 2001 but quit the company in the summer of 2003.[1][4][9][10] Skoll began discussions with Hollywood insiders, technical experts, and financiers in September 2003 to educate himself about film production.[9] One of Skoll's critical advisors was Peter Schlessel (formerly the president of Columbia Pictures and later the president of Sony Pictures Entertainment).[11] By January 2004, the company had pulled together most of its staff, many of whom attended the Cannes Film Festival.[1][9] The company believed it had a deal to distribute Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11,[4][9] but lost the distribution rights to the Fellowship Adventure Group (a film distribution company formed by Bob and Harvey Weinstein specifically to release Fahrenheit 9/11).[12]

The corporate logo of Participant Media from 2004 to 2007, when it was still known as "Participant Productions."

With $100 million in cash from Skoll's personal funds,[1] Skoll was the company's first chief executive officer, but stepped down from that position in August 2006.[1] Participant Productions' initial plans were to produce four to six films per year, each with a budget of $40 million.[4][8] The company focused on films in six areas: The environment, healthcare, human rights, institutional responsibility, peace and tolerance, and social and economic justice.[1] The company evaluated projects by running them past its creative executives first, assessing their cost and commercial viability second, and then analyzing their social relevance last.[1][9] Once the decision was made to go ahead with production, the company reached out to non-profit organizations to ask them to build campaigns around the release.[1][4] In some cases, the studio has spent years creating positive word-of-mouth with advocacy groups, which are often encouraged to utilize the film to push their own agendas.[13]

The new company quickly announced an ambitious slate of productions. Its first film (announced on September 7, 2007) was American Gun, on which IFC Films was an equity partner.[4][5] Two weeks later, the company announced a co-production deal with Warner Bros. on two films, Syriana and Class Action (later retitled North Country).[5][14] Participant Productions contributed half the budget of each film.[5] The company's fourth production, a documentary, was announced in November 2004. Titled The World According to Sesame Street, the documentary examines the impact of the children's television show Sesame Street on world culture, focusing on Kosovo, Bangladesh, South Africa, and El Salvador.[15][16] At the same time, the company began to implement an environmentally friendly strategy: Syriana was the company's first carbon neutral production, and the company created carbon offsets for An Inconvenient Truth.[17]

Corporate history

2005

Actor George Clooney, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in March 2006 for his role in Participant Media's Syriana.

In 2005, the company suffered its first stumble. Participant Productions again agreed to co-finance a picture with Warner Bros., this time Vadim Perelman's second feature, Truce.[18] Although Perelman claimed he'd "never been moved by a script to such an extent",[18] the film never went into production.[19] North Country did poorly at the box office despite having recent Oscar-winner Charlize Theron in the lead.[7] The World According to Sesame Street never found a distributor for theatrical release, and eventually only aired on PBS, Sesame Street's broadcast home.[7] In June 2005, the company agreed to produce Luna, a film based on the book The Legacy of Luna (the real-life story about a woman who lives in the branches of a giant redwood tree for two years to protect it from logging).[20] The film has yet to be produced as of June 2009.

The company continued to mature and grow, however. The company announced in March 2005 that it would co-executive produce the Warner Bros. film Good Night, and Good Luck.[21] In May 2005 at the Cannes Film Festival, Participant bought the right to distribute Richard Linklater's forthcoming film, Fast Food Nation, in North America in return for an equity stake in the film.[22][23] A month later, it bought the distribution rights to the documentary Murderball for an equity stake in the film.[24] Participant also executive produced and co-financed Al Gore's global warming documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth.[25][16][26][27] As the production schedule grew heavier, the company added staff as well. The company named Ricky Strauss as its first president in March 2005, with oversight of production, marketing, and business development.[28] Attorney and former non-profit chief executive Meredith Blake was hired in June as its Senior Vice President of Corporate and Community Affairs.[29] Blake's role was to oversee development of awareness and outreach campaigns around the social issues raised in the company's films in cooperation with nonprofit organizations, corporations, and earned media.[29] Diane Weyermann, director of the Sundance Institute's Documentary Film Program, joined the company in October 2005 as Executive Vice President of Documentary Production.[30] The company's non-film production efforts continued to grow as well. It provided an undisclosed amount of financing in February 2005 to film distributor Emerging Pictures to finance that company's national network of digitally equipped cinemas (with Emerging Pictures distributing Participant's films).[31] The company also began its first socially-relevant outreach project, helping to finance screenings of the 1982 biographical film Gandhi in the Palestinian territories for the first time as well as in the countries of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.[32] In support of its upcoming film, An Inconvenient Truth, the studio negotiated a deal whereby distributor Paramount Classics would donate 5 percent of its U.S. domestic theatrical gross box office receipts (with a minimum guarantee of $500,000) to the Alliance for Climate Protection.[33]

The company had a very successful 2005 awards season, with 11 Oscar nominations and one win.[7] Good Night, and Good Luck garnered six nominations, including art direction, cinematography, directing (George Clooney), best picture, best actor (David Strathairn), and original screenplay.[34] Murderball was nominated for best feature documentary.[34] North Country was nominated for best actress (Charlize Theron) and best supporting actress (Frances McDormand).[34] Syriana was nominated for best supporting actor (George Clooney) and original screenplay.[34] But of the 11 nominations, only George Clooney won for Best Supporting Actor in Syriana.[35]

2006

Jeffrey Skoll (pictured with actress Meg Ryan in 2007), founder and CEO of Participant Media, stepped down in 2006 after appointing James Berk to be CEO of the growing company.

Five more films were announced in 2006. In June, the company announced it would partner with New Line Cinema (a subsidiary of Warner Bros.) to produce The Crusaders, a drama about Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), a landmark ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States which ended racial segregation in public schools.[36] But the film never got beyond the development stage. Participant entered into an agreement in September to co-produce The Visitor with Groundswell Productions,[37] and two months later agreed to co-produce (with Sony Pictures Classics) Errol Morris' documentary about the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, Standard Operating Procedure.[38] The company also took an equity position and co-production credit on Chicago 10, a documentary about the famous 1969 Chicago Seven conspiracy trial.[39][40] Finally, in December, the company agreed to finance and produce Jonathan Demme's documentary Man from Plains, which follows former President Jimmy Carter as he promotes his book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.[41] The company also co-financed, with Warner Independent Pictures, the documentary Darfur Now,[42] and with Universal Studios and others co-financed Charlie Wilson's War.[43] The film had the biggest budget of any Participant Productions picture since Syriana.[7]

Three major corporate events also occurred in 2006. In September Jeffrey Skoll stepped down as chief executive officer of Participant Productions, and was replaced by James Berk.[44] Berk, the founding executive director of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Foundation and former president and chief executive officer of Hard Rock Cafe International, Berk's duties included daily operations and management, earned media efforts, and corporate branding.[44] In December, Participant Productions won its first significant award when the Producers Guild of America presented the 2007 Stanley Kramer Award to An Inconvenient Truth.[27][45] The company also was one of the investors which in April 2006 invested $1 billion in Summit Entertainment, allowing that company to restructure itself as a full-fledged movie studio.[46][47] This did not become known, however, for near three years.[47]

The company's success continued through the 2006 awards season. An Inconvenient Truth was nominated for an Oscar for Best Feature Documentary, and the song "I Need to Wake Up" (by Melissa Etheridge) nominated for Best Original Song.[48] The film and song won their respective categories in February 2007.[49][50]

2007

Corporate growth continued in 2007. On January 8, the company hired motion picture marketing veterans Buffy Shutt and Kathy Jones (each with the title of Executive Vice President of Marketing) to coordinate marketing of Participant's films.[51] Eight days later, the company hired Tony- and Emmy-winning event producer John Schreiber as Executive Vice President of Social Action and Advocacy to enhance the firm's earned media, non-profit and corporate outreach, and advocacy campaigns.[52] February saw the hire of Adrian Sexton as Executive Vice President to oversee digital and global media projects,[53] and April saw veteran production head Jonathan King join Participant as Executive Vice President of Production.[54] Lynn Hirshfield was hired in May as Vice President of Business Development to launch the company's publishing division.[55] In mid-June, Participant hired Bonnie Abaunza and Liana Schwarz each as Vice President of Social Action Campaign Development and Operations to assist with social outreach and advocacy campaigns.[56] In November, the company signed a deal with actress Natalie Portman's newly-formed production company, Handsomecharlie Films, under which the two studios would co-produce socially relevant films for a two-year period.[57] The same month, the company hired veteran Showtime producer John Moser to oversee development and production of original programs for television and home cable.[58] But despite the management activity and expansion, not all of the company's films did well. Chicago 10 did not sell for several months after its premiere at Sundance, and only significant editing and a reduction in running time led to a distribution deal.[7]

The company also announced additional productions. In January it said it was co-financing The Kite Runner with Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and DreamWorks.[51] That spring, the company took an equity position in the Angels in the Dust (a documentary about children orphaned by AIDS) and paid for the filmmaker to update the film and shoot more footage.[7] In April, it closed a deal with Warner Independent to turn Randy Shilts' book, The Mayor of Castro Street, into a film.[59] The following month it announced a feature-length documentary about the 2007 Live Earth concert (but the film was never produced).[60] Five months later, in June, Participant agreed to co-produce and co-finance (with Broken Lizard) the company's first comedy film, Taildraggers (five aimless young pilots for a regional airline in Alaska discover that a corporate competitor is illegally pumping oil from a wildlife preserve).[61] As of June 2009, however, the film had not been produced.[62] November saw Participant sign a co-production agreement with State Street Pictures to finance the biographical dramatic film, Bobby Martinez (about teenage Latino surfing sensation, Bobby Martinez).[63][64] By the end of 2007, Participant Productions was seen as one of the key players in the production of documentary films.[65]

The 2007 awards season saw several more Oscar nominations for Participant films. The company had a combined seven Golden Globe Award nominations, although it came away with no wins.[66] Philip Seymour Hoffman was nominated for his supporting actor role in Charlie Wilson's War, Richard Jenkins was nominated for Best Actor in The Visitor, and Alberto Iglesias was nominated for best original score for The Kite Runner.[67]

2008

In March 2008, Participant Productions changed its name to Participant Media to reflect the firm's expansion into television and non-traditional entertainment media.[68]

The company continued to expand its social advocacy and outreach efforts in 2008. In January 2008, it joined and made a financial contribution to a $100 million United Nations-sponsored fund which would provide backing for films which combatted religious, ethnic, racial, and other stereotypes.[69] Fueling the company's expansion was the creation of a $250 million fund with Imagenation, a start-up film studio based in the United Arab Emirates which is a division of the Abu Dhabi Media Company.[70] Each company contributed roughly half of the fund's total (although some funding came from loans).[70] Participant and Imagenation agreed to produce 18 films over the next five years, which would add approximately four feature-length films per year to Participant's existing slate of four films a year.[70][71] To boost its marketing efforts, the company also hired Jeffrey Sakson as Vice President of Publicity in April 2008.[72] In September 2008, Participant Media and PublicAffairs Books signed a deal under which PublicAffairs would publish four original paperback books designed to expand upon the social messages in Participant's films.[73] The first book to be published under the pact will be Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food Is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer—And What You Can Do About It.[73] The company also founded a new Web site, TakePart.com, to promote Participant Media's films as well as make viewers aware of the social advocacy efforts of Participant's outreach partners.[74][75]

In March, Participant announced a co-financing deal with Tapestry Films to produce Minimum Wage, a comedy about a corrupt corporate executive sentenced to live for a year on a minimum wage salary.[68] A month later, the company announced it and Groundswell Productions were co-financing The Informant, a comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon about the lysine price-fixing conspiracy at Archer Daniels Midland in the mid-1990s.[76][77] July saw Participant set up a co-financing deal with three other studios to produce The Colony, an eco-horror film.[78]

Participant's success during awards season did not extend into 2008. The company had only two films released during the year (Every Little Step, Pressure Cooker, and Standard Operating Procedure), and none of them was nominated for an award from a major arts organization. However, in November 2008, the Producers Guild of America gave Participant founder Jeff Skoll its Visionary Award.[79]

2009

Jack Abramoff (pictured), a lobbyist convicted on charges of fraud and corruption, will be the subject of a Participant Media film, Casino Jack, announced in 2009. The role campaign finance and lobbying play in political corruption are among the socially relevant topics Participant Media addresses in its films.

2009 saw the company continue to aggressively produce both feature films and documentaries. In January it announced that it would produce Paul Dinello's Mr. Burnout (about a burned out teacher seeking to rekindle his love of teaching)[80] and Furry Vengeance (a comedy starring Brendan Fraser about an Oregon real estate developer who is opposed by animals).[81][77] That same month Participant signed a five-year production and distribution deal with Summit Entertainment. The agreement, which covered titles financed by Participant's $250 million production agreement with Imagenation Media, was nonexclusive (meaning Participant could seek distribution of films by other companies) and was limited to four projects a year.[47] The agreement allowed Summit to charge a distribution fee, and to co-finance titles if it wished.[47] The pact covered home video and pay TV distribution as well.[47] Furry Vengeance would be the first picture produced under the agreement.[81] In April, the company hired screenwriter Miles Chapman to pen an untitled environmentally themed action-adventure script about the hunt for a mystical gem in the heart of Africa.[82] The same month, the company agreed to co-finance (with Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment) a biographical drama titled History on Trial—which will document the true story of Deborah Lipstadt, a professor of Jewish studies who was sued by Holocaust deniers for libel.[83][84] The company also announced a number of productions in May 2009, including: The Crazies, a remake of the 1973 film of the same name;[85] Casino Jack, a film starring Kevin Spacey about the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal;[86] Help Me Spread Goodness, a comedy starring and directed by Ben Stiller about a banking executive who is caught by a Nigerian Internet scam;[87][88] and The Soloist, a drama starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a brilliant musician who develops schizophrenia and becomes homeless.[77]

The company also expanded in non-film production as well. In March 2009, Participant Media agreed to conduct outreach and social advocacy efforts on behalf of the Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions documentary film The Cove (about the killing of dolphins by Japanese villages in a cove near their fishing grounds).[89] The firm's TakePart.com Web site also released a new iPhone application, Givabit, which solicits charitable donations for Participant Media's nonprofit advocacy partners from iPhone users once a day.[74] In June, the company established a new book publishing subsidiary, headed by Vice President of Publishing Lynn Hirshfield (who changed titles within the company).[73] Liana Schwarz was promoted to Senior Vice President of Campaign Development and Operations.[90]

Films

Below is a partial list of the films produced by Participant Media (in alphabetical order):[91]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Solomon, Lewis. Tech Billionaires: Reshaping Philanthropy in a Quest for a Better World. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 2008. ISBN 1412808472
  2. ^ a b c Stern, Stefan. "Lunch With the FT: Jeff Skoll." Financial Times. June 12, 2009.
  3. ^ Thompson, Anne. "West, Atkinson Earn 'Minimum Wage'." Variety. March 19, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Pinsker, Beth. "Millionaire Report Cards." Variety. September 7, 2004.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Graser, Marc. "eBay Guru in Bidness on WB Pix." Variety. September 22, 2004.
  6. ^ a b Gaghan, Stephen. "Jeff Skoll." Time. April 30, 2006.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Thompson, Anne. "Participant President Staying Active." Variety. September 13, 2007.
  8. ^ a b Harris, Dana. "Skoll Toasts New Shingle." Variety. June 16, 2004.
  9. ^ a b c d e Shulgan, Chris. "Mr. Skoll Goes to Hollywood. April 5, 2009.
  10. ^ Abramowitz, Rachel. "Big-Money Dreamers." Los Angeles Times. April 13, 2003; Bing, Jonathan. "Mall Mogul Makes Movie Moves." Variety. August 3, 2003.
  11. ^ Siegel, Tatiana. "New Strategy for Sony Prez." Variety. January 24, 2008.
  12. ^ Epstein, Edward Jay. "Paranoia for Fun and Profit." Slate. May 3, 2005; "Fahrenheit 9/11 Finds Doalition of Willing Distributors." The Guardian. June 2, 2004; Rooney, David and Harris, Dana. "'9/11': Moore the Merrier." Variety. June 1, 2004; Snyder, Gabriel. "Case Study: 'Fahrenheit 9/11'." Variety. September 7, 2004.
  13. ^ Graser, Marc. "More Pluck for Less Buck." Variety. September 9, 2008.
  14. ^ Biskind, Peter. Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. ISBN 068486259x
  15. ^ a b Harris, Dana. "'Sesame' Impact Felt." Variety. November 22, 2004.
  16. ^ a b c d McClintock, Pamela. "Skoll Bankrolls 'Sesame'." Variety. January 8, 2006.
  17. ^ Thompson, Anne. "Studios Go Green, Scene By Scene." Variety. April 30, 2007.
  18. ^ a b Harris, Dana. "Warner Arm Calls 'Truce'." Variety. January 12, 2005.
  19. ^ A similar film, Joyeux Noël, was produced by Sony Pictures Classics in 2005. Truce entered development hell and Perelman signed to direct The Giver in December 2005. He was removed from that project and instead directed an MTV Video Music Award-winning music video for Kelly Clarkson (for the song Breakaway). Perelman's next feature film was 2008's The Life Before Her Eyes, starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. See: Gardner, Chris. "Walden Looks for Lion's Share." Variety. December 11, 2005; Morfoot, Addie. "Panic!, Blunt Prized With MTV Vid Nods." Variety. August 31, 2006; Fleming, Michael. "Thriller Ensnares Thurman to Star." Variety. June 8, 2006.
  20. ^ a b McNary, Dave. "Rodney Gets Some Respect." Variety. June 20, 2005.
  21. ^ a b Harris, Dana. "'Night' Watch for Thesps." Variety. March 14, 2005.
  22. ^ a b Harris, Dana. "Participant in 'Fast' Lane." Variety. May 15, 2005.
  23. ^ "Who's Really Who in Cannes." Variety. May 14, 2006.
  24. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela. "Trio Will Roll 'Murderball'." Variety. June 23, 2005.
  25. ^ Snyder, Gabriel. "Searchlight Craves 'Food'." Variety. December 18, 2005.
  26. ^ a b Mohr, Ian and Gardner, Chris. "Par Unit Heats Up Over Global Warming." Variety. February 13, 2006.
  27. ^ a b c Cohen, David S. "Stanley Kramer Award: An Inconvenient Truth." Variety. January 18, 2007.
  28. ^ Mohr, Ian. "Participant Picks Its Prexy." Variety. March 7, 2005.
  29. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela. "Participant Taps Senior VP." Variety. June 14, 2005.
  30. ^ McClintock, Pamela. "Exec Joins Skoll Roll." Variety. October 10, 2005.
  31. ^ Mohr, Ian. "Ebay Guru Clicks With Digital Cinema." Variety. February 7, 2005.
  32. ^ Harris, Dana. "'Gandhi' in Mideast." Variety. April 5, 2005.
  33. ^ McNary, Dave. "Par Flexes Major Cannes Muscle." Variety. May 10, 2006.
  34. ^ a b c d "Oscar Nominations." Daily Variety. February 1, 2006.
  35. ^ "'Crash' Wins Best Picture Oscar." Fox News. March 6, 2006.
  36. ^ McNary, Dave and McClintock, Pamela. "'Crusaders' March." Variety. June 20, 2006.
  37. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela. "'Visitor' Comes for London, Skoll." Variety. September 6, 2006.
  38. ^ a b Mohr, Ian. "Morris Sets Abu Ghraib Doc." Variety. November 5, 2006.
  39. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela and Zeitchik, Steven. "'Chicago 10' Doc to Open Sundance." Variety. November 16, 2006.
  40. ^ Morfoot, Addie. "Helmers Put Talking Heads Through Toon Filter." Daily Variety. November 17, 2008.
  41. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela. "Demme on Carter Trail." Variety. December 4, 2006.
  42. ^ a b Snyder, Gabriel. "Exec On Road to Mandalay." Variety. January 4, 2007.
  43. ^ a b McGray, Douglas. "Network Philanthropy." Los Angeles Times. January 21, 2007.
  44. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela. "Berk to Top Participant." Variety. September 7, 2006.
  45. ^ McNary, Dave. "'Truth' Is Served at PGAs." Variety. December 5, 2006.
  46. ^ Barnes, Brooks. "For Studio, Vampire Movie Is a Cinderella Story." New York Times. November 20, 2008.
  47. ^ a b c d e McClintock, Pamela. "Participant Reaches for the Summit." Daily Variety. January 22, 2009.
  48. ^ "Academy Awards Nominations." Variety. January 22, 2007.
  49. ^ "'Departed' Takes Top Oscar." Variety. February 25, 2007.
  50. ^ Gorman, Steve. "Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Wins Documentary Oscar." Reuters. February 26, 2007.
  51. ^ a b c McNary, Dave. "Participant Hired Duo for Marketing Gig." Variety. January 8, 2007.
  52. ^ McNary, Dave. "Skoll Taps Social Activist." Variety. January 16, 2007.
  53. ^ McNary, Dave. "Participant Prods. Taps New-Media Maven." Variety. February 14, 2007.
  54. ^ McClintock, Pamela. "King Joins Participant as Exec VP." Variety. April 12, 2007.
  55. ^ McClintock, Pamela. "Publishing Arm for Participant." Variety. May 24, 2007.
  56. ^ McClintock, Pamela. "Participant Taps VP Pair." Variety. June 13, 2007.
  57. ^ No films were produced under this agreement, however. See: Siegel, Tatiana. "Participant, Portman Link." Variety. November 2, 2007.
  58. ^ Schneider, Michael. "Participant Watches TV." Variety. November 9, 2007.
  59. ^ a b Fleming, Michael and McClintock, Pamela. "Pair Want Milk Made." Variety. April 13, 2007.
  60. ^ McNary, Dave. "Doc Heats Things Up." Variety. May 2, 2007.
  61. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela. "Lizard Duo, Gluck Are 'Taildraggers'." Variety. June 7, 2007.
  62. ^ The film may be caught in development hell; In January 2008, Broken Lizard began work on The Slammin' Salmon, a film which has been completed and is due for release in late summer 2009. In March 2008, the company began filming on another comedy, tentatively titled Tow Truck. And in January 2009, Broken Lizard finished casting for a third picture, Freeloaders. See: Brownstein, Bill. "You Can't Cage These Animals." Montreal Gazette. June 15, 2009; Siegel, Tatiana. "Raboy Takes Wheel of 'Tow Truck'." Variety. March 3, 2008; Siegle, Tatiana. "Broken Lizard Gets Some 'Freeloaders'." Variety. January 29, 2009.
  63. ^ a b Thompson, Anne. "Surf's Up For Prod'n Pair." Variety. November 20, 2007.
  64. ^ The film entered development hell for nearly two years. In May 2009, the studio hired Ric Roman Waugh to rewrite the script as well as to direct the film. See: Fleming, Michael. "Scribe Rides 'Bobby' Wave." Daily Variety. May 29, 2009.
  65. ^ Miller, Winter. "Doc Dance Partner." Variety. January 25, 2008.
  66. ^ Charlie Wilson's War was nominated for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), and writer Aaron Sorkin for Best Screenplay (Motion Picture) for the film. For their performances in the movie, Tom Hanks was nominated for Best Performance By An Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), Julia Roberts was nominated for Best Performance By An Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), and Philip Seymour Hoffman was nominated for Best Performance By An Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical). The Kite Runner was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and Alberto Iglesias was nominated for his score for the film. See: Gallo, Phil. "'Atonement,' 'Sweeney' Win Globes." Variety. January 13, 2008.
  67. ^ "Oscar Nominations." Variety. January 22, 2008.
  68. ^ a b c Thompson, Anne. "Duo Earning 'Wage'." Daily Variety. March 20, 2008.
  69. ^ Jaafar, Ali. "UN to Create $100 Mil Film Fund." Variety. January 16, 2008.
  70. ^ a b c d e f Graser, Marc. "Skoll Score." Variety. September 11, 2008.
  71. ^ "Dealmakers Impact Report '08." Variety. September 25, 2008.
  72. ^ Kivel, Matt. "Participant Taps Sakson Veep." Daily Variety. April 4, 2008.
  73. ^ a b c Deahl, Rachel. "Participant Media Adds Book Arm." Publisher's Weekly. June 15, 2009.
  74. ^ a b Wilhelm, Ian. "New iPhone Application Could Help Charity Fund Raising." Chronicle of Philanthropy. June 15, 2009.
  75. ^ TakePart.com Web site.
  76. ^ a b Garrett, Diane. "Bakula Lands 'Informant' Role." Daily Variety. April 1, 2008.
  77. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Stewart, Sharon; Dawtrey, Adam; Kaufman, Anthony; and Ross, Matthew. "Got Liquidity?" Variety. May 11, 2009.
  78. ^ a b McNary, Dave. "'Colony' Tale Settles in at Participant." Daily Variety. July 10, 2008.
  79. ^ McNary, Dave. "Producers to Toast Skoll." Daily Variety. November 19, 2008; Stewart, Anna. "Visionary Award: Jeff Skoll." Daily Variety. January 23, 2009.
  80. ^ a b Graser, Marc. "Warner Bros. Plays Cat-and-Mouse Game." Daily Variety. January 22, 2009.
  81. ^ a b Fleming, Michael. "Fraser Letting Fur Fly For Pic." Daily Variety. January 27, 2009.
  82. ^ a b c d Siegel, Tatiana. "Participant in Eco-Action." Daily Variety. April 22, 2009.
  83. ^ a b Fleming, Michael. "Producers Will Put History on 'Trial'." Daily Variety. April 24, 2009.
  84. ^ Freedland, Jonathan. "Court 73 - Where History Is on Trial." The Guardian. February 5, 2000; Lyall, Sarah. "London Trial Opens Dispute On Rewriting The Holocaust." New York Times. January 12, 2000; Lyall, Sarah. "Critic of a Holocaust Denier Is Cleared in British Libel Suit." New York Times. April 12, 2000; Reid, T.R. "Historians Fight Battle of the Books." Washington Post. April 6, 2000; Reid, T.R. "U.S. Scholar Is Victorious In Holocaust Libel Trial." Washington Post. April 12, 2000.
  85. ^ "Players." Daily Variety. March 12, 2009.
  86. ^ Mullins, Anne Schroeder. "'Casino Jack'." Politico. May 19, 2009.
  87. ^ Fleming, Michael. "Filmmaker to Direct Participant Pic." Variety. May 3, 2009.
  88. ^ a b Fleming, Michael. "Stiller Falls for Scam." Daily Variety. May 4, 2009.
  89. ^ McNary, Dave. "U.S. Wave for 'Cove'." Daily Variety. March 6, 2009.
  90. ^ "Liana Schwarz Upped to Senior VP Participant." The Hollywood Reporter. June 17, 2009.
  91. ^ Arna's Children, a 2003 Palestinian documentary, was distributed by Participant Productions in 2004. But the studio had no equity stake or production credit on the film.
  92. ^ Fleming, Michael. "Scribe Rides 'Bobby' Wave." Daily Variety. May 29, 2009.
  93. ^ "'The Visitor' Goes to Overture." VarietyBlog.com September 10, 2007; Anderson, John. "'Darfur Now' (Documentary)." Variety. September 13, 2007.
  94. ^ Daunt, Tina. "'The End of the Line' Examines the Perils of Overfishing." Los Angeles Times. June 12, 2009; "Underwater Treasures." The Economist. January 22, 2009.
  95. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela and Thompson, Anne. "Buyers Feel 'Hurt'." Variety. September 10, 2008.
  96. ^ Koehler, Robert. "Pressure Cooker." Variety. June 23, 2008.

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