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Startups vs Multinational Corporations – the Hollywood version

21st November 2018 - Business & Marketing
Startups vs Multinational Corporations – the Hollywood version

Ryan Wiik, is a businessman and entrepreneur, who founded WR Entertainment, an independent movie production company. Over a period of 3 years, Ryan grew this company from from zero to $100 million, reaching stratospheric growth and prestige in the marketplace.

With his period on that company, he got to take a look at the guts of the Hollywood film industry and, according to Wiik himself, the view was anything but pretty.

According to him, the big corporations take the creativity out of actors and other film-related professionals, which is a big deal – but there is more to this equation, as more factors can explain why, usually, independent companies do not make it in Hollywood:

“(…) most independent companies are averse to the inherent risks of development – that are always present, you cannot avoid them – and rather work for fees, allowing the big multinationals to reap the financial benefits!”

Even though these small companies also get to do some movies, which can actually be of high-quality, always gets beaten by a giant’s remake or cliché-based film. And big film corporations really do not even have to try hard.

The examples of small companies producing very good content are not exactly vast, but still Wiik can name one:

“I guess the best example is the Twilight franchise. I mean, Summit Entertainment is a mini-major, that experienced significant success, largely based on this one IP. They had a small portfolio of film investments – eleven or twelve – but they kept the idea and feel of the books, which the fans absolutely loved. The movies were quite original in their making, and sometimes in sharp contrast with Hollywood’s overflow of violence, sex and special effects.”

While Wiik is not in the business anymore, after leaving WR Entertainment, he sticks with the view he had when creating the company, implying that, if he was able to go back in time, he would still create his own business:

“I do [still believe that creating an independent movie production company is a good venture]! You get to have both financial and creative independence. What you really get, is to bring onto the big screen, original, out-of-the-box movies. You get to give the power to the artists, and to the novelty, the fresh air of their creation!”

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