Participant Media

Participant Media is an American film production company founded in 2004 by Jeffrey Skoll, dedicated to entertainment that inspires and compels social change. The company finances and co-produces films, and its digital hub, TakePart serves millions of socially conscious consumers each month with daily articles, videos and opportunities to take action.
After founding, the company was originally named Participant Productions, troubled from a number of failed attempts and projects subsequently entering development hell, but entered success after a series of trial and error, and went on to become one of the most well-known independent financiers. The company's name descriptively politicizesThompson, Anne (March 10, 2008). "West, Atkinson Earn 'Minimum Wage'". Variety. its basis on currently topical subjects presented to induce awareness in problematic social aspects.Solomon, Lewis (2008). "Participant Productions", Tech Billionaires: Reshaping Philanthropy in a Quest for a Better World. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2008. p. 76-81. .Pinsker, Beth (September 7, 2004). "Millionaire Report Cards". Variety.Graser, Marc (September 22, 2004). "eBay Guru in Bidness on WB Pix". Variety.
The company has produced, financed, or co-produced over 75 films. Its films have been nominated for 50 Academy Awards, and have won 11, including Best Picture for Spotlight.Thompson, Anne (September 13, 2007). "Participant President Staying Active". Variety.Gaghan, Stephen (April 30, 2006). "Jeff Skoll". Time.
==History==
===Founding and early investments===
The company was founded in January 2004 as Participant Productions by Jeffrey Skoll, the "second employee" of eBay,Stern, Stefan (June 12, 2009). "Lunch with the FT: Jeff Skoll". Financial Times. to produce projects that were both commercially viable and socially relevant.Harris, Dana (June 16, 2004). "Skoll Toasts New Shingle". Variety.
With $100 million in cash from Skoll's personal funds, Skoll was the company's first chief executive officer, but stepped down from that position in August 2006. Participant Productions' initial plans were to produce four to six films per year, each with a budget of $40 million. The company focused on films in six areas the environment, health care, human rights, institutional responsibility, peace and tolerance, and social and economic justice. It evaluated projects by running them past its creative executives first, assessing their cost and commercial viability second, and then analyzing their social relevance last. Shulgan, Chris (April 5, 2009). "Mr. Skoll Goes to Hollywood". The Globe and Mail. 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. In some cases, the studio has spent years creating positive word-of-mouth with advocacy groups, which are often encouraged to use the film to push their own agendas.Graser, Marc (September 9, 2008). "More Pluck for Less Buck". Variety.
The new company quickly announced an ambitious slate of productions. Its first film was the drama film American Gun (2005), with equity partner IFC Films. Two weeks later, the company announced a co-production deal with Warner Bros. on two films the geopolitical thriller film Syriana (2005) and the drama film Class Action (later re-titled North Country (2005). Biskind, Peter (2004). Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film. New York City: Simon & Schuster. . Participant Productions contributed half the budget of each film. Its fourth production, a documentary film, was announced in November 2004. Titled The World According to Sesame Street (2005), the film examined the impact of the children's television show Sesame Street on world culture, focusing on Kosovo, Bangladesh, South Africa and El Salvador.Harris, Dana (November 22, 2004). "'Sesame' Impact Felt". Variety.McClintock, Pamela (January 8, 2006). "Skoll Bankrolls 'Sesame'". Variety. 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 the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth (2006).Thompson, Anne (April 30, 2007). "Studios Go Green, Scene By Scene". Variety.
===First films and financial problems, maturing growth===
In 2005, the company suffered its first stumble. It again agreed to co-finance a picture with Warner Bros., this time Vadim Perelman's second feature, Truce.Harris, Dana (January 12, 2005). "Warner Arm Calls 'Truce'". Variety. Although Perelman claimed he had "never been moved by a script to such an extent", the film never went into production.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 was the thriller film The Life Before Her Eyes (2007), starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. See: Gardner, Chris (December 11, 2005). "Walden Looks for Lion's Share". Variety.; Morfoot, Addie (August 31, 2006). "Panic!, Blunt Prized with MTV Vid Nods". Variety.; Fleming, Michael (June 8, 2006). "Thriller Ensnares Thurman to Star". Variety. North Country did poorly at the box office despite having recent Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron in the lead. The World According to Sesame Street never found a distributor for theatrical release, and eventually only aired on PBS television, Sesame Streets broadcast home.
The company announced in March 2005 that it would executive co-produce the Warner Bros. drama film Good Night, and Good Luck.Harris, Dana (March 14, 2005). "'Night' Watch for Thesps". Variety. At the Cannes Film Festival in May, the company bought the right to distribute the forthcoming drama film Fast Food Nation (2006), directed by Richard Linklater, in North America in return for an equity stake in the film.Harris, Dana (May 15, 2005). "Participant in 'Fast' Lane". Variety."Who's Really Who in Cannes". Variety. May 14, 2006. A month later, it bought the distribution rights to the documentary film Murderball in return for an equity stake in the film.McClintock, Pamela (June 23, 2005). "Trio Will Roll 'Murderball'". Variety. It also executive produced and co-financed Al Gore's global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.Snyder, Gabriel (December 18, 2005). "Searchlight Craves 'Food'". Variety.Mohr, Ian; Gardner, Chris (February 13, 2006). "Par Unit Heats Up Over Global Warming". Variety.Cohen, David S. (January 18, 2007). "Stanley Kramer Award: An Inconvenient Truth". Variety.
As heavier production scheduling grew, the company added staff. Ricky Strauss was named first president in March 2005, with oversight of production, marketing and business development.Mohr, Ian (March 7, 2005). "Participant Picks Its Prexy". Variety. Attorney and former non-profit chief executive Meredith Blake was hired in June as its Senior Vice President of Corporate and Community Affairs,McClintock, Pamela (June 14, 2005). "Participant Taps Senior VP". Variety. to oversee development of awareness and outreach campaigns around the social issues raised in the company's films in cooperation with non-profit organizations, corporations, and earned media. Diane Weyermann, director of the Sundance Institute's Documentary Film Program, joined the company in October 2005 as Executive Vice President of Documentary Production.McClintock, Pamela (October 10, 2005). "Exec Joins Skoll Roll". Variety.
The company's non-film-production efforts continued to grow as well. The company 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).Mohr, Ian (February 7, 2005). "Ebay Guru Clicks with Digital Cinema". Variety. The company also began its first socially relevant outreach project, helping to finance screenings of the biographical film Gandhi (1982) in the Palestinian territories for the first time as well as in the countries of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.Harris, Dana (April 5, 2005). "'Gandhi' in Mideast". Variety. In support of its upcoming film, An Inconvenient Truth, the studio negotiated a deal whereby distributor Paramount Classics would donate five percent of its U.S. domestic theatrical gross box-office receipts (with a minimum guarantee of $500,000) to the Alliance for Climate Protection.McNary, Dave (May 10, 2006). "Par Flexes Major Cannes Muscle". Variety.
The company had a very successful 2005 awards season, with eleven Academy Award nominations and one win. Good Night, and Good Luck garnered six nominations, including Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Director (George Clooney), Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (David Strathairn) and Best Original Screenplay."Oscar Nominations". Daily Variety. February 1, 2006. Murderball was nominated for Best Documentary Feature. North Country was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Charlize Theron) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Frances McDormand). Syriana was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (George Clooney) and Best Original Screenplay. But of the eleven nominations, only George Clooney won for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Syriana.Staff (March 6, 2006). "'Crash' Wins Best Picture Oscar". Fox News. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
===Film line-up addition and continued growth===
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.McNary, Dave; McClintock, Pamela (June 20, 2006). "'Crusaders' March". Variety. But the film never got beyond the development stage.
In September, the company entered into an agreement to co-produce the drama film The Visitor (2008) with Groundswell Productions,McClintock, Pamela (September 6, 2006). "'Visitor' Comes for London, Skoll". Variety. and two months later agreed to co-produce (with Sony Pictures Classics) a documentary film about the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, Standard Operating Procedure (2008), directed by Errol Morris.Mohr, Ian (November 5, 2006). "Morris Sets Abu Ghraib Doc". Variety.
The company also took an equity position in and a co-production credit for Chicago 10 (2007), an animated documentary film about the 1969 Chicago Seven conspiracy trial.McClintock, Pamela; Zeitchik, Steven (November 16, 2006). "'Chicago 10' Doc To Open Sundance". Variety.Morfoot, Addie (November 17, 2008). "Helmers Put Talking Heads Through Toon Filter". Daily Variety.
Finally, in December, the company agreed to finance and produce the documentary film Man from Plains (2007), directed by Jonathan Demme, that followed former U.S. President Jimmy Carter as he promoted his political-science book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid (2006).McClintock, Pamela (December 4, 2006). "Demme on Carter Trail". Variety.
The company also co-financed, with Warner Independent Pictures, the documentary film Darfur Now (2007),Snyder, Gabriel (January 4, 2007). "Exec on Road to Mandalay". Variety. and, with Universal Studios and others, co-financed the biographical film Charlie Wilson's War (2007).McGray, Douglas (January 21, 2007). "Network Philanthropy". Los Angeles Times. The film had the biggest budget of any of the company's films since Syriana.
Three major corporate events also occurred in 2006.
* In September, Skoll stepped down as the company's chief executive officer and was replaced by James Berk,McClintock, Pamela (September 7, 2006). "Berk To Top Participant". Variety. 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.
* In December, the company won its first significant award when the Producers Guild of America presented the 2007 Stanley Kramer Award to An Inconvenient Truth.McNary, Dave (December 5, 2006). "'Truth' Is Served at PGAs". Variety.
* The company was also one of the backers in April 2006 which invested $1 billion in Summit Entertainment, allowing that company to restructure itself as a full-fledged film studio. Barnes, Brooks (November 20, 2008). "For Studio, Vampire Movie Is a Cinderella Story". The New York Times.McClintock, Pamela (January 22, 2009). "Participant Reaches for the Summit". Daily Variety. This did not become known, however, for near three years.
The company's success continued through the 2006 awards season. An Inconvenient Truth was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and the song "I Need to Wake Up" (by Melissa Etheridge) nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song."Academy Awards Nominations". Variety. January 22, 2007. The film and song won their respective categories in February 2007."'Departed' Takes Top Oscar". Variety. February 25, 2007.Gorman, Steve (February 26, 2007). "Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Wins Documentary Oscar". Reuters. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
Corporate growth continued in 2007. On January 8, the company hired motion-picture marketing veterans Buffy Shutt and Kathy Jones, both Executive Vice President of Marketing, to coordinate marketing of the company's films.McNary, Dave (January 8, 2007). "Participant Hired Duo for Marketing Gig". Variety. Eight days later, the company hired Tony Award- and Emmy Award-winning event producer John Schreiber as Executive Vice President of Social Action and Advocacy to enhance the company's earned media, non-profit and corporate outreach and advocacy campaigns.McNary, Dave (January 16, 2007). "Skoll Taps Social Activist". Variety.
February saw the hire of Adrian Sexton as Executive Vice President to oversee digital and global media projects,McNary, Dave (February 14, 2007). "Participant Prods. Taps New-Media Maven". Variety. and April saw veteran production head Jonathan King join the company as Executive Vice President of Production.McClintock, Pamela (April 12, 2007). "King Joins Participant as Exec VP". Variety. Lynn Hirshfield was hired in May as Vice President of Business Development to launch the company's publishing division,McClintock, Pamela (May 24, 2007). "Publishing Arm for Participant". Variety. and saw Bonnie Abaunza and Liana Schwarz both Vice President of Social Action Campaign Development and Operations to assist with social outreach and advocacy campaigns in mid-June.McClintock, Pamela (June 13, 2007). "Participant Taps VP Pair". Variety.
===Portman deal and name change, more political outreach===
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. No films were produced under this agreement, however.Siegel, Tatiana (November 2, 2007). "Participant, Portman Link". Variety. The same month, the company hired veteran Showtime producer John Moser to oversee development and production of original programs for television and home cable.Schneider, Michael (November 9, 2007). "Participant Watches TV". Variety. 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 it premiered at Sundance, and only significant editing and a reduction in running time led to a distribution deal.
The company also announced additional productions. In January, it said it was co-financing the drama film The Kite Runner (2007) with Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and DreamWorks. That spring, the company took an equity position in Angels in the Dust (2007), a documentary film about children orphaned by AIDS, and paid the filmmaker to update the film and shoot more footage.
In April, it closed a deal with Warner Independent to turn the biographical book, The Mayor of Castro Street (1982), by Randy Shilts, into a film,Fleming, Michael; McClintock, Pamela (April 13, 2007). "Pair Want Milk Made". Variety. but entered development hell, as well as the feature-length documentary about the 2007 Live Earth concert later.McNary, Dave (May 2, 2007). "Doc Heats Things Up". Variety. Five months later, in June, Participant agreed to co-produce and co-finance (with Broken Lizard) the company's first comedy film, Taildraggers, revolving around five pilots trying to stop oil extraction from an Alaskan preserve.McClintock, Pamela (June 7, 2007). "Lizard Duo, Gluck Are 'Taildraggers'". Variety. As of June 2009, however, the film had not been produced.The film went into development hell. In January 2008, Broken Lizard began work on The Slammin' Salmon (2009). In March 2008, the company began filming on another comedy, tentatively titled Tow Truck, but this film had not been released as of March 2012. In January 2009, Broken Lizard finished casting for a third picture, the comedy Freeloaders. Freeloaders was completed, but did not have theatrical distribution as of March 2012. See: Brownstein, Bill (June 15, 2009). "You Can't Cage These Animals". The Gazette.; Siegel, Tatiana (March 3, 2008). "Raboy Takes Wheel of 'Tow Truck'". Variety.; Siegel, Tatiana (January 29, 2009). "Broken Lizard Gets Some 'Freeloaders'". Variety.
Participant then signed a co-production deal with State Street Pictures to finance the biographical drama, Bobby Martinez about the eponymous Latino surfer in November.Thompson, Anne (November 20, 2007). "Surf's Up For Prod'n Pair". Variety. The film entered development hell for nearly two years, but hired Ric Roman Waugh to rewrite and direct in April 2009,Fleming, Michael (May 29, 2009). "Scribe Rides 'Bobby' Wave". Daily Variety. with supposed production by the beginning of 2012. By the end of 2007, the company was seen as a key player in documentary production.Miller, Winter (January 25, 2008). "Doc Dance Partner". Variety. January 25, 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.Thompson, Anne. "Duo Earning 'Wage'." Daily Variety. March 20, 2008.
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.Jaafar, Ali. "UN to Create $100 Mil Film Fund." Variety. January 16, 2008. Fueling the company's expansion was the creation of a $250 million fund with Imagination, a start-up film studio based in the United Arab Emirates which is a division of the Abu Dhabi Media Company.Graser, Marc. "Skoll Score." Variety. September 11, 2008. Each company contributed roughly half of the fund's total (although some funding came from loans). Participant and Imagination 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."Dealmakers Impact Report '08." Variety. September 25, 2008. To boost its marketing efforts, the company also hired Jeffrey Sakson as Vice President of Publicity in April 2008.Kivel, Matt. "Participant Taps Sakson Veep." Daily Variety. April 4, 2008. 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.Deahl, Rachel. "Participant Media Adds Book Arm." Publisher's Weekly. June 15, 2009. The first book to be published under the pact was Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food Is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer—And What You Can Do About It. 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.Wilhelm, Ian. "New iPhone Application Could Help Charity Fund Raising." Chronicle of Philanthropy. June 15, 2009.
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. It was not produced. 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.Garrett, Diane. "Bakula Lands 'Informant' Role." Daily Variety. April 1, 2008.Stewart, Sharon; Dawtrey, Adam; Kaufman, Anthony; and Ross, Matthew. "Got Liquidity?" Variety. May 11, 2009. July saw Participant set up a co-financing deal with three other studios to produce The Colony, an eco-horror film.McNary, Dave. "'Colony' Tale Settles in at Participant." Daily Variety. July 10, 2008. It, too, was never produced.
The 2007 awards season saw several more Academy Award nominations for the company's films. Its films had a combined seven Golden Globe Award nominations, although it won none.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 (January 13, 2008). "'Atonement,' 'Sweeney' Win Globes". Variety. 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."Oscar Nominations". Variety. January 22, 2008. But the studio won no Oscars that year.
 
The success during awards season did not extend into 2008. The company had only three 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.McNary, Dave. "Producers to Toast Skoll." Daily Variety. November 19, 2008; Stewart, Anna. "Visionary Award: Jeff Skoll." Daily Variety. January 23, 2009.
===Documentary-focused production===
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)Graser, Marc (January 22, 2009). "Warner Bros. Plays Cat-and-Mouse Game". Daily Variety. and Furry Vengeance (a comedy starring Brendan Fraser about an Oregon real estate developer who is opposed by animals).Fleming, Michael (January 27, 2009). "Fraser Letting Fur Fly For Pic". Daily Variety. But only Furry Vengeance was produced. 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 Imagination Media, was nonexclusive (meaning Participant could seek distribution of films by other companies) and was limited to four projects a year. The agreement allowed Summit to charge a distribution fee, and to co-finance titles if it wished. The pact covered home video and pay-television distribution as well. Furry Vengeance was the first picture produced under the agreement. 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.Siegel, Tatiana (April 22, 2009). "Participant in Eco-Action". Daily Variety. The script went into development hell. The same month, the company agreed to co-finance (with Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment) a biographical drama titled History on Trial—which was intended to document the true story of Deborah Lipstadt, a professor of Jewish studies who was sued by Holocaust deniers David Irving for libel.Fleming, Michael (April 24, 2009). "Producers Will Put History on 'Trial'". Daily Variety.Freedland, Jonathan (February 5, 2000). "Court 73 - Where History Is on Trial". The Guardian.Lyall, Sarah (January 12, 2000). "London Trial Opens Dispute on Rewriting the Holocaust". The New York Times.Lyall, Sarah (April 12, 2000). "Critic of a Holocaust Denier Is Cleared in British Libel Suit". The New York Times.Reid, T.R. (April 6, 2000). "Historians Fight Battle of the Books". The Washington Post.Reid, T.R. (April 12, 2000). "U.S. Scholar Is Victorious in Holocaust Libel Trial". The Washington Post. The film was not produced. The company also announced a number of productions in May 2009, including: The Crazies, a remake of the 1973 film of the same name;"Players". Daily Variety. March 12, 2009. Casino Jack and the United States of Money, a film about the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal;Mullins, Anne Schroeder. "'Casino Jack'." Politico. May 19, 2009. Help Me Spread Goodness, a comedy starring and directed by Ben Stiller about a banking executive who is caught by a Nigerian Internet scam (the film was not produced);Fleming, Michael. "Filmmaker to Direct Participant Pic." Variety. May 3, 2009.Fleming, Michael (May 4, 2009). "Stiller Falls for Scam". Daily Variety. 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.
The company also expanded in non-film production as well. In March, Participant agreed to conduct outreach and social advocacy efforts on behalf of the Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions documentary The Cove about dolphin slaughters by Japanese villagers in a cove near fishing grounds.McNary, Dave. "U.S. Wave for 'Cove'." Daily Variety. March 6, 2009. The firm's TakePart website also released a new iPhone application, Givabit, which solicits charitable donations for Participant Media's nonprofit advocacy partners from iPhone users once a day. In June, the company established a new book publishing subsidiary, headed by Vice President of Publishing Lynn Hirshfield (who changed titles within the company).DiOrio, Carl. "Lynn Hirshfield Upped at Participant." The Hollywood Reporter. June 8, 2009. Liana Schwarz was promoted to Senior Vice President of Campaign Development and Operations."Liana Schwarz Upped to Senior VP Participant." The Hollywood Reporter. June 17, 2009.
In September, the company signed an agreement with Submarine Entertainment under which they would handle North American sales of upcoming documentaries, and act as a consultant on worldwide sales of its documentaries.McNary, Dave. "Submarine Dives Into Doc Deal." Daily Variety. September 16, 2009.
In January 2010, Participant Media co-presented director Mark Lewis' documentary film, Cane Toads: The Conquest at the Sundance Film Festival.McClintock, Pamela. "Welcome to 'Ava-Toad'." Daily Variety. January 28, 2010. The film, the industry newspaper Daily Variety said, was the "first specialty doc filmed in digital 3D." A month later, Bonnie Stylides left Summit Entertainment to become Participant's Senior Vice-President of Business Affairs."News Briefs". Daily Variety. February 9, 2010. The studio's hit documentary, Waiting for "Superman", garnered media acclaim, and Participant inked a worldwide distribution deal with Paramount shortly before its premiere at Sundance.McClintock, Pamela; Swart, Sharon (February 1, 2010). "Sundance's Roots Are Showing". Variety. It also sold North American distribution rights for its documentary, Countdown to Zero, to Magnolia Pictures,Kilday, Gregg (February 12, 2010). "Magnolia Picks Up 'Countdown to Zero'". The Hollywood Reporter. and distribution rights to its documentary Climate of Change to Tribeca Film (a division of Robert De Niro's Tribeca Enterprises).Kilday, Gregg (March 2, 2010). "Tribeca Launches Distribution Plans". The Hollywood Reporter.
The company also received a $248,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to raise awareness about access to quality food and childhood obesity."Participant Media, Active Voice Combat Obesity". The Hollywood Reporter. February 25, 2010. The studio used these funds to create a campaign linked to its promotional efforts for the documentary film Food, Inc. and signed a deal with Active Media to help run the campaign. It also signed a deal with Planet Illogica (a web site collaboratively produced by artists, filmmakers, musicians, and fashion designers) to generate a social action campaign associated with its documentary Oceans (which was released by Walt Disney Pictures).Swart, Sharon (February 25, 2010).. "Creatives Network on Net for Distrib'n". Variety. The "Save My Oceans Tour" involved concerts, art installations, and screenings of Oceans on college campuses.Johnson, Ted (April 25, 2010). "Earth to H'Wood". Variety.
In April, Noah Manduke (former president of the consulting firm Durable Good and president of the marketing firm Siegel + Gale) was named chief strategy officer of the Jeff Skoll Group."Noah Manduke Joins Jeff Skoll Group". The Hollywood Reporter. April 13, 2010. Skoll created the Skoll Group to oversee his various enterprises, including Participant Media, and Manduke began working with Skoll and Participant Media's top management to begin a strategic planning process and strengthen collaboration between Participant and Skoll's other organizations and companies. The following month, studio executive James Berk was one of only 180 individuals invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences."Acad's Chosen Few". Variety. June 28, 2010.
===Criticism===
Based on the success of its Twilight Saga film series, Summit Entertainment announced on March 8, 2011, that it was making a $750 million debt refinancing with cash distribution to its investors, which included Participant Media.McNary, Dave (March 19, 2011). "Summit Peek: Post-Fangs Bang?". Variety.
On June 5, The New York Times ran a major about the studio, declaring: "Participant Media, the film industry's most visible attempt at social entrepreneurship, turned seven this year without quite sorting out whether a company that trades in movies with a message can earn its way in a business that has been tough even for those who peddle 3-D pandas and such."Cieply, Michael (June 5, 2011). "Uneven Growth for Film Studio with a Message". The New York Times. Retrieved June 6, 2011. Author Michael Cieply noted that The Beaver, Participant's latest released, cost $20 million but had garnered just $1 million in gross box-office sales after a month in theaters making the film a "flop". The company's biggest success to date, the newspaper noted, was 2007's Charlie Wilson's War ($66.7 million in gross domestic box office revenue). Skoll was quoted as saying that he had poured "hundreds of millions to date [into the company], with much more to follow", and that the studio had yet to break even. Skoll and Berk, however, noted that Participant Media performs slightly above-average when compared to similarly-sized peers. The advantage came in three areas: home video sales, the company's long-term attempts to build social movements around its films, and its stake in Summit Entertainment (which allowed it to win more favorable distribution terms).
Quoting unnamed sources, the Times said that audiences may be turned off by Participant's relentless focus on upsetting issues. The company hoped that it would change this attitude about its films (and make money) with 2011's The Help (about racial reconciliation in the American South during the 1960s) and Contagion (a Steven Soderbergh picture about the outbreak of a virulent, deadly disease). Skoll also said that Participant had purchased the rights to a New York Times article about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, and that the film would likely focus not simply on oil drilling but on a number of critical issues (such as climate change and the ecological health of oceans).
By year's end, however, there was less concern about the company's financial future. The studio's $25 million film about racial reconciliation (about a third of the production budget came from Participant),Masters, Kim (September 28, 2011). "DreamWorks' Stacey Snider Addresses Studio's Money Issues". The Hollywood Reporter. The Help, cleared $100 million in late August,McClintock, Pamela (August 31, 2011). "'The Help' Crosses $100 Million Mark". The Hollywood Reporter. and was just short of $200 million worldwide by late December.Bruce, Leslie (December 18, 2011). "THR's 2011 Biggest Rule Breakers: Kim Kardashian, Netflix's Reed Hastings, Chuck Lorre and Ashton Kutcher". The Hollywood Reporter. The Help was the first film since 2010's Inception to be number one at the North American box office for three straight weekends in a row,McClintock, Pamela (September 4, 2011). "Box Office Report: 'Apollo 18' and 'Shark Night' Still in a Dead Heat". The Hollywood Reporter. and was only unseated by another Participant Media film, Contagion.McClintock, Pamela (September 10, 2011). "Box Office Report: Steven Soderbergh's 'Contagion' Winning Weekend Race". The Hollywood Reporter. The Help was nominated for four Academy Awards: The film for Best Picture, Viola Davis for Best Actress, and Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress. Spencer won the Oscar for her role."Oscars 2012: Complete Winners List"> The Hollywood Reporter. February 26, 2012.
Participant executives said in October 2011 that the studio would expand its production to make seven to twelve films a year, would begin producing features and series for television, and expand its online presence.McClintock, Pamela (October 14, 2011). "Participant Media's Dynamic Duo Jim Berk and Ricky Strauss". The Hollywood Reporter. As part of this plan, in November the studio hired advertising executive Chad Boettcher to be executive vice president for social action and advocacy and 20th Century Fox executive Gary Frenkel to be senior vice president for digital products and communities."Insiders". Daily Variety. November 21, 2011.
===2012===
In January 2012, Participant Media made its first investment in a non-English-language film, the forthcoming Pablo Larraín motion picture No (starring Gael Garcia Bernal). The semi-biographical film tells the story of a man who initiates an upbeat, innocuous advertising campaign that helps to unseat Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet during the 1988 plebiscite that led to the Chilean transition to democracy. The same month, however, it lost its president, Ricky Strauss, who departed the studio to become head of worldwide marketing at Walt Disney Pictures.Masters, Kim; Kit, Borys (January 12, 2012). "Disney Names Ricky Strauss as Marketing Chief". The Hollywood Reporter.
Three weeks later, in February 2012, Participant Media announced that it was partnering with Summit Entertainment, Image Nation (formerly Imagination Abu Dhabi), Spanish production company Apaches Entertainment, and Colombian production company Dynamo to produce a supernatural horror film about an American oil company executive who moves his family into a house in a small city in Colombia only to find the home is haunted. The company announced that Spanish director Luis Quilez would direct from a script by Alex and David Pastor (who developed their script with funding from Participant).McClintock, Pamela (February 2, 2012). "Participant Gearing Up for Colombian Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter.
In April, Participant formed Participant Television, its television division, with the naming of its president, Evan Shapiro. Participant also took an equity stake in Cineflix Media Canada-based TV producer and distributor. In December, Participant continued its move into television with the purchase of the Documentary Channel (USA) and Halogen TV's distribution assets to be combined into a new cable channel within its TV division.
===2013===
On January 10, 2013, Participant Media's Lincoln received 12 Academy Award nominations. These included Best Picture, Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Supporting Actress (Sally Field), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner).Cieply, Michael and Barnes, Brooks. "'Lincoln' Leads Oscar Field With 12 Nominations." New York Times. January 10, 2013. Accessed 2013-01-10.
The following month, Participant Media launched a Latin American production division, Participant PanAmerica, to co-finance Spanish-language films with Mexican producers. The plan calls for 12 films to be made under this division over a five-year period.Hopewell, John. "Participant PanAmerica Launches." Variety. February 7, 2013. Accessed 2013-02-07.
PM's new millennial targeted cable channel, Pivot, launched on August 1.
===2015===
On October 13, 2015, the company announced David Linde joined Participant as CEO.
On December 16, the company and Spielberg with Reliance and Entertainment One created Amblin Partners.
===2016===
On February 28, 2016, the company won its first Best Picture Academy Award for Spotlight. The acclaimed drama also picked up the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer).
On October 13, 2016, the company acquired SoulPancake, a short-form and digital brand, for an undisclosed price. On October 31, 2016, the company shut down TV network Pivot due to low ratings and small viewing audiences. At the end of 2016, the company shut down TakePart as part of a shifting strategy.
==Films==
Year 	Film 	Director 	Distributor 	Ref
2004 	Arna's Children 	Juliano Mer KhamisDanniel Danniel 	Thinkfilm 	
2005 	Murderball 	Henry Alex RubinDana Adam Shapiro 	Thinkfilm 	
2005 	Good Night, and Good Luck 	George Clooney 	Warner Independent Pictures 	
2005 	North Country 	Niki Caro 	Warner Bros. 	
2005 	Syriana 	Stephen Gaghan 	Warner Bros. 	
2006 	American Gun 	Aric Avelino 	IFC Films 	
2006 	The World According to Sesame Street 	Linda Hawkins CostiganLinda Goldstein-Knowlton 	Participant Media 	
2006 	An Inconvenient Truth 	Davis Guggenheim 	Paramount Vantage 	
2006 	Fast Food Nation 	Richard Linklater 	Fox Searchlight Pictures andThe Weinstein Company 	
2007 	Angels in the Dust 	Louise Hogarth 	N/A 	
2007 	Man from Plains 	Jonathan Demme 	Sony Pictures Classics 	
2007 	Darfur Now 	Ted Braun 	Warner Independent Pictures andParticipant Media 	
2007 	The Kite Runner 	Marc Forster 	DreamWorks andParamount Vantage 	
2007 	Charlie Wilson's War 	Mike Nichols 	Universal Studios 	
2008 	Chicago 10 	Brett Morgen 	Roadside Attractions 	
2008 	The Visitor 	Tom McCarthy 	Overture Films 	
2008 	Standard Operating Procedure 	Errol Morris 	Sony Pictures Classics 	
2009 	The Soloist 	Joe Wright 	Paramount Pictures andUniversal Studios 	
2009 	Food, Inc. 	Robert Kenner 	Magnolia Pictures 	
2009 	The Cove 	Louie Psihoyos 	Lionsgate andRoadside Attractions 	
2009 	Pressure Cooker 	Mark BeckerJennifer Grausman 	N/A 	
2009 	The Informant! 	Steven Soderbergh 	Warner Bros. 	
2010 	Oceans 	Jacques PerrinJacques Cluzaud 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	
2010 	The Crazies 	Breck Eisner 	Overture Films 	
2010 	Furry Vengeance 	Roger Kumble 	Summit Entertainment 	
2010 	Casino Jack and the United States of Money 	Alex Gibney 	Magnolia Pictures 	
2010 	Climate of Change 	Brian Hill 	Tribeca Film Festival 	
2010 	Countdown to Zero 	Lucy Walker 	Magnolia Pictures 	
2010 	Waiting for "Superman" 	Davis Guggenheim 	Paramount Vantage 	
2010 	Fair Game 	Doug Liman 	Summit Entertainment 	
2011 	Circumstance 	Maryam Keshavarz 	Participant Media andRoadside Attractions 	
2011 	Cane Toads: The Conquest 	Mark Lewis 	Pinnacle Films 	
2011 	The Beaver 	Jodie Foster 	Summit Entertainment 	
2011 	Page One: Inside the New York Times 	Andrew Rossi 	Magnolia Pictures 	
2011 	The Help 	Tate Taylor 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	
2011 	Contagion 	Steven Soderbergh 	Warner Bros. 	
2012 	The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 	John Madden 	Fox Searchlight Pictures 	"SAG Awards 2013: The Complete Winners and Nominees List." Los Angeles Times. January 27, 2013. Accessed 2013-01-28.
2012 	Last Call at the Oasis 	Jessica Yu 	ATO Pictures,Mongrel Media andParticipant Media 	Fernandez, Jay A. "Toronto 2011: ATO Pictures Grabs 'Last Call at the Oasis'." The Hollywood Reporter. September 21, 2011.
2012 	No 	Pablo Larraín 	Sony Pictures Classics 	Hopewell, John and Dickey, Josh L. "Participant Boards Spanish-Lingo 'No'." Variety. February 9, 2012.Although the film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012, the distributor will not release it until early 2013. See: Hopewell, John and Keslassy, Elsa. "'No' Tops Directors' Fortnight at Cannes." Variety. May 25, 2012.Rohter, Larry. "One Prism on the Undoing of Pinochet." New York Times. February 8, 2013. Accessed 2013-02-14.
2012 	Middle of Nowhere 	Ava DuVernay 	AFFRM andParticipant Media 	Kit, Borys. "Sundance 2012: Participant Media, AFFRM Partner for 'Middle of Nowhere'." The Hollywood Reporter. January 27, 2012.
2012 	Lincoln 	Steven Spielberg 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and20th Century Fox 	Barnes, Brooks and Cieply, Michael. "'Lincoln' Tops 2013 Golden Globe Nominations." New York Times. December 13, 2012. Accessed 2013-01-10.McClintock, Pamela. "Participant Media Boarding Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln'." The Hollywood Reporter. October 12, 2011; "List of Golden Globe Winners." New York Times. January 13, 2013, accessed 2013-01-14.
2012 	Promised Land 	Gus van Sant 	Focus Features 	Gilbert, Daniel. "Matt Damon Fracking Film Lights Up Petroleum Lobby." Wall Street Journal. October 7, 2012.
2013 	99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film 	Aaron Aites, Audrey Ewell, Nina Krstic, Lucian Read 	Participant Media 	Siegel, Tatiana. "Sundance 2013: Participant Picks Up Doc '99%–The Occupy Wall St. Collaborative Film'." The Hollywood Reporter. January 28, 2013.
2013 	Snitch 	Ric Roman WaughSneider, Jeff. "Benjamin Bratt Hitches to 'Snitch'." Variety. December 6, 2011.	Summit Entertainment andLionsgate 	
2013 	A Place at the Table 	Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush 	Magnolia Pictures 	Anderson, John. "Sundance Reviews: Finding North." Variety. January 24, 2012. The film's former title was Finding North. See: McNary, Dave. "Magnolia Finds 'A Place at the Table'." Variety. July 27, 2012.
2013 	State 194 	Dan Setton 	Participant Media 	Vlessing, Etan. "Toronto 2012: Participant Media Taps Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad to Launch 'State 194'." The Hollywood Reporter. August 28, 2012.
2013 	TEACH 	Davis Guggenheim 	CBS 	
2013 	The Fifth Estate 	Bill Condon 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	Savage, Sophia. "WikiLeaks Drama 'The Fifth Estate' Kicks off with Director Bill Condon and Benedict Cumberbatch." IndieWire.com. January 24, 2013. Accessed 2013-01-28.
2013 	Made in America 	Ron Howard 	Phase 4 Films andThe Exchange 	
2014 	The Unknown Known 	Errol Morris 	Radius-TWC 	
2014 	The Great Invisible 	Margaret Brown 	Radius-TWC 	
2014 	César Chávez 	Diego Luna 	Participant Media andPantelion Films 	McClintock, Pamela. "Participant Media Picks Up Diego Luna's Historical Drama 'Chavez' for North America." The Hollywood Reporter. June 5, 2012.
2014 	Ivory Tower 	Andrew Rossi 	Paramount Pictures andSamuel Goldwyn Films 	
2014 	The Internet's Own Boy 	Brian Knappenberger 	Participant Media andFilmBuff 	
2014 	The Hundred-Foot Journey 	Lasse Hallström 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	
2014 	Ardor 	Pablo Fendrik 	Aya Pro,Bac Films,Mosaico Filmes Distribuciones,StraDa Films,Bac Films International, andSunfilm Entertainment	McClintock, Pamela. "Participant PanAmerica Teaming with Gael Garcia Bernal on 'El Ardor'." The Hollywood Reporter. April 29, 2013.
2014 	Out of the Dark 	Lluis Quilez 	Vertical Entertainment 	McNary, Dave. "Julia Stiles, Scott Speedman, Stephen Rea Starring in 'Out of the Dark'." Variety. April 25, 2013.
2014 	Merchants of Doubt 	Robert Kenner 	Mongrel Media andSony Pictures Classics 	
2014 	Citizenfour 	Laura Poitras 	Radius-TWC 	
2014 	A Most Violent Year 	J. C. Chandor 	A24 	McNary, Dave. "Jessica Chastain-Oscar Isaac's 'A Most Violent Year' Gets U.S. Distribution." Variety. January 22, 2014. Accessed 2014-03-27.
2015 	That Which I Love Destroys Me 	Ric Roman Waugh 	N/A 	
2015 	The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 	John Madden 	Fox Searchlight Pictures 	McNary, Dave. "Richard Gere, David Strathairn Check in to 'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2'." Variety. January 10, 2014. Accessed 2014-03-27.
2015 	Misconception 	Jessica Yu 	N/A 	
2015 	Best of Enemies 	Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville 	Magnolia Pictures andParticipant Media 	
2015 	The Prophet 	Roger Allers 	GKIDS 	
2015 	The Look of Silence 	Joshua Oppenheimer 	Why Not Productions,Koch Media,Cinema Delictatessen, andAlamo Drafthouse Cinema 	
2015 	He Named Me Malala 	Davis Guggenheim 	Fox Searchlight Pictures andNational Geographic Channel 	
2015 	3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets 	Marc Silver 	Yle 	
2015 	Bridge of Spies 	Steven Spielberg 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and20th Century Fox 	
2015 	Beasts of No Nation 	Cary Fukunaga 	Netflix andBleecker Street 	
2015 	Our Brand Is Crisis 	David Gordon Green 	Warner Bros. 	
2015 	Spotlight 	Tom McCarthy 	Open Road Films 	
2015 	Kingdom of Shadows 	Bernado Ruiz 	Matson Films 	
2016 	The Light Between Oceans 	Derek Cianfrance 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures andEntertainment One 	
2016 	Denial 	Mick Jackson 	Bleecker Street 	
2016 	Deepwater Horizon 	Peter Berg 	Summit Entertainment 	
2016 	Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life 	Steve Carr 	Lionsgate andCBS Films 	
2016 	A Monster Calls 	J.A. Bayona 	Focus Features,Summit Entertainment andUniversal Studios 	
2016 	Neruda 	Pablo Larrain 	The Orchard,20th Century Fox andWild Bunch 	
2016 	Zero Days 	Alex Gibney 	Magnolia Pictures andShowtime 	
2017 	An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power 	Bonni Cohen andJon Shenk 	Paramount Pictures 	
2017 	Wonder 	Stephen Chbosky 	Lionsgate 	
2017 	Breathe 	Andy Serkis 	Bleecker Street 	
2017 	Shot Caller 	Ric Roman Waugh 	Saban Films 	
2017 	The Post 	Steven Spielberg 	Universal PicturesDreamWorks Picturesand Twentieth Century Fox 	
2018 	7 Days in Entebbe 	Jose Padhila 	Focus Features 	
2018 	RBG 	Betsy WestJulie Cohen 	Magnolia PicturesCNN FilmsStoryville Films 	
2018 	Captive State 	Rupert Wyatt 	Focus Features andAmblin Partners 	
2018 	Roma 	Alfonso Cuarón 	Netflix 	
TBA 	Green Book 	Peter Farrelly 	Amblin Partners 	
TBA 	Midsummer in Newtown 	Lloyd Kramer 	 	
TBA 	The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble	Morgan Neville 	 	
World War	Steven Spielberg 	Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	 	
==See also==
* List of California companies
* List of film production companies by country
==References==
Category:Participant Media
Category:Film production companies of the United States
Category:Amblin Partners
Category:Independent Film production companies of the United States
Category:Companies established in 2004
Category:Companies based in Universal City, CaliforniaCategory:Pages stolen off Wikipedia