LOS ANGELES, Oct. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ryan Kavanaugh, in tandem with Proxima Media and Lifeboat Productions' Amy Kim and Jaime Burke, proudly announces their new banner production company called The Quad. Matt Weaver and Jason Barhydt will also serve as producers with the company, which specializes in feature–length films focused on horror, thriller, American comedies, and love stories. Their annual slate will consist of 3–5 films and will have a self–funded budget of $3M – $12M per picture. The Quad will utilize Kavanaugh's deep relationships with the top influencers and surround them with world–renowned actors and directors. The Quad has already secured deals with top talent, including Charlie D'Amelio, Bryce Hall, and King Bach.
The Quad has its next four movies slated back–to–back on the heels of wrapping SKILL HOUSE over the next 12 months.
“The Quad intends to break the boundary between social media culture and what we know as Hollywood today,” said Partner Ryan Kavanaugh. “We are thrilled to be bringing Charlie D'Amelio, Bryce Hall, and now King Bach's acting chops to the big screen. Their talent has no boundaries, and their digital footprint will help bring audiences back into theaters. I couldn't be more excited to bring this new company to life with award–winning producers and powerhouses Amy Kim and Jaime Burke alongside veteran producer and entertainment exec Matt Weaver.”
“We are excited to be on this journey with a veteran producer like Ryan. He has a love of filmmaking that is infectious and a constant desire to create new space in the entertainment industry. The people assembled to make these movies add a depth of experience that will ensure quality projects aimed at talents' strengths to bring top–quality entertainment to all film fans,” adds Amy Kim and Jaime Burke.
Previously Weaver and Kavanaugh together produced the Grammy–nominated documentary, I'LL SLEEP WHEN IM DEAD about Steve Aoki for Netflix, documentary THE FIRST MONDAY IN MAY, about the Met Ball that was produced in conjunction with Anna Wintour for Magnolia Pictures, and the Tony Nominated Broadway Musical ROCK OF AGES which Weaver was the Lead Producer and General Partner and Kavanaugh a producer and many other television shows and content.
In addition, Triller's Jason Barhydt will produce with The Quad. Barhydt previously worked with Kavanaugh on some of his biggest hits, including IMMORTALS, LIMITLESS, DEAR JOHN, ACT OF VALOR, SAFE HAVEN, and THE FIGHTER.
The Quad's third project, MILES RYDER, slated to begin production later this year, starring King Bach, comedian and actor, is a JOHN WICK meets DOCTOR STRANGE style thriller with The Quad.
King Bach first entered the scene as Vine's most followed social media user on their platform, with over 11 million followers. Bachelor parlayed his Vine success into major followings on platforms including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, with nearly 23M followers on the latter alone. He most recently appeared in Ric Roman Waugh's sports drama NATIONAL CHAMPIONS as well as 20th Century Studio and Broken Road Productions' hit comedy VACATION FRIENDS for Hulu. Bachelor has also appeared in series including THE MINDY PROJECT, HOUSE OF LIES, BLACK JESUS, and KEY & PEELE, and in such films as FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK, THE BABYSITTER, and TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE. He ventured into acting with over a dozen roles from NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, VACATION FRIENDS, FIFTY SHADES OF BLACK, TO ALL THE BOYS I LOVED BEFORE, and the Adult Swim series “Black Jesus.”
The Quad is currently in post–production on SKILL HOUSE, the first installment in the R–rated horror film franchise starring social media phenomenon and TikTok star Bryce Hall, in co–production with global hip hop icon Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson's G–Unit Film & Television. The film stars Hall alongside veteran actors Neal McDonough (Yellowstone, The Arrow, The Flash) and Leah Pipes (The Originals, SORORITY ROW).
Pre–production is underway from The Quad for the highly anticipated Charli D'Amelio supernatural thriller HOME SCHOOL, written by Casey Giltner. SVP of Production at Proxima, Daniel Herther, who shepherded the development of Home School, will be producing alongside Kavanaugh, Barhydt, Burke, and Kim with Kavanaugh's partner Bobby Sarnevesht. Marc, Heidi, and Dixie D'Amelio will serve as executive producers.
“I forgot how much I loved the art of making movies. Going back to my roots where I was hands–on in the creative process for projects like BROTHERS, THE BANK JOB, LIMITLESS, IMMORTALS, DEAR JOHN, THE FIGHTER and many others, it's reminded me of what I loved about making movies. For the first time, I have the best of the best partners in Amy, Jaime, and Matt to make sure we execute and deliver with an A+ standard and quality. This time we are doing it our way!” Kavanaugh continued.
About Proxima Media and Ryan Kavanaugh
Founder of Proxima Media, the controlling shareholder of Triller, Ryan Kavanaugh, is one of the most accomplished, prolific, and honored executives in entertainment industry history. Using an intelligent model of film finance, he was dubbed the creator of “Moneyball for movies.” He produced, distributed, and/or structured financing for more than 200 films, generating more than $20 billion in worldwide box office revenue and earning 60 Oscar nominations. He is the 25th highest–grossing film producer of all time. His productions include Fast and Furious 2–6, 300, Social Network, Limitless, Fighter, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, and Mama Mia! Kavanaugh and Proxima pioneered an innovative finance deal for post–bankruptcy Marvel, making the studio and finance structure that led to Marvel Cinematic Universe. He built the SVOD (streaming) category with Netflix, which boosted that company's market capitalization from $2 to $10 billion. Kavanaugh is the co–founder of Triller, one of the three fastest–growing social media apps. He recently led the acquisition, merger, and re–launch of the social media and music app.
He also created the powerhouse television company, now known as Critical Content, producing hit shows like Catfish on MTV and Limitless on CBS, which he sold for $200M. The company had 40 television series across 19 networks before its sale. Kavanaugh has earned several achievements and awards, from Variety's Producer of the Year Award to The Hollywood Reporter's Leadership Award, from Fortune's 40 Under 40 Most Influential People in Business to Forbes' Fortune 400, Billion–Dollar Producer by the Daily Variety and the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Vanity Fair. Proxima and Kavanaugh are repped by Neil Sacker.
Given his passion for animals, Kavanaugh is also active in the pet food brand Dog for Dog, which donates dog food to local and national shelters for each product purchased to save dogs from being euthanized. He also served on the boards of several charitable foundations, including the Sheriff's Youth Foundation and Cedars–Sinai's Board of Governors, and served as the Chairman of Art of Elysian for
almost eight years, amongst others.
About Lifeboat Productions
Amy Kim and Jaime Burke are award–winning producers with over 20 years of diverse experience. They have produced original content for all the leading streamers and studios with their most recent credits, including the Apple+ series Surfside Girls and Amazon's Undone. Kim got her producing starts with the Academy Award Winning short film, WEST BANK STORY, while Burke worked for 20th Century Fox and produced indie features prior to forming Lifeboat Productions. Lifeboat will continue to produce its slate of projects as well as collaborate with current and future partners in addition to The Quad.
About Matt Weaver
Matthew Weaver will be producing projects for the company. Previously Weaver and Kavanaugh produced the Grammy–nominated documentary, I'LL SLEEP WHEN IM DEAD, about Steve Aoki for Netflix. They also produced the documentary THE FIRST MONDAY IN MAY, about the Met Ball that was produced in conjunction with Anna Wintour for Magnolia Pictures. Kavanaugh was also a producer on the Tony Nominated Broadway Musical ROCK OF AGES, on which Weaver was the Lead Producer and General Partner on.
