Twenty-four hours before earning a nomination for best documentary, one of the most powerful performances at this year’s Oscars, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson and his summer of the soul The team gathered for an intimate brunch in the picturesque gardens of the Dana Walden Brentwood Estate. Walden was in attendance with Peter Rice, Matthew Greenfield, David Greenbaum, and other senior Disney executives. Disney CEO Bob Chapeck also introduced himself.
They attended the press of Little Hulu, a toast to early success for the Onyx Collective, hosted by Tara Duncan and dedicated to waving the flag to color the creators and bring a variety of authentic stories to the heart of the studio. Its noisy brands from franchises like Marvel and Star Wars. While Disney continues to dominate as the largest studio in Hollywood, Duncan’s ambitions for Onyx Collective are nothing more than creating a brand that can compete with the same core goal that makes it a hallmark of quality for the industry and his audience.
“I want to create really broad and affordable general entertainment hits,” Duncan said. “Relentless desire to unite the commercial, the global, the public and the culture. Black leaders are often overlooked or overlooked, but this is a great business opportunity. We managed at a young age to really enjoy ourselves. “
Duncan couldn’t have taken a more sensible first step. summer of the soul. He and his executive team, including Jackie Glover and Jihan Robinson, who oversee the non-fiction documentary (“They’re Famous People in the Doctrine Society”), first established Kvestlov’s magical ode to the Harlem Cultural Festival and Power from 1969. A film that illuminated a largely forgotten chapter of cultural history.
“We were a new brand and had a very clear mission,” Duncan recalls. “We tried to follow him to the premiere at Sundance, and as soon as we all saw him, we got together and decided it was what we really wanted.”
Onyx partnered with Searchlight Pictures to bring the film to its latest home on a $ 12 million deal, making it the largest documentary acquisition in Sundance history. “I can’t really go beyond partnering with Searchlight,” says Duncan now. “That’s really what this partnership has brought about [the acquisition] To fertility and allowed flight. We immediately saw the potential for rewards, and Searchlight knows the rewards.
At the end, summer of the soul He became the dominant front throughout the season and while his Oscar win at the start of the show might have been expected, it was no less important to Duncan. “There is something in this movie,” he says. “We were there [on Oscar night]I sat with the people who have been with us since the beginning of this trip and talked to Amir from the heart. For him to be recognized in this way, to be Ahmir as the director and producer who made it, and the fact that people now know what the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival is … ravin I knew it except the people there. Seeing this on screen and confirming this truth reflects everything we are trying to do with Onyx Collective. “
Duncan, whose career began in Division 8 before becoming a creative executive at AMC and Netflix, joined Disney in 2020 to manage Freeform, a Hulu youth brand. He wants to emphasize that Onyx Collective’s goal is not to hone the diversity share of a large studio. “There are times when it might be a diversity and inclusion initiative for these big companies to explore the fields. But I think when you give black executives the right to bet on the talent and material they see, and that reflects on their experience, it’s just a different ethics and mandate. We are committed to the future and will certainly double the creation of content for all. “
This is the philosophy behind the company name. “We wanted a name that reflected the fact that we wanted to program premium content,” said Duncan of the gem he chose. Onyx is “strong and indestructible,” he says, but while many people consider it to be a black stone, “it actually comes in a variety of colors and shades. We love the story.”
Disney, he said, is the best home to ensure Onyx Collective’s art reaches the widest possible audience. In association with other Disney companies such as Searchlight, they participate summer of the soul– Duncan hopes to include Onyx Collective products throughout the Walt Disney Company’s “Cradle to Cane” product line. “We have streaming platforms, streaming networks, cable channels. We understand how to deliver content to the right people and that allows our creatives to focus on being true to what they create. “
The success of Onyx Collective summer of the soul Not to be outdone, the company was only announced a year ago. And in that moment, Onyx Collective was able to announce a partnership that includes project 1619Directed by fellow disruptor Roger Ross Williams and based on the work of the New York Times and Nikole Hannah-Jones. It is produced by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films. The Onyx Collective will also work with Ryan Coogler’s Proximity on any non-Marvel projects. javi panther Director.
They are also working on a documentary series called tales about hair, again with Winfrey, with Michaela Angela Davis and Tracey Ellie Ross, who looks at femininity and beauty through a black-haired lens. This is the first series of Onyx Collective scripts reasonable suspicionWith former Shondaland writer Ramallah Mohammed and Carrie Washington. He has surpassed Netflix, HBO and Amazon in online limited series GraphicWith the participation of Mahershala Ali. According to the novel Cancel Author Jean Hanf Correlitz, the series tells the story of a struggling author and writing instructor who steals an idea from one of his students.
Arrested It’s a half-hour comedy about Kerry Washington’s return to television. The show is inspired by the life of Washington, DC-based relationship expert Tracey Macmillan and the challenges she faced in foster care while her father was in and out of prison. The show begins with a father played by Delroy Lindo, who moves in with him after his release, and focuses on the father-son relationship they are trying to establish. “In a way, it’s a love story between father and son,” says Duncan. “And it really looks at the criminal justice system in a way that we don’t have. I think people will be surprised by Logline because it’s really fun and they have a lot of heart. “
Onyx Collective will collaborate with ABC News on a documentary acquired by another Sundance. more thrusts The premiere at this year’s festival received generally positive reviews and tells the story of families fighting for justice after two women died from complications of avoiding childbirth. “The maternity crisis in the United States affects all women,” Duncan said, “but very influentially for women of color in particular.” The partnership will allow Onyx Collective to “deliver the message and story so that you also have journalistic integrity and access to ABC News.”
Many projects are still ongoing, and the Onyx Collective’s early successes indicate opportunities that are said to have lain dormant for so long. “You start with the story you want to tell,” Duncan said, summing up his priorities. “The great thing right now is that you can then find the right format for this story. Some take two hours, others 10 hours, but also in terms of form, there are some things we will discuss now. It is a mixture of fiction and documentary. It’s nice when you can start with what you are trying to say and let it guide you.
Source: Deadline
