Shout! Factory, a multi-platform media company, announced the creation of Shout! Studios, the filmed entertainment production and distribution arm specializing in content development, production and all aspects of entertainment distribution. Veteran Shout executive David McIntosh has been named Senior Vice President of Content Licensing & Strategy for the Studio. The announcement was made today by Shout! Factory’s founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos.

Shout! Studios has been founded with the focus to produce, acquire, market, and distribute new independent films and scripted series from rising and established filmmakers, creators, producers and talent. In addition to ongoing movie and series development, Shout! Studios plans to release 15 to 20 new films per year. Select new film releases will have a traditional or limited theatrical exhibition window prior to VOD, broadcast and digital distribution.

“We’ve come a long way over the last five years. Building on the strides that we’ve taken to grow the company on many fronts, filmed entertainment is now a significant part of our business. Our team has worked hard to build a vast network to distribute new indie films and series across many platforms,” said Shout’s founders in a joint statement. “Establishing Shout! Studios is exciting for us, as well as the next logical step for the company. While staying true to our entrepreneurial spirit, we want Shout Studios to be the place for director/artist-driven films and an incubator for new content.”

In this newly created position, David McIntosh brings his expertise and over 20 years of experience in business affairs and creative brand management to maximize the potential of Shout! Studios projects. He and Vishal Panchal, Director of Licensing & Strategy, will spearhead the distribution strategy of this newly-launched division, and oversees the content windowing strategies across all platforms, including theatrical releases, SVOD and broadcast sales, and transactional digital sales (EST, TVOD). He has been with Shout from its early days and has been a key driver in the company’s ongoing transition into multi-platform distribution. McIntosh previously served as Senior Vice President of Business Affairs & Digital Distribution.

Additional senior executive appointments at Shout! Studios also include:

  • Vanessa Keiko Flanders named Vice President of Business Affairs
  • Vishal Panchal named Director of Licensing & Strategy
  • Jordan Fields named Vice President of Acquisitions and Film Development
  • Melissa Boag named Senior Vice President of Family Entertainment
  • Michael Ribas named Vice President of Marketing
  • Brian Blum named Vice President of Production and Digital Media
  • Aaron Meyerson will serve as independent consultant for special projects

These Shout executives will maintain oversight responsibilities at both Shout! Studios and Shout! Factory.

Films already on tap from Shout! Studios for 2018 release include Sam Hoffman’s Humor Me, starring Jemaine Clement and Elliott Gould; Danny Baron’s Basmati Blues, starring Brie Larson and Donald Sutherland; Christian Papierniak’s Izzy Gets the F Across Town, starring Mackenzie Davis; Peter Livolsi’sThe House of Tomorrow, starring Ellen Burstyn, Nick Offerman, Asa Butterfield and Alex Wolff; Xuan Liang’s animated feature Big Fish & Begonia, Dan Chuba and Mark Dippé’s The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island, featuring the voice talent of Martin Sheen, J.K. Simmons and Dane DeHaan.

Shout! Studios is also active in series development with Bill Carter’s riveting nonfiction bestseller Desperate Networks, chronicling the inner workings of the television industry circa 2000’s, networks’ ratings wars, and the true life portraits of larger-than-life moguls who navigate this high-stakes business. Bill Carter will pen the adaption.

Prior to founding Shout! Studios, Shout has distributed an eclectic slate of independent films, award-winning animated features in cinemas and across multiple platforms through Shout! Factory Films and Scream Factory Films. Recent notable releases include the critically-acclaimed animated feature In This Corner of the World (this year’s entry to the upcoming awards season and Jury Prize winner at Annecy 2017), Ido Fluk’s The Ticket, starring Dan Stevens, Lena Khan’s The Tiger Hunter, Remi Chaye’s Long Way North (Audience Award winner at Annecy and Annie Awards nominee), Christophe Gans’ Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête), starring Christophe Gans and Lea Seydoux, Mathias Malzieu’s Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart, Mike Disa’s Postman Pat: The Movie, among others.