Future of Film Podcast · 3.7: The New Studio Model

“Everybody is Realising that Change is Now and Re-Evaluating their Business Models” Janet Brown

Janet Brown is EVP Distribution at Gunpowder and Sky, the fast growing independent studio that is creating and distributing content across multiple formats and platforms.

In this conversation from their New York offices, Janet describes how the young studio is designed ground-up for today’s shifting consumer landscape – and the new routes to market that now exist for storytellers.

We also discuss the future (and recent history) of distribution as well as Janet’s entrepreneurial journey at Film Buff, the company she co-founded and built that Gunpowder and Sky acquired in 2016.

About Janet Brown

Janet Brown is the EVP of Distribution at Gunpowder & Sky, a fast growing independent global entertainment company, creating premium content unrestricted by format, as well as genre-specific destinations for the streaming generation. Since its inception in 2016, G&S has released more than 30 films and series, as well as hundreds of short films, in theatres, on TVOD, and in partnership with leading platforms such as HBO, Netflix, MTV, Hulu, Sky, Showtime, DirecTV, Amazon, Facebook, YouTube and soon Quibi and HBO Max. Previously, Janet was the co-founder and CEO of FilmBuff, an award-winning full-service distribution company which she sold to G&S in 2016. 

Janet oversees feature film acquisitions and co-productions, theatrical distribution and international sales for the full G&S slate including films, series and branded channels. Previous theatrical releases include Alex Ross Perry’s critically lauded Her Smell starring Elisabeth Moss, Jonas Akerlund’s bold and tumultuous Lords of Chaos, Sundance midnighter Summer of ’84, the Nick Offerman crowdpleaser Hearts Beat Loud, and The Little Hours, Jeff Baena’s acclaimed religious satire from Sundance. G&S has just announced the release of the Lil Peep documentary Everybody’s Everything, which first premiered at SXSW 2019, which will kick-off with special event screenings for fans worldwide in November.  

Janet has been an aggressive pioneer in the production, sales and distribution of digital-first content. She is adept at matching premium short and long-form content with the most effective traditional and digital distribution paths to the audience. She has also created industry benchmarks for premium branded content distribution, working with brands such as GE, Audi, Kellogg, Cole Haan, Illy, Marriott and Norton to enhance the reach and awareness of the best in branded content. 

Before its sale to G&S, Janet had established FilmBuff as a one-stop shop for a wide range of content providers by handling distribution of all rights in-house, including festival strategy, theatrical, digital, linear television, and international sales on more than 1,500 critically acclaimed titles. Janet and her team worked with the best and most innovative filmmakers to release titles such as the Oscar-nominated Exit Through the Gift Shop, Sundance Audience Award winner Senna, Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner The House I Live In, Jared Leto’s Artifact, The Internet’s Own Boy, Codegirl, Burt’s Buzz, Spring, and the breakthrough indie hit The Invitation. 

Janet was part of the media and entertainment strategy consulting practice at Accenture in London from 1998 until 2004 where she drove business strategy for clients including News Corp., Warner Music, Film Four, Telewest and Granada. After moving back to the U.S., she was a strategy consultant for Yahoo! Media Group and headed up research at Cinetic Media in New York.

A native of Toronto, Janet received a B.A., Joint Honors in economics and political science from McGill University and an MBA from Columbia University.