The film business has never been lacking in larger-than-life visionaries, but even by the industry’s standards there are few people with the imagination, vision and spirit than Mark Cuban. Having conquered the worlds of high-tech (via Broadcast.com, which he and Todd Wagner sold to Yahoo! In 1999 for $5.7 billion) and sports (as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team), Cuban has set his sights on the world of motion pictures.
Yet Cuban’s business-savvy, when it comes to films, is peerless: he is involving himself on every possible level. Through his 2929 Entertainment (created with Todd Wagner), Cuban has built a sophisticate operation involved in the funding and production of films (via HDNet Films) and distribution (via Magnolia Pictures), exhibition (via the Landmark Theaters chain) and even cable television (via the HDNet channel).
Cuban is also doing something which many people have talked about but few people have accomplished: pushing motion pictures beyond the 35mm film format into HD production. He is also reconfiguring distribution patterns to accomplish the simultaneous offerings of theatrical, DVD and cable broadcast presentations (this was successfully achieved earlier this year with the acclaimed documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room).
Film Threat spoke with Mark Cuban from his Dallas office on his views of the independent film world.
Get the interview in part two of MARK CUBAN: THE NEW FACE OF INDIE FILM>>>
