The web3 collective strikes deal to produce animated short series based on the real-life love story of Oscar-nominated ‘Anomalisa’ producer Rosa Tran and Emmy Award-winning VFX artist Derek Smith.
Unlikely Love Stories, a series of animated shorts that focus on unexpected love in the most unexpected places, will be the subject of an animated anthology from StudioDAO, a web3 collective that finances and distributes films through NFT sales. The studio offers filmmakers creative freedom and IP ownership and provides fans a Token-VOD platform, exclusive community access, and a voice in choosing which movies get made.
The anthology is based on the real-life love story of Oscar-nominated Anomalisa producer Rosa Tran and Emmy-winning VFX artist Derek Smith (CSI). The two met at the 2010 Emmy Awards and were officially in love seven dates later.
The couple notes that “the kind of love stories we typically see don’t always reflect our love – or even the harder bits of reality. Love may be universal, but the media's projection of it can still be pretty limited.”
“When Rosa and Derek brought us Unlikely Love Stories, we, well, fell in love,” said StudioDAO founder and CEO Kenny Miller. “We’re a team of entrepreneurs who are creative, and they are creatives who are entrepreneurial – a perfect match! It’s thrilling to give these brilliant filmmakers the creative freedom and ownership they deserve.”
“Our partnership with StudioDAO gives us a path forward,” said Tran and Smith. “It gives us both freedom and ownership. We’re excited to forge a more intimate relationship with viewers and build a community with our fans.”
The Gotham Group’s Matt Shichtman brokered the deal between the creatives and the studio. Shichtman, who heads up the management and production company’s emerging technology division, will continue with the project as a strategic advisor.
Tran is an Academy Award-nominated producer of Anomalisa and is one of the producers behind Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken, Beforel Orel, and Frankenhole. Most recently, she has served as executive producer for TBS’ Final Space and is currently producing series in development at Amazon, Disney+, and HBO Max.
Smith, an Emmy and VES Award-winning artist, has spent more than a decade creating VFX for film, TV, and commercials. With experience behind the camera and behind a computer screen, he’s crafted digital worlds and effects for projects ranging from indie films like Anomalisa to TV franchises like CSI and The Walking Dead. He also brought his VR expertise to Children's Hospitals of Los Angeles and Orange County to create virtual experiences that benefit young patients, nurses, and doctors.
StudioDAO is a web3 collective that finances and distributes films through NFT sales. Its founding members include Miller (Entrepreneur/digital media expert who has launched apps for Apple, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Disney); Lauren McCarthy (studio development executive and producer whose credits include The Transfiguration, Learning to Drive, and Bad Santa 2); Jeffrey Pollack (Emmy Award-winning sports & entertainment executive); CTO Jorge Garcia; creative director Rachel Leventhal; filmmaker & technologist Zaheer Goodman-Bhyat; artist-in-residence Michael French; crypto-financing expert Jango; and NFT strategist Dropnerd.
Source: The Gotham Group
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
