BUILDING THE NEW CREATOR STUDIO

Cynopsis

By: Lynn Leahey

The entertainment industry has no shortage of networks, agencies, and production shops. But Max Cutler, head of creator studio PAVE, thinks most of them are solving the wrong problem. Cutler explains why PAVE’s model — developing new intellectual property alongside creators rather than monetizing what already exists — is closer to the old Hollywood studio system than anything that came before it, and where he sees the real white space left in true crime.

Cynopsis: How does PAVE structure its deals — do you take an ownership stake in a creator's IP, act as a service partner, or something in between?

MAX CUTLER: The way I think about it, we invest in creators the way studios once invested in stars, therefore PAVE is neither of those, and that is intentional. We do not take a stake in what a creator has already built, and we are not a work-for-hire production shop. Instead, we develop and produce new intellectual property together with the creator from day one, and we structure the deal so the creator shares meaningfully in the upside of what we build together. That means putting our own capital, production resources, and distribution behind new shows and new brands, rather than taking a percentage of something that existed before we arrived. Every deal looks a little different depending on the creator and the format, but the constant is that we are building something new together and both sides are invested in its success.

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