Artists Equity, the independent, artist-led studio founded by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Gerry Cardinale, launched its inaugural Writers’ Room Program Thursday, now officially formalized after a successful pilot period. The program “invites writers to pitch film ideas across a range of genres, with rooms launched around selected ideas,” according to the official release.
“The backbone of this company is collaboration with great artists, and that’s what this program is all about,” Affleck and Damon said in a statement. “Artists Equity is committed to the often-overlooked process of homegrown development, and cultivating the bold, original ideas that sustain a thriving film business. We want to give writers real support and a real pathway to success. This isn’t about writing scripts for scripts’ sake. We want to bring great films to life.”
Selected writers for the twice-a-year room receive regular feedback directly from Oscar-winning screenwriters Affleck, Damon and Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump,” “Dune”), joining as a program mentor. Writers’ Room scripts are “incubated with the goal and expectation of becoming viable packages in Artists Equity’s sales funnel, complete with concrete attachments and financing strategy.” Writers that are part of the program are paid WGA scale during the program and will “go on to participate in Artists Equity’s talent-first business model.”
“The Writers’ Room represents fundamentally what is so special about Ben and Matt’s vision for Artists Equity” Amy Baer, Artists Equity’s president of film and television, added. “This program offers writers a better script development dynamic, without the endless notes and shifting goalposts that have become all too familiar. The pilot program has been beyond promising, bearing enough fruit to make this an integral part and official cornerstone of our creative agenda.”
The Writers’ Room has had two successful pilot rounds, yielding a total of four scripts currently in packaging and four in progress. The program’s newly commenced third round features eight writers across two rooms, blending established and emerging voices. This round’s writers are Jason Stone (“The Altruists,” “The Hardy Boys”); Gabe Sherman (“The Apprentice,” “The Loudest Voice”); E.T. Feigenbaum (“Blink Twice,” “High Fidelity”); Flint Wainness (“Linda and Monica,” “Super in Love”); Jono Matt (upcoming “Foster The Snowman”); Sam Mazany (“Tires”); Agatha Helena Nowicki (“Kingdom Come,” “Gorilla and the Bird”); and Steven Robillard (upcoming “The Up & Up”).
Films emerging from the Artists Equity Writers’ Room will join the studio’s strong film portfolio. The studio’s most recent film was the Netflix chart-topper “The Rip,” starring Affleck, Damon, Steven Yeun and Teyana Taylor. Other titles produced since the company’s launch in 2022 include “The Accountant 2,” “The Instigators,” “Unstoppable” and “Air,” as well as Netflix’s upcoming “Animals,” directed by Affleck, who stars alongside Yeun, Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson.
