Gravitas Ventures has picked up the worldwide rights to “Public Figure,” director Brian Corso’s documentary feature which looks at influencers including Rose McGowan to examine both the power wielded by internet personalities and the price they pay.
The film will premiere at the Manchester International Film Festival on March 9 and domestically in New York City at the Socially Relevant Film Festival on March 17.
Besides looking at the victories and struggles of McGowan, one of the most prominent women to speak out against Harvey Weinstein, it also features South Africa’s biggest social media influencer, Bonang Matheba; Canadian fitness expert Gregory O’Gallagher; Australian lifestyle blogger Emma Rose; adventure travel photographer Emmett Sparling; food and travel bloggers Greg and Rebecca Remmy; Chicago-born Instagram comedian Donterio Hundon and New York memer Sebastian Tribbie.
“Public Figure” is the debut by Corso’s Red Button Films, in association with Crew Cuts Productions. Corso produced with Kameron Ramirez, Kevin Thomson, Bonang Matheba, Rick Ferrari, Matthew Felker (“The American Meme”), and Bryce Wagoner (“After Porn Ends,” “Parrot Heads”).
Gravitas plans to release the film on VOD, and SVOD this summer.
“All of us at Red Button Films are thrilled to collaborate with Gravitas Ventures so they can distribute our thought-provoking film, connecting us to global audiences through hundreds of media platforms,” Corso said.
The deal was negotiated by Nick Royak on behalf of Gravitas and by Wagoner on behalf of the filmmakers. Wagoner is represented by Michael J. Weiss of AGMB Law and Andrew Edwards of Zero Gravity Management.
“‘Public Figure’ investigates an important moment in our pop culture. While once we had movie stars and musicians we now have Tweeters, Youtubers, Instagrammers, and memers,” Royak, acquisitions manager of Gravitas, said in a statement. “It captures the impact this new level of celebrity has on those who earn it, those who follow it, and those who chase it.”
“Brian and his team have created a documentary that is simultaneously entertaining and informative; uncovering priceless moments with their social media subjects and valuable insights from their social impact commentators,” he added. “We’re also really happy to continue our working relationship with Bryce Wagoner, who is one of our long standing, all-star filmmakers. @GravitasVentures is #veryexcited to release this doc so make sure you #keepaneyeout for our launch tweets and Instagram posts #lol #movies #yolo.”