by Voyage | Oct 24, 2022 | Blog post, Entertainment Business
Voyage is heading to the Austin Film Festival to present our award for Best Fiction Podcast. We’ll be there from October 27-Nov 3 so if you’re in town, come see us at the award luncheon on Saturday. “We’re delighted that Voyage is now partnered with AFF. We share the same core values of openness and accessibility, and we’re excited to discover great projects and new screenwriting talent through this new and innovative podcast category award!” Nat Mundel, Voyage’s Founder and CEO stated. The winner of the Fiction Podcast Award will have a podcast produced by Voyage Media, and two finalists will get development assistance and mentorship by Voyage Media. These are great opportunities for writers to further their storytelling. The winner will be announced at the 29th Annual Austin Film Festival & Conference happening October 27 – November 3. Congratulations to Voyage Clients Becoming Originals! ONE: DROWNING IN THE BLOOD – Feature FilmBig shout out to Ashanti Chimurenga who signed up for a Pitch a Producer session and later worked with Producer Kathleen McLaughlin who guided her to create a pitch document for a feature film. Ashanti’s project is now a Voyage Original being shopped by Kathleen.Logline: The true story of a woman’s fight for justice and her deep transformative friendship with Shaka Sankofa, a man sentenced to die at age 17 for a crime he did not commit. Their fight would lead to an international outpouring of support before his death by lethal injection on June 22, 2000. Shaka Sankofa was the 244th prisoner to be killed by the State of Texas after the US Supreme Court imposed a... read more
by Voyage | Jun 16, 2020 | Audience, Blog post
We had an incredible time at our IGNITE 5.0 workshop and Investor Gala in October! At IGNITE, we hosted over thirty special storytellers and producers in Hollywood to collaborate and create market-ready projects. And here’s a picture of our amazing investors who attended the Investor Gala that same weekend… It’s always a joy to connect with our current clients and build relationships with new faces. We’re always astounded with what comes out of those special weekends! Welcoming A New Head of Originals: Robert Mitas. Robert Mitas is a film producer and screenwriter. He ran Furthur Films, the production company of the Academy Award-winning actor/producer Michael Douglas from 2010-2017. With projects like FLATLINERS, BEYOND THE REACH, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, and RATCHED under his belt, Robert has been a great addition to the team and has provided exceptional guidance to our pool of Originals. He has brought many new and refreshing ideas to the table at Voyage Media. One that we are most excited for, is the concept of ‘Labels’. These Labels will classify projects as they enter the pipeline, move through development, match them with specific financing/distribution partners, and finally output them into production. Current labels include: “Her” – Inspiring movies of women overcoming obstacles “Series” – One-hour drama and half-hour comedy series for network, cable or streaming “True” – Reality/Documentary programming “Edge” – Edgy, dark horror, thrillers and indies that skew toward a male audience “Studio” – Big budget movies that require global distribution “Family” – Family friendly and kids projects (think Disney, Dreamworks, etc) “Faith” – Movies that capitalize on the growing Christian and faith markets “Cine” – Indie dramas with a focus on sophistication, stars, and... read more
by Voyage | Apr 8, 2020 | Audience, Entertainment Business
Voyage Media’s community is stacked with talented producers and writers. They’ve been hard at work producing content and developing incredible projects. We are pleased to share our producers’ and writers’ impressive successes! Voyage Producer Dan Bemamor recently joined the writer’s room on the Netflix Original Series, ROMAN EMPIRE: CALIGULA: THE MAD EMPEROR. Dan Bemamor also wrote the indie feature film Spare Room, which stars Martin Sensmeier (The Magnificent Seven) and Skyler Sameuls (Scream Queens). Spare Room has just completed post-production. Additionally, Dan adapted Voyage client Jan Hurst’s novel into the film SUNRISE IN HEAVEN, starring Corbin Bernsen. The film came out this year and has since secured a deal with Hallmark. Bonnie Solomon became the first Story Analyst to oversee all projects in development at DreamWorks Animation. While at DreamWorks, she was responsible for writing and reading detailed coverage on all screenplay and manuscript submissions. She is currently shopping an animation feature that she wrote herself. Voyage Producer Daniel Schnider has experience in projects of all genres and has been a producer and executive within the film and television industry for the last 20 years. Although he has spent a great chunk of time on the producing side, he also has experience creating short form content for digital platforms and theaters. He recently sold a limited series for television with Academy Award nominated writer Alan Wenkus to Alcon Entertainment. Additionally, as the Head of Originals at Pongalo, Daniel recently sold to Discovery-backed company, Vix. Diana Wright, a Voyage producer that specializes in smart and wacky writing, produced a feature film in development with Jennifer Todd Productions. With a knack... read more
by Voyage | Feb 15, 2020 | Audience, Blog post
Our producers’ and writers’ experience covers everything from children-friendly animations to sci-fi. Our incredibly talented community of producers and writers continue to be successful within the entertainment industry. Now, let’s take a moment to acknowledge some of the exceptional recent work of our producers and writers… Fox: Voyage Producer Kathleen Mclaughlin’s pilot turned series, THE RESIDENT, that she coproduced with Phillip Noyce (SALT, THE BONE COLLECTOR) is now airing on Fox! Freeform: Voyage’s SVP of Originals, Brad Luff, is executive producing SIRENS, which was just picked up for a second season. CAA: Voyage producer Dan Benamor recently signed with CAA, as his pilot SAVAGE, NEBRASKA currently makes the rounds. Lifetime: Voyage Producer Regina Lee sold a TV movie in the supernatural thriller genre to Marvista Entertainment/Lifetime Movie. Pongalo: A digital media company, where Voyage Producer Daniel Schnider is the GM, raised nearly ¾ quarters of a million dollars on equity crowdfunding platform SeedInvest. Apple TV: Voyage Producer Aaron Mendelsohn was recently hired to write for a TV show on Apple. Details cannot yet be released. DELIVERED: Brad Luff, SVP of Originals, is producing this feature film with Shaun Redick (GET OUT, RED SKY). Toby Oliver (GET OUT, INSIDIOUS) is set to direct and they entered production the first quarter of 2019. Netflix: Voyage Producer & Writer Dan Benamor wrote on the second season of the Netflix Original Series ROMAN EMPIRE: REIGN OF BLOOD. The Hallmark Channel: Voyage Producer Aaron Mendelsohn’s movie LIKE CATS AND DOGS aired on the Hallmark Channel in the spring. Check it out on a TV near you! CHANCE: Voyage producer John Crye’s feature film CHANCE, starring Matthew Modine, Tanner... read more
by Voyage | Jan 23, 2020 | Blog post, Entertainment Business
Our Success is Your Success! We are proud to announce that the number of your projects becoming Originals and signing deals continues to grow and has reached an all time high! Take a look at some recent wins, all of which originated from you, the storytellers in our community: UPON A FIELD OF GOLD A Romantic-Comedy feature based on the novel by Voyage client Richard Strack in collaboration with Producer and Voyage’s Head of Originals, Robert Mitas. Noah (22), a man in the modern day, experiences flashbacks to a previous life of Joshua (22), a young Union soldier in the American Civil War. Driven by a search for meaning, Noah embarks on a journey to retrace the tragic life of the unknown soldier while jeopardizing his present-day relationships. COOL JELLYBEANS A Children’s Animated Edu-tainment Series by Voyage client JenJen Francis in collaboration with producer Annie Girard. A team of five knowledge-hungry kids protect the town of Jellybean from the machinations of Sir Ignoramus with the power of STEAMIE (science, technology, engineering, art, math, innovation and entrepreneurship) in this POWER RANGERS meets THE MAGIC SCHOOLBUS edu-tainment show. SUNRISE IN HEAVEN Feature based on the book by Voyage client Jan Hurst and written by Voyage’s own Dan Benamor. After its initial theatrical and VOD release, the project secured a TV deal with Hallmark! The story: After the death of her husband, a woman finds solace in her faith and a widow’s group. PET SEMATARY Based on the book by Stephen King, and starring actors Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz and John Lithgow, this film was released in theaters April 5th of 2019. Within three weeks, the movie grossed $98,322,944... read more
by Voyage | Oct 25, 2019 | Audience, Entertainment Business, The Expert Network
Voyage Media, with the help of our talented producers, writers, and storytellers, has built out incredible projects into films and television shows. Our projects have been written about by well-known media outlets, such as Variety and more. Check out our projects in the news below! In addition to the Voyage story in Variety, our platform has been featured quite a bit in the news, including on Broadcasting Cable News and Student Filmmakers! We’re also proud to announce our new joint venture with Impossible Dream Entertainment & Fortress films to develop and finance prestige independent films from the Voyage community. The partnership pairs Voyage’s extraordinary development track record with the production prowess of IDE’s Shaun Redick (GET OUT, THE BLACK KLANSMAN[i2] , BAND AID) and Fortress Films’ Patrick Rizotti (MALICIOUS, THE SUPER). Both IDE and Fortress have private equity backed financing. Finally, we had an incredible time at our IGNITE! 4.0 workshop, hosting thirty special storytellers and producers to collaborate and create market-ready projects. At our charity gala dinner, we raised money for our non-profit partners, Young Storytellers, which uses the timeless techniques of mentoring, collaboration, and performance to provide public school students with an opportunity to write stories and see them brought to life. A big and wonderful surprise came out of our IGNITE! weekend: an anonymous donor established the first ever Voyage scholarship, that provides deserving storytellers with financial assistance to gain access to high level mentor-ship and develop their stories for market. We’re always astounded with what comes out of those special weekends and what’s possible when you connect like-minded people all working toward a common goal! All... read more
by Voyage | Aug 15, 2019 | Producer Interviews
Our producer team is growing! We are pleased to share the new producers recently added to our team. Learn a little more about them below! Chris Armogida Christian Armogida began working in film at Village Roadshow Pictures where he was trained in Development and Physical Production. A lifelong horror nut, Christian put himself in the orbit of all the genre pictures VRP was working on with Dark Castle/Silver Pictures. In 2007, he moved on to Rogue Pictures, the genre division of Focus Features and Universal Pictures. Following Rogue’s sale to Relativity Media in 2008, Christian became Director of Development with Unbroken Pictures, an independent production company that focuses on elevated horror. Christian worked closely on projects such as He’s Out There, There Are Monsters, and Grim Night. He was also an Associate Producer on Bryan Bertino’s Mockingbird and Oz Perkins’ The Blackcoat’s Daughter (FKA February), which Christian discovered and helped develop. Most recently Christian has gone independent and created his own label, Nightshade Entertainment, which focuses on elevated horror and dark and edgy thriller material. Bill Daly Bill has been a television writer and producer for two decades and has written for eleven network comedies, including MIKE AND MOLLY starring Emmy-Award winning actress Melissa McCarthy, 8 SIMPLE RULES starring the late John Ritter, and GARY UNMARRIED starring Jay Mohr. Experienced in both multi-cam and single-cam half-hour formats, Bill has written and produced comedy series that have aired on CBS, NBC, ABC and Netflix. In addition to his own half-hour pilots — which were sold to ABC Family, Touchstone Television, Universal Studios, and CBS Studios — Bill has developed comedies with actors Courtney Cox, Keegan Michael Key... read more
by Voyage | Jun 12, 2019 | Producer Interviews
We are pleased to welcome these new producers to the Voyage Team! From Indie films to TV show dramas, our newly added producers have experience across the board. Let’s learn a little more about them! Wendie Margolis – Wendie is an independent producer and former studio executive with extensive development and production experience. She spent more than 14 years as an executive at Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures. She has worked on projects like THE KARATE KID, GHOSTBUSTERS, BLUE THUNDER, OUT OF AFRICA, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN and CINDERELLA STORY. Annie Girard – Annie is a producer, writer, and performer who’s worked with major and independent studios including Disney, Comedy Central, Warner Brothers, Dreamworks TV, HGTV, and MTV with a focus on live action and animated comedy content for kids of all ages. Annie is known for her work on Disney’s CLUB PENGUIN, DONALD DUCK’S THREE CABALLEROS, and MOM TESTED. Daniel Forcey– Dan ran development for Platinum Studios for nearly a decade, spearheading studio projects like COWBOYS & ALIENS, indie films like DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF THE NIGHT and television series like Showtime’s JEREMIAH. He has also served as a consultant for Arcana Studios, overseeing both their animated and live-action projects, works as a consultant for Drama 3/4, and is partnered with Big Machine on a slate of films designed as Chinese co-productions. Kris Hughes– Kris has over 10 years of experience developing, producing and writing children’s entertainment for independent studios as well as big networks such as Nickelodeon, Nick Jr and Netflix. Kris started her career as a sitcom writer for shows such as The Drew Carey Show and Freddie and continues to write... read more
by Voyage | Jan 15, 2019 | Blog post, Book to Film, Entertainment Business
We are proud to share that Voyage has reached an incredible inflection point, with deal-flow and successful outcomes for projects from our community sustaining an all-time high! Take a look at some of our recent wins, all of which originated from storytellers within our community: ALIVE DAY Alive Day (Feature) is based on the novel “Six Days to Zeus” by Samuel Hill. Screenplay by Voyage’s own Kathleen McLaughlin – now being produced in partnership with Oscar-nominated Mike Medavoy (BLACK SWAN, ALTERED CARBON) and with Phillip Noyce (SALT, REVENGE, CLEAR & PRESENT DANGER) attached to direct. The story is based on the life of a top Special Operations commander who loses his entire team in a friendly fire incident that leaves his body wrecked, but finds himself facing a court martial and a life back home that is falling apart. Check out the story in the trades here: Variety Magazine Article CHANCE Feature by Michael Daly, starring Matthew Modine (STRANGER THINGS, FULL METAL JACKET) and directed by Voyage’s own John Crye and now in postproduction. The tragic true story of teen suicide, bullying, set in the context of youth baseball. 500 MILES TO NOWHERE Feature by Fred Eason, now being produced in partnership with Shaun Redick (BLACKKKLANSMAN, GET OUT). In the 1880’s, Bass Reeves, the country’s first black U.S. Marshal, goes after dangerous outlaws who attempt to hide out in Indian Territory. ON FLEEK TV reality show by Alyx Baranow in partnership with Voyage producer Whitney Beatty, now being produced. Nicole Jackson (star of BLACK INK) moves to Austin for the summer to help get her microblading salon off the... read more
by Voyage | Apr 9, 2018 | Blog post
BY LAUREN HARBIN For writers, creativity is everything. And getting inspired is somewhat of an art form. But try as we might to get inspired & stay inspired, sometimes it’s easier said than done. But what if I told you that you might actually be undermining your creative potential without even noticing it? Check out these 3 (unfortunately common) habits that may be holding you back from being the most creative you can be… Bad Habit #1: Evaluating & Creating Simultaneously Being creative means, at times, coming up with some crazy ideas—sometimes things that we know definitely won’t work or fit with our story. But even so, let those ideas happen. Flesh out your ideas completely without analyzing whether or not they’re even possible. Once you’ve completely worked out the idea in your mind & on paper, then you can evaluate if it will actually work. Create first; analyze later. But by attempting to do so at the same time, you’re subconsciously limiting yourself & the ideas that you create. Bad Habit #2: Subscribing to the “Light Bulb Theory” I think most of us have been guilty of this bad habit at some point in our creative careers. But by believing that great ideas come to you in a flash of brilliance, you take the easy way out. Creativity, more often than not, emerges over time as a result of a steady & consistent stream of work. So by waiting for a stoke of brilliance, you’re working against the natural flow of great ideas. Rome wasn’t built in a day—neither are robust & compelling stories. Bad Habit #3: Fear of Failure For as long as art has existed, critics of art have voiced their opinions. Of course... read more
