Director Tony Goldwyn writes about the experience of working with his longtime friend, writer Tony Spiridakis, on the movie “Ezra,” which screened at TIFF and won the Audience Award at the Woodstock Film Festival. Bobby Cannavale stars as the father of an 11-year-old autistic son who sets off on a road trip with his son, without the permission of his son’s mother or his father, played by Robert De Niro, whose car he has “borrowed.”
The friendship began before I could shut the door of my blue ’77 Chevy Nova. I had made the two and a half hour drive from college in Boston through the heart of the Berkshire mountains to Williamstown, Mass. — ready to start my first professional job at the mecca of summer theaters, the Williamstown Theater Festival. Unsure of where to report for duty, I pulled into the driveway alongside the white, neo-Roman portico of Williamstown’s Adams Memorial Theater.
The friendship began before I could shut the door of my blue ’77 Chevy Nova. I had made the two and a half hour drive from college in Boston through the heart of the Berkshire mountains to Williamstown, Mass. — ready to start my first professional job at the mecca of summer theaters, the Williamstown Theater Festival. Unsure of where to report for duty, I pulled into the driveway alongside the white, neo-Roman portico of Williamstown’s Adams Memorial Theater.
- 10/20/2023
- by Tony Goldwyn
- Variety Film + TV
Canvas Media Studios and MarVista Entertainment have hammered out a six-film slate deal that will be focused on identifying diverse, first-time and up-and-coming writers and directors.
The agreement will involve fully financed completed titles with a pre-buy distribution commitment from MarVista Entertainment, which will also oversee global distribution for all films produced under the partnership.
Canvas, a venture capital-backed content company, is led by David Tochterman, an industry vet with stints at Overbrook Entertainment and the Carsey-Werner Company. MarVista Entertainment, a division of Fox Entertainment, averages 80 new movies per year.
MarVista’s recent projects include the Amazon Prime Video release “Christmas Is Canceled” starring Hayley Orrantia, Dermot Mulroney and Janel Parrish; “Stay Awake,” with Chrissy Metz; and the IFC release “Hunter Hunter,” toplined by Devon Sawa, Nick Stahl and Camille Sullivan.
Canvas just wrapped production on its first film under the deal with Marvista, “Don’t Let It In,” which...
The agreement will involve fully financed completed titles with a pre-buy distribution commitment from MarVista Entertainment, which will also oversee global distribution for all films produced under the partnership.
Canvas, a venture capital-backed content company, is led by David Tochterman, an industry vet with stints at Overbrook Entertainment and the Carsey-Werner Company. MarVista Entertainment, a division of Fox Entertainment, averages 80 new movies per year.
MarVista’s recent projects include the Amazon Prime Video release “Christmas Is Canceled” starring Hayley Orrantia, Dermot Mulroney and Janel Parrish; “Stay Awake,” with Chrissy Metz; and the IFC release “Hunter Hunter,” toplined by Devon Sawa, Nick Stahl and Camille Sullivan.
Canvas just wrapped production on its first film under the deal with Marvista, “Don’t Let It In,” which...
- 4/29/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Canadian entertainment company Entertainment One (eOne) has announced today an equity investment in Canvas Media Studios (Cms), the digital startup founded by the Emmy-winning Lizzie Bennet Diaries creator Bernie Su and noted media veteran David Tochterman.
While eOne is an indie studio that acquires, distributes, and produces content, Cms is behind the upcoming MTV crime thriller Socio, about a social media-obsessed teen who investigates a serial killer. The digital-first studio also recently inked a development deal with the actress Jennette McCurdy, and produced the Emmy-nominated Vanity series for StyleHaul.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
While eOne is an indie studio that acquires, distributes, and produces content, Cms is behind the upcoming MTV crime thriller Socio, about a social media-obsessed teen who investigates a serial killer. The digital-first studio also recently inked a development deal with the actress Jennette McCurdy, and produced the Emmy-nominated Vanity series for StyleHaul.
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
- 12/1/2016
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
Entertainment One (eOne) announced Thursday that it has made an equity investment in Canvas Media Studios, the digital-first media company founded by Emmy-Award winning creator Bernie Su and media executive David Tochterman. Through this investment, Canvas will expand its distribution, production and financing of scripted content for digital and traditional media, as well as emerging VOD and Ott platforms. Canvas Media Studios will work closely with eOne Television on a first-look basis for production and distribution to bring its content to worldwide audiences across all media. eOne joins Allen DeBevoise’s Third Wave Digital and Mnm Creative as investors in Canvas Media.
- 12/1/2016
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
Digital production company Canvas Media Studios has a new backer joining Allen DeBevoise's Third Wave Digital and Mnm Creative: Toronto-based Entertainment One (eOne) says today that it has bought equity in the operation founded by Bernie Su and David Tochterman. The companies didn’t disclose the size of the investment. But Canvas says it will use the cash to distribute, produce and finance “premium scripted content for digital and traditional media, as well as emerging…...
- 12/1/2016
- Deadline TV
Bernie Su and David Tochterman’s Canvas Media Studios and Judy McGrath’s Astronauts Wanted plan to tell the story of a social media-obsessed teen who investigates a serial killer. Now, MTV has joined that mission. As first shared by The Hollywood Reporter, the music television network has signed on the co-develop the crime thriller Socio.
We first heard about Socio back in February, when its pilot had already been shot and Astronauts Wanted and Canvas were on the hunt for a distributor. The two production companies have since settled on MTV. Its unclear where the Viacom-owned network, which maintains an expansive digital presence to go along with its popular TV channel, will distribute Socio, nor has the project’s release date been revealed. No matter the ultimate details, Socio will serve as a reunion for McGrath and her former colleagues. Before launching Astronauts Wanted in 2014, she worked at MTV Networks,...
We first heard about Socio back in February, when its pilot had already been shot and Astronauts Wanted and Canvas were on the hunt for a distributor. The two production companies have since settled on MTV. Its unclear where the Viacom-owned network, which maintains an expansive digital presence to go along with its popular TV channel, will distribute Socio, nor has the project’s release date been revealed. No matter the ultimate details, Socio will serve as a reunion for McGrath and her former colleagues. Before launching Astronauts Wanted in 2014, she worked at MTV Networks,...
- 10/13/2016
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
A company known for producing shows that span multiple social media platforms is teaming up with a leading lady who has a big social presence of her own. Canvas Media Studios, founded in 2014 by Bernie Su and David Tochterman, has signed a development deal with actress Jennette McCurdy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The deal will include multiple scripted projects, all of which will tie in the sort of “transmedia” integrations that have defined Su’s work over the past few years. McCurdy is a sensible partner for Canvas’ brand of content; she has shown her digital media prowess since iCarly’s 2012 end, particularly through a series called What’s Next For Sarah in which she poked fun at her teen sitcom career. She also has a lot of fans on social media; one would think that many of her 6.3 million Twitter followers will happily engage with Canvas’ interactive programming.
The deal will include multiple scripted projects, all of which will tie in the sort of “transmedia” integrations that have defined Su’s work over the past few years. McCurdy is a sensible partner for Canvas’ brand of content; she has shown her digital media prowess since iCarly’s 2012 end, particularly through a series called What’s Next For Sarah in which she poked fun at her teen sitcom career. She also has a lot of fans on social media; one would think that many of her 6.3 million Twitter followers will happily engage with Canvas’ interactive programming.
- 8/18/2016
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
A little more than a year after its launch, Canvas Media Studios has raised a major funding round. The production company founded by Bernie Su and David Tochterman has announced a “significant” investment from Third Wave Capital and Mnm Partners.
The fresh funding round allows Canvas to link up with Machinima founder Allen Debevoise, who serves as the Managing Partner of Third Wave. Debevoise, who has previously investment in digital video companies like DanceOn, MiTu, and Tubular Labs, now has his on Canvas and its social media-spanning projects. “Canvas Media Studios, with its unique blend of business and creativity, is well positioned to take advantage of the changing media marketplace,” he said in a press release. “Bernie and David are a great team with a long and successful track record and a very clear vision for the future.”
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
The fresh funding round allows Canvas to link up with Machinima founder Allen Debevoise, who serves as the Managing Partner of Third Wave. Debevoise, who has previously investment in digital video companies like DanceOn, MiTu, and Tubular Labs, now has his on Canvas and its social media-spanning projects. “Canvas Media Studios, with its unique blend of business and creativity, is well positioned to take advantage of the changing media marketplace,” he said in a press release. “Bernie and David are a great team with a long and successful track record and a very clear vision for the future.”
Visit Tubefilter for more great stories.
- 6/23/2016
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
With his team at Pemberley Digital, Bernie Su adapted several works of literature into web series led by teenage and young adult stars. Now, with his new production company, he will have a chance to add to that library. Canvas Media Studios, founded last year by Su and David Tochterman, has inked a deal with New Leaf Literary & Media through which it will adapt four young adult (Ya) novels into digital series.
According to Variety, which first reported the agreement between Canvas and New Leaf, the four titles included in the deal are Cora Carmack’s “Losing It” series, which follows a college student trying to lose her virginity; Mindee Arnett’s “The Nightmare Affair,” a sci-fi boarding school story; Kelly Fiore’s “Thicker Than Water,” in which a high-school student begins selling drugs; and April Genevieve Tucholke’s “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “Between the Spark and the Burn,...
According to Variety, which first reported the agreement between Canvas and New Leaf, the four titles included in the deal are Cora Carmack’s “Losing It” series, which follows a college student trying to lose her virginity; Mindee Arnett’s “The Nightmare Affair,” a sci-fi boarding school story; Kelly Fiore’s “Thicker Than Water,” in which a high-school student begins selling drugs; and April Genevieve Tucholke’s “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “Between the Spark and the Burn,...
- 3/22/2016
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
A pair of digital studios are teaming up for a new web series. Astronauts Wanted, the production company founded by former MTV exec Judy McGrath, will team up with Bernie Su and David Tochterman’s Canvas Media Studios for Socio, an upcoming crime thriller.
Socio will star actress India Eisley as a social media-obsessed teenager who teams up with a detective to hunt down a serial killer. Su described Eisley’s character to The Hollywood Reporter as “a teenage sociopath who operates on social media,” so viewers should expect a darker tone, especially when compared to previous Su projects like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved.
Both Astronauts Wanted and Canvas are known for productions that use social media as a storytelling device, so their collaborative effort will naturally feature a large number of transmedia integrations. Viewers will be able to follow the main characters on Twitter and interact with them across social sites,...
Socio will star actress India Eisley as a social media-obsessed teenager who teams up with a detective to hunt down a serial killer. Su described Eisley’s character to The Hollywood Reporter as “a teenage sociopath who operates on social media,” so viewers should expect a darker tone, especially when compared to previous Su projects like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved.
Both Astronauts Wanted and Canvas are known for productions that use social media as a storytelling device, so their collaborative effort will naturally feature a large number of transmedia integrations. Viewers will be able to follow the main characters on Twitter and interact with them across social sites,...
- 2/2/2016
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
In May, Pemberly Digital founder Bernie Su and digital strategist David Tochterman announced Canvas Media Studios, a new venture devoted to branded content. Just a few days later, Su took the stage during StyleHaul’s Newfronts presentation to announce Canvas’ first project: Vanity, a web series branded by Maybelline. A month later, the first episode of Vanity has arrived on StyleHaul’s YouTube channel.
In Vanity, Alex Frnka stars as a college student who attempts to learn more about a famous designer (Denise Richards) by talking to her assistant (Karrueche Tran). Much of the series is told through flashbacks, and there’s plenty of drama to appeal to StyleHaul’s young, predominantly female audience. Of course, more than anything else, the women of Vanity are very well-dressed. We wouldn’t expect anything else from a fashion and beauty-oriented network.
When we first spoke to Su about Vanity, the Lizzie Bennet...
In Vanity, Alex Frnka stars as a college student who attempts to learn more about a famous designer (Denise Richards) by talking to her assistant (Karrueche Tran). Much of the series is told through flashbacks, and there’s plenty of drama to appeal to StyleHaul’s young, predominantly female audience. Of course, more than anything else, the women of Vanity are very well-dressed. We wouldn’t expect anything else from a fashion and beauty-oriented network.
When we first spoke to Su about Vanity, the Lizzie Bennet...
- 6/12/2015
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
The biggest headline from StyleHaul’s presentation at the 2015 Newfronts concerned its partnership with Amazon, where several of its fashion, beauty, and style experts are offering product recommendations. At the same time, the network aimed at young women also discussed several other projects, including Vanity, the first series to be produced by Bernie Su and David Tochterman’s new digital studio, Canvas.
Su announced Vanity at Stylehaul’s presentation, just one day after he first lifted the curtain on Canvas. He described the series to Tubefilter as “a revenge drama set in the world of beauty and fashion. It centers around orphan Lily (Alex Frnka) as she tries to discover her identity while injecting herself into the world of designer Marion Bellerose (Denise Richards) and her fashion influencer and muse Vanessa Ivy (Karrueche Tran).” The supporting cast include a few other notables, including StyleHaul partner Allie Marie Evans and Joanna Sotomura,...
Su announced Vanity at Stylehaul’s presentation, just one day after he first lifted the curtain on Canvas. He described the series to Tubefilter as “a revenge drama set in the world of beauty and fashion. It centers around orphan Lily (Alex Frnka) as she tries to discover her identity while injecting herself into the world of designer Marion Bellerose (Denise Richards) and her fashion influencer and muse Vanessa Ivy (Karrueche Tran).” The supporting cast include a few other notables, including StyleHaul partner Allie Marie Evans and Joanna Sotomura,...
- 5/6/2015
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Bernie Su is applying his knowledge of the online video world to a brand new venture. The creator of popular web series such as The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Frankenstein, M.D., and Emma Approved has teamed up with former television executive for That ‘70s Show and president of management/consulting firm Versatility Media, David Tochterman to create Canvas Media Studios.
Canvas Media’s goal (as described in a press release) is to “develop original, scripted, and multi-platform entertainment properties for brands, publishers, and traditional media companies.” To maximize the impact of Canvas’ work for these brands, Su and Tochterman plan to utilize the power of social media integration, as well as a transmedia cross-platform storytelling method, which made Su’s past web series with Pemberley Digital studio so engaging to fans.
"Canvas is an entertainment studio that designs narratives for any and every 'canvas',” Su explained. “We're storytellers, whether we're telling an original,...
Canvas Media’s goal (as described in a press release) is to “develop original, scripted, and multi-platform entertainment properties for brands, publishers, and traditional media companies.” To maximize the impact of Canvas’ work for these brands, Su and Tochterman plan to utilize the power of social media integration, as well as a transmedia cross-platform storytelling method, which made Su’s past web series with Pemberley Digital studio so engaging to fans.
"Canvas is an entertainment studio that designs narratives for any and every 'canvas',” Su explained. “We're storytellers, whether we're telling an original,...
- 5/4/2015
- by Bree Brouwer
- Tubefilter.com
Tubefilter is proud to sponsor Top 10 in Digital Comedy, a panel at Digital Hollywood featuring leaders in online comedy. Top 10 in Digital Comedy is moderated by Amber J. Lawson, the "Comedy Impressaria Extraordinaire," as a part of Digital Hollywood's Los Angeles Content Summit. The panel is a part of Monday's Digital Comedy Summit, which includes Women In (Digital) Comedy: The Funnier Sex? and How To Turn Your Funny Idea Into A Web Series, as well as a Writers Boot Camp breakfast with Kevin Pollack and Transforming the World Through Comedy kickoff event. Top 10 in Digital Comedy Amber J. Lawson unveils her Top 10 Picks in Digital Comedy for 2011. Moderator: Amber J. Lawson, Comedy Impressaria Extraordinaire David Beebe, VP Digital Studio, Fishbowl Worldwide Media David Tochterman, Head of Digital Media, Innovative Artists Allison Kingsley, Svp Digital, Ovation We had a chance to peek at Lawson's Top 10 Picks, and—spoiler alert—the clear winners are women and podcasts.
- 10/14/2011
- by Drew Baldwin
- Tubefilter.com
Before Kevin Pollak had me at “Hand me the keys you #$%^ing @#$% sucker!” he had me at his stand-up. The comedian’s comedian self-deprecating style, uncanny ability to imitate others, and spin said imitations into compelling routines is a special kind of entertainment that rarely ceases to engage. Pollak’s stand-up routine is a special kind of entertainment for Pollak, too. It’s one of two times in his professional career (which spans 50-some-odd movie roles and a handful of television appearances) where he’s had 100% creative freedom, control, and ownership of an idea. So, when’s the other time Pollak’s conceived a project, kept the project safely guarded, and executed the project exactly per his vision instead of reluctantly handing it over to studio execs to later lament how much the whole thing got mucked up under the purview of a design-by-committee Hollywood bureaucracy? On the web. At...
- 3/15/2011
- by Joshua Cohen
- Tubefilter.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.