Universal Pictures' new specialty unit is about to get a jumpstart.
Five months after its inception, the indie arm has signed a first-look deal with Colorado capitalist Bob Sturm, who is forming an equity production firm and will co-produce pics for the studio. The moves signal Universal's intent to be a major player in the independent arena.
The specialty division will produce and distribute 8-12 pics annually in the $20 million-and-under budget range. Additionally, the studio is currently seeking clearances for the indie division's official moniker and pacts with other well-capitalized producers and companies.
A newcomer to Hollywood, Bob Sturm is the son of 67-year-old telecommunications billionaire Donald L. Sturm, who recently bid $461 million for Denver's Pepsi Center, hockey team the Colorado Avalanche and basketball team the Denver Nuggets.
These developments provide a clearer purpose for Universal's specialty arm. When the division was announced last fall, it seemed that the company would function as a marketing liaison for the studio's niche pics, classic re-releases from the Universal library and certain titles under the USA Films banner, which is 45% owned by Universal.
The indie division recently helped oversee the marketing of "Being John Malkovich." The film has earned Oscar nominations for helmer Spike Jonze, supporting actress Catherine Keener and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman as well as $22 million at the box office.
The indie unit is currently run by exec veep Claudia Gray and senior veep Paul Hardart, Gray and Hardart currently report to Uni's Stacey Snider, but sources suggest that the increased activity could bring in another person to oversee the division.
Though it is not yet clear what relationship the specialty arm might have with USA Films, Universal's interest in starting this division underlines the significance of the indie landscape for the studios.
Almost all major studios now have at least one specialty arm or label, including Paramount Classics, Fox's Fox Searchlight, Sony's Sony Pictures Classics and Screen Gems and MGM's United Artists. Though there was once speculation that Disney would start a classics division, the Mouse House's relationship with Miramax would seem to make such an endeavor redundant, just as Warner Bros' link with New Line and Fine Line gives Warners little reason to get into the classics act.
With U in the specialty game, DreamWorks becomes the only major currently without some form of a specialized division.
Contact the Variety newsroom at
news@variety.com