Row K Entertainment President Megan Colligan and Chief Marketing Officer Ben Carlson have left the indie distributor just seven months after the company’s launch after clashing with founders Christopher Woodrow and Raj Singh and a cash crunch at the company, TheWrap has learned.
According to two insiders, Colligan has stepped away from the role since Monday while her lawyer negotiates her exit. Colligan referred TheWrap to her lawyer Bryan Freedman who did not respond to multiple inquiries. Carlson did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Producers working with Row K said Woodrow and Singh have stepped in to work with them. Former Paramount marketing exec Peter Giannascoli is consulting with Row K Entertainment for their upcoming projects.
The departures come after a Variety report that Row K was having cash flow issues, with vendors and consultants not being paid in months. In addition, the studio moved the release date on its next planned film, “Poetic License,” a debut comedy directed by Maude Apatow, because Row K cannot fulfill its legal obligations on the film’s release. The film, produced by Maude’s father Judd Apatow, is now looking for a new distributor.
Said one insider of Colligan clashing with her bosses: “It’s possible that senior members of the company didn’t love the movie as much as she did.”
The film was originally slated to be released on May 15, timed to the third season of “Euphoria,” in which Maude Apatow stars. Last month, Row K pushed the movie’s release to Oct. 16, sending panic through the ranks of other films the studio has on its slate.
Row K is scheduled to present its release slate at the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas in mid-April.
“We connected with Chris and Raj. It felt like on Monday it all blew up,” said one producer working with the studio who spoke on condition of anonymity. “I don’t know if it has settled out.”
Row K Entertainment went on a spending spree at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, snatching up Jaume Collet-Serra’s “Cliffhanger” reboot starring Pierce Brosnan and Lily James, Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire” starring Bill Skarsgård and Al Pacino, Maude Apatow’s directorial debut “Poetic License” and the Nick Robinson/Emilia Jones romantic drama “Charlie Harper” in short order.
The company released “Dead Man’s Wire” theatrically in January and the film garnered only $2.5 million at the worldwide box office — a disastrous result considering the company spent $5 million to acquire the project and another $5 million to market, according to an insider.
In a statement, Woodrow and Singh said they moved to take a “more measured, disciplined approach” after that first outing, “prioritizing commercially viable titles, strengthening our internal infrastructure, and aligning our team accordingly.”
An insider with knowledge of the “Cliffhanger” deal said Row K bought the film for $12 million with a $20 million commitment in prints and advertising. But another insider said the deal was never formally closed. Row K had no comment.
The reactions inside Hollywood have been skeptical. One top dealmaker told TheWrap: “I never seen anyone pivot with strategy after releasing just one movie,” noting that Woodrow overpaid for the titles bought out of TIFF.
The company was launched last year by entertainment investment company Media Capital Technologies led by Woodrow, who made a name for himself in Hollywood running Worldview Entertainment, a production company that ousted him over allegations of embezzlement in 2014 and shut down the following year in a flurry of lawsuits.
“We are building a pipeline of star-driven titles made for the big screen, and ‘Cliffhanger’ checks every box,” Woodrow, co-chair of Row K and president of MCT, previously said in a statement to TheWrap.
For Woodrow, Row K would have represented a fresh start after the implosion of Worldview Entertainment.
“They clearly raised a lot of money, which Chris Woodrow has a history of being able to do,” said one industry insider familiar with the company. “Weaker history of making money, but hope they do.”
Row K previously declined to specify how much money it has raised other than to say the company has “significant funding.” Insiders say the head of CAA’s Media Finance division Roeg Sutherland, which handles financing, packaging and sale of independent films, has been integrally involved in building the company and acquiring the slate. CAA had no comment.
Row K, which takes its name from Row K in a movie theater, often considered the best seat for viewing films, is looking to fill the gap between studio blockbusters and more independent projects with “wide release, star-driven and prestige filmmaker-driven movies with global appeal.”
In its launch announcement, Row K committed to releasing up to 10 films each year.
“There’s an underserved demand in the distribution market for high-quality, commercial content supported by an efficient, targeted marketing strategy,” Woodrow and fellow Row K and MCT principal Singh, formerly an investment analyst and CEO of National Lampoon, previously said in their launch release. “Between the tentpole budget levels of major studios and the limited reach of boutique players, Row K was built to fill this void.”
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