According to recent reports, liberal billionaire Jeff Skoll’s film studio, Participant, will shut down after 20 years of producing films. Skoll founded the studio in 2004, seeking to promote causes such as social justice. The studio is known for producing and financing titles such as “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Green Book,” and Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln.”
Many of these titles pushed prominent leftist talking points, such as “An Inconvenient Truth,” Al Gore’s documentary addressing climate change. The studio also spearheaded “American Factory,” former President Barrack Obama’s Netflix documentary.
Skoll informed nearly 100 staff members at the studio of Participant’s impending closure. However, a skeleton crew will be retained to oversee the library of roughly 135 titles, but the studio will cease involvement in producing new content.
“I founded Participant with the mission of creating world-class content that inspires positive social change, prioritizing impact alongside commercial sustainability. Since then, the entertainment industry has seen revolutionary changes in how content is created, distributed and consumed,” according to an internal memo Skoll circulated to staff.
Skoll’s statement to the studio’s employees emphasized Participant’s mission and how it led to various real-word impacts. “Our titles drove tangible real-world change. We got out the vote and championed investigative journalism. From the passage of landmark legislation to enact labor protections for domestic workers in Mexico, to spurring state and federal action to address forever chemicals in the United States and Europe,” the memo continued. “Participant content has made the world a safer, more just place for millions of people. “
The closure of Participant comes as direct-to-consumer streaming services are changing the landscape of entertainment. Reportedly, studios that rely on a business model of releasing small-scale niche movies have been devastated by the trend.
According to Particpant’s website, the studio has been focused on “pushing culture and the industry forward since 2004.” It adds, “Participant is the leading global media company dedicated to stories that speak to the world’s most important issues.”
“Founded in 2004 by Chairman Jeff Skoll and under the leadership of CEO David Linde, Participant’s films have earned 86 Academy Award® nominations, including 2022’s historic triple nomination for FLEE, and 21 wins, including Best Picture for Green Book and Spotlight; Best Documentary Feature for American Factory, CITIZENFOUR, The Cove, and An Inconvenient Truth; and Best Foreign Language Film for A Fantastic Woman and Roma. Participant also has earned 62 Emmy® Award nominations and 18 wins, including two wins for the groundbreaking When They See Us,” the website said about the studio’s accolades.
Skoll’s studio noted that it forged partnerships with non-profits and nongovernmental organizations to drive social and environmental change on a “global scale.” Participant stated its belief that diversity, equity, and inclusion were all core tenets of the organization.
“Participant partners with key nonprofits and NGOs to drive real-world impact and awareness around today’s most vital issues on a global scale, and is the only major US entertainment company whose social and environmental impact has earned a B Corp Certification. Participant believes that diversity is a source of strength, that inclusion is essential to progress, and that equity is an imperative for impact,” the studio added.
Featured image credit: Skoll Foundation, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opening_Plenary_(5575544666).jpg
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