A Personal Insight Into The Making of 'Midas Man'
Introduction
Back in the Summer of 2019 when we were blissfully unaware of the looming COVID pandemic I was invited by Charlie Wood of Metamorphis Films to a meeting at The Groucho Club. Charlie was involved in raising finance for an upcoming film about Brian Epstein, the man who discovered The Beatles. The film was being produced by Studio POW (Funny Cow, Cordelia) and Trevor Beattie Films (Moon, Spitfire).
<span class="text-color-accent">It was expected that much of the funding </span> would come from individual private investors.
The plan was that a large chunk of the fundraising would come from private individuals and so a number of investor evenings were planned at The Soho Hotel and BAFTA. Charlie asked me to create some fundraising content for the investors, so with my team I set about interviewing key stakeholders in the project. This included Perry Trevers of Studio POW, Trevor Beattie and his partner Jeremy Chatterton, PR guru Mark Borkowski and screenwriter Brigit Grant.
The interviews provided a deep insight into their passion and motives for creating this film. I remember the interview with Mark Borkowski was particularly eloquent. Afterwards, each interview was crafted into a powerful narrative with memorable soundbites designed to engage potential investors. The success of these PR films led to me creating several more promo films for Charlie Wood. This time featuring partners Andrew Boswell (Twickenham Film Studios) and Piers Hunt (HH5). Moreover, it included Beatles enthusiasts and those that had already taken the plunge and invested in the film.
<span class="text-color-accent">COVID wasn't the only obstacle</span> that stood in the way of getting the film made.
I recall the producers were upfront with investors regarding the risks and rewards of independent film finance, but I think its fair to say that no-one could have predicted the awful impact of COVID on the film’s progress. However, I was delighted to see that despite the many obstacles and several changes of director, the film has made it through production and is scheduled for release in the coming months. I for one will be heading out to see it as soon as its hits the big screen.
Perhaps the lesson I learned from working with Charlie and the producers involved in Midas Man, is how much effort it takes in the independent film industry to garner support and raise finance. Even with such a well-known subject as The Beatles, doors didn’t always magically open, but rather a lot of loud door knocking was required. I was impressed by the passion of the producers, in particular Trevor Beattie (…a big Beatles collector) who had unwavering belief in the project. I really hope Midas Man brings them and the many individual investors who took a stake great personal satisfaction - and a financial reward too.
For details of the production including the cast and crew, check out Midas Man on IMDB.
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Speaking & consulting
I have previously been a speaker at BNC Show, Bridelux and a guest lecturer at UEL and consulted for Erasmus, Borough of Camden and Access Creative book an online meeting.
