EntertainmentVC, a media holdings company with a focus on developing iconic IP, announced during the Cannes Film Festival Wednesday that is rebranding as Rated Media, or simply Rated M — a fully integrated studio that will develop, finance, produce and sell content to commercial audiences around the world.
The expansion reflects a greater emphasis on stories, wherever they’re found, and recognizes that a song can become a podcast that becomes a documentary that becomes a franchise. Leading the change is Julian Warshaw, a longtime music publisher and film producer who has worked in both creative and financial roles. The company operates with the philosophy that “the strongest outcomes happen when artistry meets infrastructure,” it said in a release.
Rated M has stakeholders in both New York and Los Angeles, while growing relationships in growing markets like Toronto and Nashville. It aims to be involved from the inception point to work with creatives on projects that are both “artistically compelling and commercially viable,” the company notes.
The business has also launched Mulholland Films, a new venture launching at Cannes that is led by Warshaw alongside veteran writer and producer Dahlia Heyman. It focuses on developing non-fiction and scripted projects from the ground up across true crime, music, sports and culinary content.
That approach reflects ambitions to go beyond managing rights and financing IP-driven stories to creating original stories.
Mulholland’s current film, Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story, premiered earlier this year and earned “Best of Fest” at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
The film, pictured above, also screened at the Miami Jewish Film Festival and earned a Grammy nomination for its audiobook companion.
At Cannes, Mulholland is unveiling a slate of films and series in various stages of development and production.
Rated Media will also expand its technology mandate, by working to integrate AI tools into creation and distribution “thoughtfully, while maintaining its focus on human-driven storytelling,” according to the company.
You can learn more about Rated M here.
Main image: Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story. Courtesy of Mulholland Films
