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Greg Maurice is a seasoned film distributor with a focus on Black cinema, discussed his 15-year career and the rise of Black-produced films. Maurice is Filmhub’s Acquisitions Lead for Black Cinema Vertical, and is unique in its non-exclusive distribution model.
The Black Cinema Vertical is a dedicated initiative that helps Black filmmakers distribute their work across 120+ streaming platforms, including Tubi, BET, Amazon, and Apple TV.
BCV takes a 20% commission while filmmakers retain 80%. The non-exclusivity agreements make BCV unique.
“If you don’t like how we work, you can take your rights back and do something else with them,” says Maurice. “And for us, we don’t own the rights. We’re just a distributor. What we try to do is leverage our relationships, because we go direct 150 channels. We leverage those relationships and distribute titles to make as much revenue as possible.”
Maurice emphasized the importance of transparency and community support, aiming to showcase the diversity within Black cinema and filmmakers.
“We want a lot of filmmakers to consider about Black cinema that there’s diversity amongst us,” explained Maurice. “Sometimes when people think about Black cinema, they think about probably one type of title or genre. But for us, there is so much diversity. There’s thriller, romance, comedy, docs, and action. For us, we want to showcase the diversity within the Black community.”
Maurice also highlighted the economic power of Black America, with $1 trillion in annual spending and $50 billion within the entertainment box office. With that in mind, does Maurice have a general idea of where a film could be placed? He says BCV has certain data points he can point to.
“We get access to that information, and for us, we share those insights with the filmmakers,” says Maurice. “And sometimes filmmakers need those insights before they go to pre-production. Now, they know when to produce something, and can anticipate the kind of channels where it’s likely to be licensed.”
With a growing slate of projects by innovative moviemakers, Filmhub’s BCV is positioned to be a major player in the future of Black cinema distribution. Recent projects include Super Bowl champion Vernon Davis’ ‘Match Point’, New York Times best-selling author JaQuavis Coleman’s ‘Everything is Both’, and megaproducer Jennifer Pessima’s ‘The Despaired.’
“FilmHub has already been successful. So when we came together, it felt like the perfect home for me,” said Maurice. Because I’ve been doing it already, but I didn’t feel like I had the support from the other companies. But now, because FilmHub has been doing it, they want to put more into that space, and I think for me, like it gives me more batteries on my back. That includes advocating for those filmmakers and also, having the autonomy to go to different festivals.
It used to be that you had to go to Hollywood. Now Atlanta is emerging. New Orleans is emerging. And Detroit is a big, big one. It’s a big one. And for me, I’m trying to go to all the different cities to showcase the talent within the inner cities of America.”
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