Rossellini – Who Led Film Financing for Such Blockbusters as Avatar and Life of Pi – Will Develop Strategic Relationships & Build a Unique Business and Financing Infrastructure for AWA’s Burgeoning Portfolio of Original Stories
LOS ANGELES – April 24, 2024 – AWA Studios, the film and television division of Artists, Writers & Artisans (AWA), the independent developer of bold and original stories from outstanding creators, today announced that Victoria Rossellini, one of Hollywood’s most accomplished business and strategic finance executives, has joined forces with the AWA Studios leadership team as senior strategic advisor for guiding strategic industry deals and building an innovative and differentiating film financing capability.
Rossellini brings decades of experience creating high-level alliances between filmmakers, studios, and financiers for films including James Cameron’s iconic Avatar franchise and Titanic, as well as Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, and countless films from 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000, and Fox Searchlight. Rossellini has been responsible for groundbreaking business and finance arrangements with Dune Entertainment, Lightstorm, and TSG Entertainment as well as a myriad of other financing structures. Rossellini will work closely with AWA’s senior leadership team, including Co-Chair Jon Miller, Co-Chair & President Matthew Anderson, Studio Head Zach Studin, and General Counsel Bob Cohen, on the next stage in the rapid rise of AWA Studios with responsibility for securing strategic financing and partnerships for feature film production, distribution, and other exploitation.
“Vicki’s entertainment business expertise, her network of collaborators, and her skill in developing strategic partnerships are unparalleled within the industry and we know she will be an incredible asset to our team as we accelerate our feature film slate and assess multi-film partnerships over the coming months,” said Jon Miller, AWA Co-Chair.
Rossellini added, “As I learned more about AWA’s mission to bring graphic novel creators’ visions to life in film and television, I realized how closely this aligns with my passion for building truly strategic industry relationships and custom business and financial structures to propel film projects to their full potential. I’ve been so impressed with the range, quality, and number of AWA Studios’ projects in development and am excited to help these unique films reach global audiences.”
Matthew Anderson, Co-Chair & President of AWA, said “Creators with truly original works need every advantage in getting their stories adapted while also being well rewarded. Vicki’s skills and experience mean that strategic relationship-building and film financing are the latest, differentiated benefits AWA offers our creative partners, in addition to our exceptional editorial publishing team led by Axel Alonso and the most closely integrated film and television studio of any graphic fiction publisher, led by Zach Studin.”
Some of the initial wave of projects Rossellini will focus on includes AWA Studios’ feature film adaptations of graphic fiction series Hotell, Marjorie Finnegan, Temporal Criminal and Old Haunts.
Hotell was adapted by and will be directed by rising genre filmmaker Elle Callahan (Head Count). The original comic series was written by John Lees and drawn by artist Dalibor Talajic.
Ruben Fleischer (Uncharted, Venom) will direct event film Marjorie Finnegan, Temporal Criminaladapted from the graphic novel of iconic creator Garth Ennis (The Boys, Preacher), which AWA Studios is producing alongside LuckyChap Entertainment (Barbie) with Catya McMullin adapting.
Old Haunts has been adapted by Aaron Rabin (Secret Invasion) and will be directed by celebrated Māori filmmaker James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark). The original comic series was written by Ollie Masters (The Kitchen, Snow Blind) and Rob Williams (Out, Low Life, Ghost Rider) and drawn by artist Laurence Campbell (Breathing Space, The Punisher, BPRD).
Victoria Rossellini worked at Twentieth Century Fox for nearly three decades, rising to President of Worldwide Business & Legal Affairs and Strategic Financing. As the studio’s top business executive, Rossellini oversaw all theatrical business and legal affairs, as well as business and legal affairs for digital, home entertainment, and television distribution. Since leaving Fox in 2020, Rossellini has continued to work with and advise financiers, filmmakers, and production companies. Prior to joining Fox, Rossellini worked at Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures. She also worked in private practice, including starting her career at Rosenfeld, Meyer and Susman.
AWA established its film and television division, AWA Studios, in 2021. Since its launch, AWA Studios has quickly created a robust film and TV operation, kicked off by the announcement of the feature film adaptation of Chariot by Bryan Edward Hill and Priscilla Petraites, which Warner Bros. acquired in competitive bidding.
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