Shane Smith Headshot - P 2013
Getty ImagesLONDON – Influential U.S. youth brand Vice Media and the high-flying, edgy British production and finance house Pulse Films have inked a strategic partnership to develop a slate of original, co-produced projects.
With support from Vice, in which 21st Century Fox has a 5 percent stake, the partnership will expand Pulse Films’ film and entertainment division in the U.S.
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The partnership will focus on ramping up Pulse’s scripted feature film, and scripted and unscripted television and online video productions.
Vice will feature some of the co-produced projects on its network of online channels.
Vice and Pulse have worked together previously, including making the award-winning film Shut Up and Play the Hits, documenting indie dance-rock band LCD Soundsystem’s final performance at Madison Square Garden in 2011.
Pulse Films CEO Thomas Benski told THR the aim would be to kick-start productions riding on the back of both the Pulse and Vice brands, which are established on both sides of the Atlantic.
“We are very ambitious about what we can achieve in the U.S. and how we see Pulse continuing to grow internationally, and this partnership will bolster the development of all of our creative projects,” Benski said. “It is incredibly exciting to be working with one of world’s most innovative media companies to help grow our business.”
The two partners are currently developing a slew of programming together across film, scripted and unscripted television in addition to online video projects.
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Benski said the strategic partnership will help push boundaries on content creation for the company and push Pulse forward.
Vice chief creative officer Eddy Moretti described Pulse as a “reflection of Thomas’ passion for creativity, and his acumen for protecting and fostering talent and ideas. Pulse is a place where the director’s vision is embraced and where it evolves under his leadership.”
Said Moretti: “I am thrilled to see Vice and Pulse come together to give birth to a whole new generation of artistic filmmakers that will inspire and entertain us.”
Shut Up and Play the Hits was produced by Pulse Films and Vice, through the U.S. banner’s Creators Project channel (a partnership between Vice and Intel).
Vice began life as a print magazine before branching out into investigative journalism while cementing its brand as an edgy, digital news outlet targeting a younger demographic.
The company partnered with HBO for Vice, a newsmagazine series that was picked up for a second season earlier this year.
Pulse Films currently works across film, music content and videos, advertising, television, and branded content.
Pulse has produced features, including the Grammy-nominated documentary No Distance Left to Run, which featured Blur, and was a key partner in the creation of the Paramount-released film Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D.
Pulse has also worked with some of the worlds most successful and influential artists, including The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, The xx, Adele, Beyonce, M.I.A., Take That, Jay Z, Lady Gaga and a slew of brands.
