What would you do if you won $67M in the lottery?
You’d become a movie producer, right? That’s what Cynthia Stafford from Hawthorne, CA has done as reported in this story from The Wrap:
While Hollywood goes chasing to Abu Dhabi and Mumbai for ever-scarcer funds to finance its movies, the industry might do better just heading to 7-Eleven.
The latest film fund, $30 million to make romantic comedies, thrillers and faith-based dramas, comes from the lottery winnings of Cynthia Stafford, a single Hawthorne homemaker who shared a $67 million jackpot with her father and brother in 2007.
Now she wants to make movies.
“What I like about movies is it’s something ongoing,” Stafford said. “Movies from the ’20s, ’30s, ’40s — I still see them today and think, ‘Wow, this is something that can go on forever.”
The film fund, which follows the creation of her production company Queen Nefertari Productions, will be repped by the Gersh Agency. The banner already has four projects lined up.
Stafford is CEO and executive producer of Queen Nefertari; Jeff Kalligheri and Lanre Idewu, who are her partners in the shingle, are producers.
It’s easy to wince at a story like this given the history of so many money people venturing into the movie business only to lose their shirts. That said, at least they’re focusing in some profitable story areas:
The company is looking primarily at commercial projects in four broad genres: comedy, romantic comedy, thriller/horror and faith-based.
The first three genres are obvious with proven long-time audiences; the latter proved out once again by the startling success of The Blind Side, which has as of today grossed $103M, a huge moneymaker considering its $29M budget. Here’s the prod co’s movie slate:
Aiming for an Easter 2010 release is “Risen,” in conjunction with Hyde Park. “It picks up literally the day after ‘The Passion of the Christ’ left off,” Kalligheri said of the faith-based project.
Also in the works are “Undying,” a supernatural action-thriller the company is co-financing with Media 8 Entertainment, that’s out to actors; and “Judd Apatow-type comedy” “Operation Caucasian,” about two Asian-born guys whose sole goal in life is to get with an American girl.
They also have comedy “Adrenaline,” a co-production with Hollywood Farms that the partners described as “Wedding Crashers” meets “Hitch,” out to directors; it’s produced by Hollywood Farms’ Kirkland Tibbels and actor Matthew Lillard.
Stafford’s living out a dream that hopefully will avoid becoming a nightmare. Godspeed, Cynthia!
How about you? If you won $67M, would you start a film production company? If so, what would be its focus, its unique niche? Or would you chuck screenwriting and head off to Tahiti?
UPDATE: Okay, let’s up the ante. What would you do if you suddenly found yourself with $7 billion?