BLOOMFIELD HILLS ? Crossbow 5 Entertainment Group, with the help of Entrepreneur and Investor Exchange, are producing films for one of the fastest growing markets ? DVD rentals in the horror-thriller genre.
The Independent Film and Television Alliance says such films gained 23 percent in popularity last year, giving them more than a 50 percent market share. And with some assistance from the Entrepreneur & Investor Exchange, two local producers and their financial backers are making the most of this marketplace opportunity.
Todd and Tommy Brunswick are in their early 30s, have been married for seven years and have three sons. They learned their trade in school and by working for advertising agencies, before creating Crossbow 5 Entertainment Group.
?We did commercials, training films, trade shows, everything including sweeping the floors,? Todd said. Both of them love their work but say they must work hard to succeed. ?Our kind of business takes talent and skill, but most of all perseverance,? Tommy said. ?It?s not for the faint of heart.?
Do they yearn for Hollywood? ?Not at all,? Todd said. ?Hollywood only looks glamorous. Acting and production talent are available right here. For example, the actor who plays our demonic ?Mr. Jingles? is a local doctor whose regular job is to patch people up, not chop them up. We can operate here at a fraction of west coast costs, we don?t pay millions for sets and costumes, and we can retain control of the product. This is the way we like it.?
Crossbow 5 Entertainment?s films typically return generous profits to their ?angel investors.? Crossbow is the only independent producer in Michigan with pre-production deals assuring release of its films to over 360 buyers in the world?s 91 film market territories.
Stuart Logan, a principal in Dykema Gossett PLLC, helped the Brunswicks navigate the intricacies of taxation, financing, organization and marketplace survival.
?Stuart helped us organize for efficiency,? Todd said. Dykema Gossett has become a sponsor of the E&I Exchange where the firm can encounter additional business opportunities.
Before the filming fun begins, the Brunswicks have to round up investors willing to put a minimum of $1,000 each into their production funds. When ?Mr. Jingles,? their latest horror epic, needed financing, they turned to The Money Finders, whose monthly Entrepreneur and Investor Exchange forums bring business startups face-to-face with potential investors. The Brunswicks presented their case to E&I Exchange attendees, and this triggered negotiations.
?Mr. Jingles? expects to become profitable about six months following its release. Big-league film investors sometimes wait years for profitability.
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