Gamechanger, the first film fund by and for women, has appointed veteran producer Effie Brown as its new CEO. According to IndieWire, the “Dear White People” producer will work to expand the fund’s scope, so it will also support projects by and about people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities.
“As a black female producer who’s been in the business for over 20 years, I know how hard it is to not only get into the room but to then secure financing when you have a culturally diverse or gender specific point of view,” Brown said. “I am beyond thrilled to join Gamechanger as CEO and help level the playing field by providing equity financing for production, development monies as well as strategic partnerships for people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, women, and people of color.” She explained, “What also makes us different is that the diversity of our content is as diverse as our investor pool. Our investors understand that it is going to take all of us pooling our monies together to ensure that these inclusive voices are given the opportunity to own their story from script to screen.”
Gamechanger is also branching out into TV and digital content “with a new, fully monetized development fund that will enable it to buy, option, and develop IP for those platforms,” the source reports.
Brown isn’t the fund’s only new hire. “Fruitvale Station” producer Nina Yang Bongiovi has come aboard as an advisor; former Director of Artist Development at Film Independent Jennifer Kushner is the new Chief Content Officer; and Brenda Robinson (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor”) and Naja Pham Lockwood (“Last Days in Vietnam”) have joined the founding team. The latter two are investing their own money so that Gamechanger “is both headed by and has significant financing from women of color.”
“From the very beginning Gamechanger has been committed to reflecting the community we serve, which is why we are thrilled to have Effie on board as our CEO, along with new founders Brenda and Naja,” said original founding team member Geralyn Dreyfous. “Effie’s vision to expand our community of filmmakers, as well as our foray into television and digital development will truly take us to the next level.”
“Effie has long been driven by the idea that ‘diversity’ is more than a word, it’s a philosophy that will benefit both the richness of stories coming out of Hollywood as well as its bottom line,” added Wendy Ettinger, another member of the original founding team. “Her commitment to quality storytelling and her years of experience supporting underrepresented creators will ensure we deliver on our promise.”
Brown won an Indie Spirit Award for producing Patricia Cardoso’s “Real Women Have Curves” and Cheryl Dunye’s “Stranger Inside.” “Rocket Science,” “In the Cut,” and “Star” are among her many other credits.
Gamechanger’s slate includes Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, “Passing.” An adaptation of the Nella Larsen novel, the film is the story of two black women who are able to “pass” as white — one of whom chooses to live as white. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga star. Robinson personally invested in the project, which is now in post-production, and brought on a group of black investors.
