Quality Films, a division of QC Media Holdings, a major player in the film and television industries, has teamed with Artists First, a production and talent management firm. The joint venture will concentrate on the development, funding, and production of culturally relevant film and television projects with budgets of $10 million and under.
In order to develop compelling narratives for the film and scripted television industries, the two firms will use their top talent clients, musicians, and brands. The projects that are picked for sale or development will be executive-created by both businesses.
Award-winning writers and directors like Jordan Peele, Kenya Barris, and Jon Chu, as well as top actors like Anthony Anderson, Awkwafina, Martin Lawrence, John Travolta, Niecy Nash, and Tracee Ellis Ross, are among the clients of the industry leader Artists First. The Lil Baby documentary UNTRAPPED, which sold to Amazon Prime and had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, was recently funded by Quality Films. In addition to pre-production work on the Trioscope film Takeover, which will begin filming in Atlanta next month and include QC rapper Quavo, the business is now producing The Impact for BET+ and EOne, which showcases Atlanta’s most significant young entrepreneurs and artists.
“We are beyond excited to align with Brian Dobbins and the stellar team at Artists First,” said Quality Films President Brian Sher. “Our two companies are very like-minded in philosophy and taste, and we know that together we will tell amazing, important and entertaining stories.”
“We are excited to announce our partnership with Artists First. With our combined roster and knowhow, we now have even more tools at our disposal to continue telling culturally-driven stories that make an actual impact at the ground level. This partnership is a no-brainer.”
– Kevin “Coach K” Lee COO Quality Control
“I have a deep amount of respect and admiration for what QC has built and stands for, so the opportunity to join forces is thrilling. The joint venture between Artists First and QC provides an opportunity to bring groundbreaking stories to the market and continue to define culture.”
– E. Brian Dobbins, co-President of Artists First
The Last O.G. on TBS, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens on Comedy Central, Black-ish, Mixed-ish, and Grown-ish on Freeform, as well as Hit & Run on Netflix are examples of Artists First projects. Netflix’s Flaked and ABC’s The Gong Show are recent productions. In the field of feature films, Artists First also worked on the production of Central Intelligence for New Line/Universal, Keanu for New Line, starring Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, and Like A Boss for Paramount, starring Tiffany Haddish. Key and Peele on Comedy Central, Married on FX, Running Wilde on Fox, Do Not Disturb on Fox, Reno 911! on Comedy Central, Players on Spike, Hollywood Residential on Starz, and Campus on Oxygen are some other recent creations. Additionally, Spyglass, Broken Road, and Propagate are partners with Artists First in Artists Road, which specializes on low-budget comedies.
