Through adaptability, persistence, and a clear vision for “escapist” storytelling, Electric Entertainment has thrived amid constant industry changes. In the following interview with ttvnews, CEO Dean Devlin explains how the independent studio continues to captivate loyal audiences worldwide with its optimistic, franchise-driven approach to entertainment.
Born almost 25 years ago in 2001, Electric Entertainment is an independent studio headed by veteran producer Dean Devlin, along with his partners Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson.
Over the last quarter of a century, the group has grown and branched out its business, from first focusing on films, to then betting on TV, and more recently even launching their own streaming service, ElectricNOW.
“Having come from big feature films, I was surprised that we were able to create franchisable television product that not only spawned new works, but increased the value of the works that came before them”, said CEO, Dean Devlin. “The branding of our television series has developed an incredibly loyal audience who really built our company.”
Electric has produced and distributed countless hits over the years, with shows like The Librarians or The Ark making currently making waves on TV screens across the world, and many more projects set to come for the year ahead. But things aren’t always as simple as they may seem, even for an experience producer and distributor such as Electric.
“As an independent, we’ve always had to fight and scrape to get things made”, the CEO explained. “I think our ability to constantly evolve our production and distribution practices to adjust to an ever-shifting industry has been key to staying relevant and productive.”
One of the first films Electric Entertainment ever made, Eight Legged Freaks was one that didn’t come easy for the producer. “Eight Legged Freaks was a troubled production from the get go”, the executive recalled. “In order to try and make the film work within the time and budget we had, Roland Emmerich took over second unit. Peter Winther ran the action unit. And I worked extremely closely with the director on first unit. Unfortunately, first unit was shooting a comedy, second unit was shooting a horror movie and action unit… well you can guess what they were shooting. When the first cut came together is was a mess. It took a year of post to put it all together.”
“Ironically, it’s one of the best reviewed movies I ever did,” he noted.
But after two and a half decades of working in this industry, Electric is now one of the most knowledgeable companies in the entertainment business, with a keen eye for the type of content that audiences are looking for, especially in today’s fragmented and troubled world.
“Our focus has, primarily, been on “escapist” entertainment. Our shows are fun, optimistic and filled with hope. I think as the world has struggled through pandemics, political divisions and conflicts, the need to “escape” has never been more needed and appreciated,” he explained.
