DALLAS --
Republic has elevated Brian Hwang to an equity partner in its production division, Republic Productions. Hwang will continue in his role as executive producer, and utilize his new position as partner to streamline decision-making as he leads the growth of the studio’s directorial roster, technical offerings and client base.
“Four years ago, we brought Brian on with the precise directive of building a production department from the ground up. That is exactly what he has done and we couldn’t be more impressed by his success in such a short period of time,” said Chris Gipson, founding partner of Republic Productions (launched in 2019), and its parent company, Republic (established in 2013), alongside founding partners Carrie Callaway and Keith James.”
A seasoned veteran, Hwang brings over two decades of production, postproduction and agency experience to his new ownership role, having spent 10 of those years at McCann New York. After moving to Texas in 2016 and growing roots in the Dallas ad community, Hwang was added to the team in early 2019, to help Republic launch its production arm, initially under the name Threaded Pictures. The division was later rebranded under the Republic banner in January of last year as Republic Productions.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the production shop that the Republic partners and I have developed in just four short years,” said Hwang. “I credit their support and leadership for allowing me to execute our shared vision of a diverse and talented roster of directors capable of working on projects of all shapes and sizes, both in the U.S. and internationally.”
Republic Productions’ roster consists of directors Josh Blaylock, TG Herrington, April Kirby, Amos David McKay, Chad Ostrom, Ben Tedesco and Taylor Washington. Of his new elevated role, Hwang added, “I’m driven now more than ever to work on our next phase to take Republic Productions to another level.”
Hwang also serves as president of AICP Southwest and as the Southwest regional director for the AICP National Board, titles which he has held since late 2018 and which keeps him current with industry issues and challenges. During the pandemic lockdown and subsequent easing of restrictions, Hwang’s coordination with state and local governments helped the area’s commercial production move forward and rebound quickly. Recently, he chaired the first in-person AICP Awards National Tour Dallas Show in three years, held at the Perot Museum last November, and continues to use his leadership position to strengthen the production industry in the Southwest region.
Tags:AICP SouthwestBrian HwangChris GipsonRepublic Productions
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Shawn Levy is no novice when it comes to rumors around his projects. Years on "Stranger Things" taught him how to tune out the noise. Yet even he's found himself astonished by the sheer volume of speculation around "Deadpool & Wolverine."
"The rumors around this movie are overwhelming," Levy told The Associated Press earlier this year. "But so is the anticipation, which is a nice situation."
Anticipation might be an understatement for a movie that is poised to be the theatrical event of the summer, when it opens on Thursday.
The first trailer, which aired during the Super Bowl, was viewed a record 365 million times online in its first 24 hours. The second broke another record — for the most "F-bombs" in the MCU (six in less than three minutes).
Much of that excitement is because this film marks the first time Ryan Reynolds' foul-mouthed Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine are being folded into Kevin Feige's Marvel Cinematic Universe. Both properties existed previously under the 21st Century Fox banner.
When Disney acquired the studio's film and TV assets in early 2019, Wolverine had already died in "Logan," a third "Deadpool" was in development and Marvel was still firmly in the PG-13 business, a rating that allows for only one F-bomb.
On a call with investors as the deal was going through, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger was already reassuring people that a Disney Deadpool would remain R-rated. Soon after, Reynolds also posted a photo on social media showing his character with Mickey Mouse ears on a yellow school bus labeled "Disney." The meta humor, it seemed, was also firmly intact.
But what would the story be? Levy was announced as the film's director in early 2022, coming in as a fan of... Read More
