The Players Film Company head Philip Mellows has joined forces with executive film producer Steve Hoban (Ginger Snaps, Cyberworld, Blood & Donuts) and Noah Segal, a veteran film distributor and former executive VP, worldwide marketing, Lions Gate Films, to create 49th Parallel, a new long-form production company.

Mellows stresses the new company is not just a marketing tool. ‘A lot of commercial production companies have put out a shingle and said ‘Now, we’re a film company.’ I don’t want to be perceived as a guy just trying to raise the profile of his commercial production company,’ Mellows says. The two high-profile film execs on board is further evidence of Mellows’ commitment to the new operation.

‘The Players Film Company is a totally separate entity,’ Mellows continues. ‘Essentially, we’re using Players for three things. One is to be able to launch the business without a huge overhead. PlayMedia [Players’ interactive design company] will do all the website work where possible, or maybe work on the [movie] poster with other creative people involved on the project. Also, [Players will be] providing us with a financial vehicle to be able to do this.’

Players will also lend the talents of Mellows’ partner Derek Sewell to the new long-form house. Sewell, who will be a minority shareholder in 49th Parallel, will ‘offer solutions and bring a lot to the party,’ as Mellows puts it.

Hoban sees the advantages of joining forces with a successful and respected commercial executive. ‘Where do you get directors for first and second features?’ he asks. ‘You get them from short films, commercials and music videos. It’s an area that I really knew nothing about. Philip has been introducing us to a number of directors that he knows. Obviously, we’re all running the overall company. Noah is the expert in distribution, Philip will focus a little more on talent, and I’ll be focusing more on feature financing from a producer’s point of view.’

When Mellows looks through his magic mirror, he sees several directors he believes can thrive in long-form. ‘I see Stephen Surjik [who has already done Wayne’s World 2 and Little Criminals], Bradley Walsh, Adam Massey, Philip Kates, as well as younger directors who are building their careers and all of the affiliate directors in America. If we can do a project, and we know we’re not going to make any money on it but it’s worth doing, the ‘make or break’ is if we can attach a Players director who needs that first picture. So the next time we go to market with one of those [directors], we’re in a position where they have something under their belt, and they’re an easier sell.’

Mellows says film work has always been in his future: ‘I know I’m going to do it; I know that I’m going to be sitting in a film and at the end, my name is going to come up. It has always been a matter of when. When these two quality people presented themselves, it was just a no-brainer.’

It was Players sales rep Amanda Cohen who informally brought the trio together. Cohen introduced Noah Segal, who is her husband, to Mellows. ‘And then,’ Mellows says, ‘Noah introduced me to Steve Hoban.’

Says Mellows: ‘They were of like mind, in the way they deal with people and in the kind of work they do. I’ve always had the philosophy with Players that you put the money on the screen and the money will take care of itself. And you’re only as good as your last job. The three of us have a desire and similar objectives in the way we want to live our lives, the way we want to deal with people, and the kind of people we want to be. We want to live in Canada. These are all things we have in common. It was an opportunity that was just too good not to take advantage of.’

Hoban agrees: ‘Once we met it seemed like such a brilliant [fit] – somebody who’s got hands-on producing experience, someone who’s got distribution and executive producer experience, and somebody who has experience developing talent in the commercial world and making those directors superstars.’

49th Parallel plans to initially release three films a year. The first project, brought into the new shop by Hoban, is Nothing, to be helmed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube, The Company Man). *

-www.playersfilm.com