Participant (company)
Participant Media, LLC was an American independent film and television production company founded in 2004 by Jeffrey Skoll, dedicated to entertainment intended to spur social change.[1] The company finances and co-produces film and television content, as well as digital entertainment through its subsidiary SoulPancake, which the company acquired in 2016.[2]
Formerly
- Participant Productions (2004–2007)
- Participant Media (2007–2019)
January 2004
April 16, 2024
Defunct
Worldwide
- Jeffrey Skoll (Chairman)
- David Linde (Chief Executive Offier)
- Gabriel Brakin (Chief Operating Officer)
- Andy Kim (Chief Financial Officer)
- Diane Weyermann (Chief Content Officer)
Film, Television
The company was originally named Participant Productions and went on to become a well-known independent financier. The company's name descriptively politicizes[3] its basis on currently topical subjects presented to induce awareness of problematic social aspects.[4][5][6]
The company produced, financed, or co-produced 135 films and five television series. Its films have been nominated for 73 Academy Awards, and have won 18, including Best Picture for Green Book and Spotlight.[7][8][9][10]
Participant, which earned B Corp certification in 2017,[11] was the largest company that exclusively produces and finances social impact entertainment.[12]
On April 16, 2024, Skoll announced that the company would be winding down operations after two decades, with nearly all of its staff being dismissed and development of new content ceasing entirely.[13]
History[edit]
Founding and early investments[edit]
The company was founded in January 2004 as Participant Productions by Jeffrey Skoll, the "second employee" of eBay,[14][8] with $100 million in cash from his personal funds.[4] Its goal was to produce projects that would be both commercially viable and socially relevant.[15]