Taylor Swift Productions
Taylor Swift Productions, Inc. is the in-house production company of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was first credited in the DVD and Bluray version of Speak Now World Tour – Live in 2011 and has produced all of Swift's visual media works since 2018, including her music videos and films.
Company type
The studio's outputs have received various accolades, including two Grammy Awards for Best Music Video for "Bad Blood" (2015) and All Too Well: The Short Film (2021), and two MTV Video Music Awards for Video of the Year with "You Need to Calm Down" (2019) and "Anti-Hero" (2022). Its 2023 film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, is the highest grossing concert film of all time.
Background[edit]
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift views visual media as an important element in her songwriting process.[1] As her career progressed, she delved into screenwriting, directing, and producing.[2] Several directors that Swift has collaborated with, including Roman White and Joseph Kahn, praised her involvement in creating her music videos.[3][4] In 2015, Swift won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Interactive Program as an executive producer for the interactive app AMEX Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience.[5] She produced the music video for "Bad Blood", which won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 2016.[6]
History[edit]
Swift quietly launched her in-house production company, Taylor Swift Productions, Inc., which debuted in the DVD and Bluray version of the concert film Speak Now World Tour – Live (2011). The production company was officially launched with the release of her concert film Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018).[7] Directed by Paul Dugdale, produced by Swift, and distributed through Netflix, the film received critical acclaim for its direction, production, camerawork, and Swift's stage presence.[8][9] The company's next feature release, the television special Taylor Swift: City of Lover (2020), was directed by Dan Massie.[10] It was aired on ABC on May 17, 2020, and was made available for on-demand streaming on Hulu and Disney+ the following day.[11] The special received positive reviews from critics, who complimented its intimate setting and Swift's storytelling abilities, but felt that its 42-minute runtime was too short.[12][13]
Swift made her debut as a film director with the documentary feature Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020).[14] Based on her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020), and distributed by Disney+, the film received widespread critical acclaim for its performances, intimacy, and conversations regarding Folklore's creative process.[15][16] It received the Gracie Grand Award for Outstanding Special or Variety.[17] Swift made her filmmaking debut with the romantic drama All Too Well: The Short Film (2021), an adaptation of the 10-minute version of her song "All Too Well".[18] The film, which stars Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, received a limited theatrical release through Universal Pictures[19] and special screenings at the 2022 Tribeca and Toronto film festivals.[20][21] It garnered several awards and nominations and was critically acclaimed for its cast performances and Swift's vision as a filmmaker.[22][23] Taylor Swift Productions independently produced the concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023), with Sam Wrench as director and worldwide theatrical distribution by AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theatres.[24] Receiving critical acclaim for its direction and energy, the film became the highest-grossing concert film of all-time, earning over $200 million in worldwide revenue.[25][26][27]
Reception[edit]
In 2024, the business magazine Fast Company ranked Taylor Swift Productions at number 15 on their list of "The World's Most Innovative Companies", for "reimagining the business of concerts, music, and movies".[28] The magazine cited the commercial success and innovative distribution agreement of The Eras Tour film as the chief reason.[29]