2017 Year End Update!
Happy Holidays to our Legion!
As Legion M readies to ring in the new year, we want to share how we’re planning to kick it off in a big way and take a quick look back at our jam-packed inaugural year. We had a lot of cool moments and big breakthroughs in 2017, all of which sets up Legion M for an even bigger 2018!
So, let’s get to it!
Legion M will blast out of the gate into the new year with our first-ever Legion Midnight film MANDY which will debut as a Midnight screening during the legendary Sundance Film Festival in January. While in Park City, Legion M is also teaming up with MoviePilot to create the Live Lounge at Sundance, where filmmakers and actors will be interviewed live on MoviePilot and where Legion M investors and members can meet up and hang out. Look out for Legion M signage, mentions, and interviews!
We’re also planning another round of investment that will welcome new investors and see the Legion grow even further! This will be the next offering since we successfully completed a record-breaking offering last September that grew the Legion community to over 20,000 strong. This will be an awesome time to let people know about our thriving community and what it means to be a member of the Legion.
In the coming weeks and months, the Legion M community will be the first to receive announcements on a kick-ass development slate with multiple cool projects that we cannot wait to share with you. We’re also working on new production partnerships, and we’ll update you on projects that are already in production like the dark folklore anthology THE FIELD GUIDE TO EVIL. Given the greenlight last February, Legion M partnered with Ant Timpson and Tim League alongside veteran producer Christos Konstantakopoulos (BEFORE MIDNIGHT, THE LOBSTER) and Keith and Jess Calder (ANOMALISA, BLAIR WITCH) as executive producers to bring this highly anticipated project to life. Look out for a few surprises leading up to the film’s 2018 debut!
Once a month, we’ll put information like this into a brief e-newsletter – and just know that we encourage you to forward it to anyone you’d like, especially people who may be interested in joining our cause! Now, let’s take a look back at where we’ve been and share a few highlights from Legion M’s inaugural year!
Legion M began 2017 in a COLOSSAL way when we announced our investment in the wildly creative film starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis. Directed by up-and-coming director Nacho Vigalondo, COLOSSAL became an instant cult classic and has appeared on many 2017 top movie lists like Complex, Wired, USA Today and London’s The Telegraph. And later this year, it is receiving nominations for awards, including Best Picture and Best Indie Film by LA Film Critics.
For the theatrical release, Legion members organized 40 of their own fun meetups all across the country to see COLOSSAL that were not only a blast to attend, but directly increased the films’ box office performance, proving our theory that fan-owned also means better performance.
We have taken virtual reality to an entirely new level, producing the Legion M original ICONS: FACE TO FACE. The pilot episode features an intimate, one-of-a-kind interview with the legendary Stan Lee. This pioneering effort in VR appeared as a feature story in Fast Company, and we have great momentum right now with potential partners about producing many more interviews with iconic figures from the past and present to grow the ICONS: FACE TO FACE library.
Stan Lee is not only a hero to many of us at Legion M, but he has also become a big supporter of us! In 2017, we were honored to celebrate Mr. Lee in many ways, like hosting the Stan Lee handprint ceremony at Hollywood’s historic Chinese Theatre, which many Legion members attended. We also threw the ultimate Stan Lee Hollywood House Party to celebrate the handprint ceremony and Stan’s 95th birthday. And the best news was that we had more than enough generous sponsors to offset all the costs!
Legion M had a big presence at San Diego Comic-Con, co-hosting a STARGATE panel and throwing a STARGATE SG-1 20th anniversary party with our friends at MGM. We also teamed with 20th Century Fox to host the wildly fun BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 20th Anniversary Party. Our Comic-Con experience wouldn’t have been complete without a little help from our friend, Stan Lee. Legion M was proud to host Stan’s standing-room only panel, which was attended by many of our members.
In October, Paul and Jeff announced season one of Pitch Elevator, and Legion members participated in live development meetings throughout the fall.
We started the Legion M Book Club, and this past fall, encouraged members to submit books or scripts they have written for review and discussion by the Legion.
Legion M came aboard as a production partner on the revenge thriller MANDY, starring Nicolas Cage and co-written and directed by Panos Cosmatos. Our investment in the film includes its heavy metal soundtrack by Jóhann Jóhannsson (SICARIO, THEORY OF EVERYTHING).
Fox Searchlight and Legion M teamed up to give members in LA and New York a very special opportunity—screening Guillermo del Toro’s critically acclaimed THE SHAPE OF WATER before its nationwide debut. Those who attended the sold-out LA screening also participated in a phenomenal Q&A with Guillermo which was moderated by Spectrevision’s Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah, and Josh Waller.
Southern California Legion M members met up at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to see a little sci-fi opera called STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI. Tickets to the opening night experience included a donation to the Starlight Children’s Foundation through our friends at LiningUp.net. What a great example of the Legion coming together for fun experiences and helping a great cause!
Last, but certainly not least, Legion M’s own Terri Lubaroff was recently named the company’s chief operating officer and joined our board of directors. Terri’s promotion is well-deserved as she has played an integral role in growing the Legion to where it is today. Congratulations, Terri!
To say 2017 was an exciting time for Legion M would be an understatement. None of what we accomplished could have been done without everyone’s dedication, passion for and investment in the Legion and its community. On behalf of the entire Legion M team, we want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for not only being a critical member of the Legion, but pioneers in a new frontier for the entertainment industry!
As always, never hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions or thoughts. We love hearing from every single one of you!
Happy Holidays and Best Wishes in the New Year!
-Paul, Jeff, and the Legion M Team