What inspired you to start Black Box Management?

I was inspired to start Black Box with my partner Mike Dill because we believed there was a better way for artists to be represented in Hollywood. Reps in Hollywood tend to specialize in one specific business, e.g. TV writers, actors, feature directors, etc.

If you work at CAA in the literary department, you likely don’t have the relationships, time, or business knowledge to assist a documentarian sell a multi-part series to a streamer. The opportunity we saw is that artists today want to do everything. They want to write and direct film and TV, make docs, podcasts, digital content, etc. We believe that in order to truly help foster the growth of our clients’ careers, we as representatives have to have the relationships and business knowledge in all areas of the film and tv business, scripted and unscripted.

When I worked at WME I felt like so many of the agents would take credit for a client’s success that they actually had very little to do with. I knew that this would never bring me satisfaction. I’m the kind of person who needs to earn my victories through my own effort, conviction, and courage. I knew I would have to dig deeper within myself to see what I was truly capable of.

Where do you fit into the current industry landscape?

Black Box is all about two things – Proactivity and Process. We will always be Proactive on behalf of our clients, always hustling, always striving for that next great opportunity. We believe we do so with a refined and self-reflective Process and it is our commitment to this process that has continued to enable our success. When you are a client of Black Box your career will grow, your relationships will expand, and your aspirations will become fully realized…. because they have to. We only work with people who we are truly passionate about and whose careers we believe that we can elevate through Proactivity and Process. We don’t compete with anyone but ourselves.

What is your film/TV industry background and how did it shape your current tastes and interests?

My first job in Hollywood was as a PA on Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo. For an 18 year old, it was a dream job. We shot on location in Tustin and they put me up in my own hotel room all week. Rob Schneider inexplicably kicked me off the set one day. I was getting paid $100.00 a day and all my meals were paid for. I was also bored out of my mind. I wanted to be where the action was, and being on set all day was like being on an island.

I was fortunate to land an assistant gig at WME right out of college. I was so proud to get a job there, it felt like I was on my way. I always wanted to work in film, but at WME I was hired in the unscripted department. It was the beginning of the reality TV boom, and our department was by far the most successful at the agency. The agency needed support in the Corporate Consulting division in NYC, and I jumped at the opportunity to experience living in NYC and working with the agency’s Fortune 500 clients.

Despite my burgeoning career at WME, all I really wanted to do was work at Focus Features. The studio behind such classics as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lost in Translation, and Brokeback Mountain, Focus features was the reason I wanted to work in the movie business. After much thought, I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to be successful in the “movie business”, I had to learn about the fundamentals of “business.” I also looked around the walls of WME and noticed that many of the agents who seemed to have the best work/life balance had JDs or MBAs. I decided my next move would be to hit the pause button on the career, educate myself, and re-enter the industry with a renewed set of skill sets and ambition.

When I moved back to L.A. from Boston post-MBA, I took a job at Content Partners, a private equity firm founded by Mark Cuban that purchases profit participations from writers, directors, actors, producers, etc. I worked as a quantitative analyst, learning about the intricacies of artists’ contracts and studio accounting.

Where do you mainly source new clients?

Projects and clients come from everywhere. My first client ever, Jonathan Daniel Brown, was someone who I met out one night at the Improv. Three months later I heard about this Warner Bros. film that was casting. I called Jonathan and told him I was going to get him one of the lead roles in the movie and I made it happen. The film was called Project X and it went on to gross $100M. He was paid scale.

In the early days of the business I was committed to building my client base through the comedy community. I would go out to comedy 4-5 times a week to shows big and small. The actor/comedian Tone Bell is someone who we met on a Sunday night at a comedy show at El Cid on Sunset. We went to the show because T.J. Miller was supposed to headline; needless to say he didn’t show up and they decided to give Tone twenty minutes to end the show. He had literally arrived in L.A. from Dallas about a month earlier. He was sleeping on an air mattress in an apartment in Pacoima with three other comedians. When he booked his first series Whitney we bought him a bed as a gift.

It took years of refinement, but at a certain point I figured out how to consistently identify and monetize talent and that has been a game changer for me. Anyone can negotiate incoming deals, but the “Real Gs” can spot a talent and make something big happen for them. In the early days no one even knew what Black Box was so I worked extra hard to create opportunities for my clients.

At what stage do you prefer to develop new project ?

I always consider the execution, the marketability, and the authenticity of the work, so it doesn’t matter to me what stage the creative work is in when I come across it. The reality is I just know it when I see it so I always keep my eyes open for inspiration and projects I think I can I can get to the finish line.

Is there a defining film or TV show that captures the essence of Black Box?

I just really relate to the guys in How To Make It In America. It was a special show that really captured the hills and valleys of being a young entrepreneur.

Where do you see the most opportunities for writers in the current industry climate?

We can all see how much opportunity is out there every time we turn on our screens. There has never been a time like this. At the same time, it’s extremely competitive and difficult to get things done. I think the smartest writers are the ones that can create for any medium, be it films, series, or shorts. Great material always finds its way.

Are there areas of content and types of stories that the market is saturated with?

There’s not an over-saturation of any one type of content right now. The marketplace moves too fast and is too fickle to try to pinpoint an area of focus for a writer’s work.  Just create and know that it will find its way.

What films/ TV shows released in the last year do you wish you were involved in?

Midsommar. I thought it was a work of genius and a remarkably memorable and powerful film. I loved WeCrashed and The Dropout. I’m not sure when Jared Leto became this incredible comedic actor, but it has happened and he is a genius. A Star is Born with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga is Top 5 for me.

What is the WOW factor that makes you take notice of a script?