Prolific filmmaker strikes deal with Wendy Schmidt as docs market faces ongoing squeeze
Alex Gibney has sold a majority stake in his documentary-focused Jigsaw Productions to philanthropist Wendy Schmidt.
Gibney, who has been behind shows including HBO Scientology doc Going Clear and The Inventor, said the sale to Schmidt - the wife of former Google chief exec Eric Schmidt - is designed to ensure the company is “around for the long haul”.
The renowned filmmaker retains his leadership role but admitted that the sale had been prompted by market conditions.
“We’ve been managing to make films on important social issues for a long time, but finding and getting those stories to audiences has been a challenge, in part because of the consolidation of the entertainment industry,” he told The New York Times, which broke the news.
Schmidt said Jigsaw will expand its scope to cover topics such as climate change and increase its staff count from 15, bolstering its New York office with a new LA division.
“Documentary film is such a powerful tool, especially today with the division in our society,” she told the NYT.
Jigsaw Productions has a raft of projects on its slate, including the recently unveiled project with Anonymous Content that explores the murder of US health insurance executive Brian Thompson and the national debate about healthcare the killing has sparked.
The Thompson project will be the third collaboration between Anonymous and Jigsaw. The companies are also co-producing documentary features Musk, about Elon Musk, with Gibney directing, and Orwell, about writer George Orwell.
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