Renovo Media Group has launched a new studio and facility in Clear Lake, Iowa, set to be led by Lisa Crnic as president, Aaron Wiederspahn as head of scripted, and Ben Parrish as head of unscripted. The group is led by chairman David Kingland. Renovo Media Group will develop, finance and produce feature films, scripted and unscripted docs and series and commercial productions.
The studio says it is the Midwest’s only end-to-end production studio and rental service. The group will fully finance and co-finance pictures up to $15 million and produce higher budget four quadrant projects.
The company most recently produced and financed “Wildcat,” directed by Ethan Hawke and starring Maya Hawke and Laura Linney. The film premiered at last year’s Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.
Kingland, an Iowa native, has worked in the entertainment industry providing financing, facilities and business expertise to film productions during various stages over the last decade. His primary company, Kingland, develops enterprise data management software for companies.
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Crnic, also from Iowa, will oversee all aspects of the studio. She started her career working at Creative Artists Agency and Paradigm Talent Agency. She then spent nearly a decade at Kerner Entertainment where she served as head of development. During her tenure she worked on family films like the “Smurfs” franchise and served as executive producer on Paramount’s “Clifford the Big Red Dog.”
Wiederspahn will oversee a slate of independent films and larger budgeted features. Wiederspahn has executive produced and produced in the independent film space across a variety of genres. Most recently, he served as executive producer on “Wildcat,” the as forthcoming “The Way of the Wind” directed by Terrence Malick, the biopic “Sight” starring Terry Chen and Greg Kinnear and co-executive producer on “Monster Summer” directed by David Henrie starring Mel Gibson and Mason Thames.
Parrish is a television producer with over a decade of experience developing, selling and producing unscripted television shows. He was previously head of development at Campanario Entertainment and Stone & Company Entertainment where he developed and produced a number of series including “Paradise Run” (Nickelodeon), “A Season With” (Showtime), “Nailed It! Mexico” (Netflix) and “YO! MTV Raps” (Paramount+).
