Two years ago this month, while the industry was in the thick of the dual writers and actors strikes, Range Media Partners and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger, principles of the busy production banner Automatik, decided to tie the knot. In 2024, the fledgling film and production division of Range Studios enjoyed a banner year by any measure.

Searchlight Pictures’ “A Complete Unknown” scored at the mainstream box office ($140 million worldwide) and had a strong award season ride capped by eight Oscar nominations.

Meanwhile, Neon’s “Longlegs” proved that there’s still plenty of box office gold to be mined from distinctive indie films. The horror film that finished out with $127 million in worldwide box office ($74 million domestic) also vaulted the director Osgood Perkins to a new level of industry recognition. Having that kind of career-building relationship with filmmakers is important to Kavanaugh-Jones and Berger, regardless of whether the talent is represented by Range (Perkins is not).

For Kavanaugh-Jones, the strength of their first full year with Range reflected the one-plus-one-equals-four thesis that drove the acquisition. Automatik’s relationships and active development slate paired nicely with Range’s infrastructure, talent, branding and marketing activities and distribution support. Having so many projects to shepherd through the post-strike scramble to get production back up helped Automatik integrate with Range. Kavanaugh-Jones and Berger had been producing partners at Automatik since 2016.

“What has been a joy is that we got to come in and take a slate of movies that we were already working on and in many ways supercharge them, and engage with all of these exceptional execs and representatives in the spaces,” Kavanaugh-Jones told Variety. “It’s been dream for us, because we got to connect with exceptional talent, music, resources, audience, awareness. There were all these places where we [previously] felt like we could use more support. And then we got to really prove it out.”

The success with two very different original movies also helped reassure Range and its investors that the traditional theatrical film business is still a vital link in the content distribution chain. Berger emphasizes that Range Studios is eager to swing for the theatrical home run but will always be flexible in order to do the right thing for the project to get it made. This year, Range Studios worked with IFC on the theatrical release of Sean Byrne’s “Dangerous Animals,” which screened as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Directors Fortnight selection this year. Range also has the Amazon Prime Video movie “Follow,” from helmer Gonzalo Tobal, bowing globally on the platform on July 18.

“We come out of indie film, and so we’ve always had to be scrappy,” Berger told Variety. “We’ve made a lot of bigger studio films, moderately budgeted streamer movies, and a lot of independent films across wide budget ranges. Our ethos has always been finding the path to get the movie over the line and finding creative ways to do that.”

At present, Range Studios film and production arm is developing a host of projects designed for the big screen.

One is a biopic of legendary musician and Velvet Underground co-founder Lou Reed, based on the 2023 biography “Lou Reed: The King of New York” by Will Hermes. Another is a look at a pivotal moment in the storied screen partnership of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Range Studios is collaborating with John Legend’s Get Lifted, Matt Weaver and Richard Gaye on a film adaptation of “Soul Train,” based on the upcoming stage musical about legendary producer Don Cornelius. Also in various stages of development are new projects with previous Automatik creative partners, including “Longlegs” helmer Perkins as well as directors Karyn Kusama, Baltasar Kormakur, Jeff Nichols, Gavin O’Connor and Miguel Sapochnik.

“The nature of our group here at Range is relatively autonomous. Clients are not obligated to work with us and vice versa. But when there are opportunities to help support filmmakers and their creative ambition with film, it’s been very organic that ideas emerge or production scenarios emerge that help get these movies made,” Berger said.

Launched in 2020 by CAA alums Pete Micelli, Jack Whigham and other founding partners, Range Media Partners is about to mark its fifth anniversary. Working in an environment that has the vibe of a startup but and strategic partners such as A+E Networks has been invigorating, Berger emphasized.

“The amount of energy and opportunity that is naturally incubated at the company – there’s so much creativity and so much intelligence,” Berger said. “Everyone here is a storyteller, whether it’s talent representatives or execs in various divisions. The natural synergy is leading to great incubation of projects as well as execution of outcomes. That’s been enormously exciting for us.”

Range Studios’ proximity to so many top dealmakers at the parent firm has been helpful at a time when Hollywood is grappling with a contraction in the volume of production and consolidation among key buyers. As an indie outfit, Range Studios has every incentive to find efficiencies in the production process wherever possible. Having the support from Range allows Kavanaugh-Jones and Berger and their teams stay laser-focused on getting the most out of every dollar spent.

“It lets us deal with the nitty-gritty and the joys of production. We’re focused on building a financial scenario for every movie that incentivizes as much creativity as possible,” Kavanaugh-Jones said. “Usually, the more responsibly and conservatively a budget is built, the more creative boldness and ambition is allowed to emerge.”

(Pictured top: 2024’s “Longlegs”)