Colorado is a thousand miles away and a world apart from Hollywood, but with enough cash, investors can buy their way into some of the glamour and glitz.
Some Coloradans are quietly investing in movies.
“Sometimes it’s just to see their name on the screen – producer or executive producer,” said Colorado Film Commission executive director Kevin Shand.
Los Angeles-based IndieVest Inc., an independent film studio that sells memberships to people interested in investing in films, said it counts some Coloradans among its members, though the company declined to specify how many.
“Investors are increasingly interested in independent films,” said Mark Burton, IndieVest Pictures president of production.
But in an industry where connections are key, “I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who would like to invest in film but they don’t know where to start,” said Darren Foster, a local screenwriter who runs .
Actor-producer Don Cheadle is among those on IndieVest’s advisory board.
Though some bemoan Colorado’s struggle to draw more movies to film in the state, investing offers another way in.
“All access” membership in IndieVest goes for $4,900, which buys access including invitations to film screenings and special events at film festivals, and the ability to invest a minimum of $50,000 in IndieVest’s films. Investors in films get credit lines on screen at the end of the movie.
“They get to have a taste of what it’s like,” Burton said. “Movies have captured the public’s imagination. They want to own a piece of that.”
Often, “it’s people who have made money in other businesses,” Foster said.
Venture capital and hedge funds are among the financiers in Hollywood. Burton says IndieVest gives its members a more “intimate” relationship with a movie.
But, he notes, “movies are very risky investments.”
Kelly Yamanouchi: 303-954-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com
