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  • November 2016 (Revised May 2017)
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The Black List

By: Henry McGee and Sarah McAra
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:28
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Abstract

Franklin Leonard founded The Black List in 2005 as an innovative approach to identifying potential hit movie scripts via crowdsourcing. As the annual Black List proved to hold the scripts of some of Hollywood’s most successful films, from “Slumdog Millionaire” to “Spotlight,” it became widely respected and highly anticipated throughout the industry. In 2012, Leonard uses the momentum to bring The Black List online as a database where unproduced screenplays can be reviewed and discovered by industry experts. Now in 2016, Leonard is considering other avenues for supporting great screenwriters, including launching a film fund to finance low-budget productions. He reflects on the movie-making business and on the numerous barriers to entry he may face in entering the competitive motion picture industry.

Keywords

Screenwriting; Independent Production; Hollywood; Film Development; Film Distribution; Film Financing; Manging Uncertainty; Barriers To Entry; Globalization; Digitalization; Film Entertainment; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Media; Strategy; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; United States

Citation

McGee, Henry, and Sarah McAra. "The Black List." Harvard Business School Case 317-027, November 2016. (Revised May 2017.)
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About The Author

Henry W. McGee

Entrepreneurial Management
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Related Work

    • February 2017
    • Faculty Research

    The Black List

    By: Henry McGee and Sarah McAra
    • November 2016 (Revised May 2017)
    • Faculty Research

    The Black List

    By: Henry McGee and Sarah McAra
Related Work
  • The Black List By: Henry McGee and Sarah McAra
  • The Black List By: Henry McGee and Sarah McAra
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