Former MGM Film Head Jonathan Glickman Launches Panoramic Media; Gary Barber, Spyglass, Tarak Ben Ammar, UTA, Lantern & Pinky Promise To Fund Venture

EXCLUSIVE: Jonathan Glickman has launched Panoramic Media, a multi-platform content venture. The former MGM Motion Picture Group President launches with investment from Gary Barber, Spyglass Media Group, Eagle Pictures, Lantern Entertainment, Pinky Promise and United Talent Agency. Glickman wasn’t putting a number on the investment, but it is significant for the startup, which will be platform agnostic with the financial resources to develop projects across all platforms.

The new capital will fund IP creation across film, television, podcast and digital platforms. Glickman, founder and CEO of the new venture, spent the last two years putting together the funding, a creative team and projects that will be unfurled over time. The new company will expand upon Glickman’s existing slate of projects set up at Netflix, Amazon, MGM, Warner Media, Paramount, and MRC, as well as a joint podcast venture with iHeartMedia.

In its first key hire, Panoramic Media has named Jose Gutierrez as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Financial Officer, responsible for overseeing the Company’s operations, finance, business priorities and strategic initiatives. Gutierrez joins Vice President Helena Budnik, Director Roni Stein and Head of Podcasts Alex Vespestad.

Glickman is currently in production on Creed III, directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan; the Netflix Addams Family spinoff series Wednesday, directed by Tim Burton and starring Jenna Ortega; California King with Travis Bennett and Jimmy Tatro; he is in pre-production teaming with MRC on director Janet Mock’s Scandalous!, as the Pose writer/director/EP helms the drama about the interracial love affair between Kim Novak and Sammy Davis Jr, with Jeremy Pope playing the latter. After producing the Jennifer Hudson Aretha Franklin film Respect, Glickman is prepping Hudson’s upcoming original Christmas musical at Warner Bros. and New Line; and the original podcast production Diane’s Inferno, starring Maya Hawke and Alice Cooper with partner iHeartMedia.

Glickman began his career as a film producer of films including the Rush Hour franchise, While You Were Sleeping and Grosse Pointe Blank. He later served as President of Spyglass Entertainment and served a nearly nine-year tenure as President of MGM Motion Picture Group. There, Glickman oversaw film development and production, including reviving the Rocky franchise with Creed and Creed II, as well as shepherding the James Bond trio Skyfall, Spectre and No Time to Die.

“Panoramic is the word I kept returning to when thinking about a broad, forward thinking view of the changing media business,” Glickman said. “Taking from my experience on the producing, financing and executive sides of the business, we’ve created a strong, nimble structure that allows established and emerging talent to control the creative and financial destiny of IP and original stories. I’m grateful to have this powerhouse group of investors and strategic partners providing the ideal atmosphere to develop, package, produce and finance impactful, clutter-busting entertainment for the global audience.”

Glickman reunites with Gary Barber, with whom he worked at Spyglass and MGM. “This new alliance with Panoramic is more than just a reunion with Jonathan,” Barber said. “The hallmark of our numerous successes together over the past 25 years as producers and studio executives has been a combination of innovative, yet disciplined financing; astute creativity and deep talent relationships. This investment will enable Panoramic to independently develop, finance, and package stories from a plethora of artists and filmmakers.”

Other investors in the new company were equally bullish.

“By leveraging Jonathan’s creative vision, combined with Eagle Pictures’ expertise in the international marketplace and strong support from its investors, Panoramic Media is poised to meet the ever-growing demand to produce quality, premium content for global audiences,” said Eagle Pictures chairman Tarak Ben Ammar.

UTA Co-President David Kramer said the agency “has worked with Jon in several different capacities over our 25-year relationship and we are extremely excited to collaborate with him and our esteemed partners on his new venture. Jon has a great eye for identifying and supporting talent and we are confident that combined with his tireless energy the Panorama team will be a huge success.”

Andy Mitchell, the founder/CEO of Lantern Entertainment called Glickman “a trusted friend and innovative business partner. His creative talents advance Lantern’s commitment to invest in the production of world class content. He’s got the ball, and we are excited for him to run with it at Panoramic.”

Said Jessamine Burgum, Founder/CEO of Pinky Promise, which is the final piece of the funding consortium: “Jon approaches his work with buckets of enthusiasm and curiosity which is intrinsic to how we work at Pinky Promise. At Pinky Promise we elevate new voices with singular stories full of heart and authenticity, which Jon has always celebrated. As an artist it is such a joy to find collaborators who are deeply invested in what they do, so when he presented the opportunity for me to form an alliance with Panoramic, it made perfect sense. Jon has been such an incredible mentor and friend and it’s my sincerest hope that the content that arises from this new venture is reflective of two people who have a whole lot of fun finding and creating stories together.”

As for Glickman’s Panoramic staff, Gutierrez most recently served as Executive Vice President of MGM, where he oversaw financial, operational, and business affairs matters regarding the theatrical, home video, and non-theatrical distribution business units, and worked on the exploitation of all of the company’s film and television product, including the James Bond and The Hobbit films. Prior to his role at MGM, he was EVP & CFO of Spyglass Entertainment, where he oversaw, amongst other areas, finance, operations, and global content distribution of all of the company’s films which grossed over $5 billion at the box office. He started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he served clients in film, sports, music, and gaming entertainment, including Disney and Sony Pictures.

Rick Wirthlin at Irell & Manella and David Weber and A.J. Brandenstein at Sloane, Offer advised Glickman and Panoramic on the transaction.