Gabe Cowan is an American filmmaker and philanthropist who launched New Artists Alliance. He founded NAA to support emerging filmmakers while sharing profits with the cast and crew. As of 2014, he and his partner John Suits have produced more than 17 features.
NAA premiered two movies at the Tribeca Film Festival, “Loitering With Intent” starring Sam Rockwell and Marisa Tomei, and “Just Before I Go,” Courteney Cox’s directorial debut starring Kate Walsh, Olivia Thirlby, Elisha Cuthbert and Seann William Scott.
As the tech world continues to hurtle forth, independent filmmaker ops are ever increasing. NAA offers a unique model. It produces and owns its material and keeps up-front and overhead costs down. Their focus on story, character and modern filmmaking techniques keeps attracting big stars. On May 6 Lionsgate will release NAA’s movie, “Making the Rules,” which stars Jaime Pressley and Robin Thicke.
This 40-year-old man does so much in a day it sounds exhausting – and he also makes time for multiple philanthropic efforts. Cowan works with Human Rights Watch, The Rape Treatment Center, The Children’s Defense Fund and last year he founded a screenwriting program for incarcerated juveniles called InsideOUTwriters.
Curious, I had to hook up with him to find out more. We sat down for an exclusive interview around the corner from my Chelsea home in Manhattan.
Dorri Olds: Can you describe your two Tribeca Film Festival movies?
Gabe Cowan: “Loitering With Intent” is about two actors writing a screenplay that they will star in to show off their acting talents, but unfortunately for them, they run into their own writing limitations and the comedy ensues. “Just Before I Go” is about a guy who’s given up and going to take his own life. Before he does, he goes back home to right old wrongs and go after bullies from childhood. What he discovers is they all have their own struggles. The bully’s wife passed away and he has a Down’s syndrome kid, and his father always bullied him. He finds out his mean teacher now has Alzheimer’s, and the girl he was always afraid to ask out has gained 300 pounds.
How have you accomplished so much already?
The magic is being surrounded by good people who are hard working and by never letting up. My partner and I really inspire each other.
How did you become such a magnet for sought-after actors?
It’s about finding great screenplays, then finding great directors and building the whole team around that. We’ve also been blessed by having agents who know they can trust us and the movies will get done and that they’ll be proud of the work.
Can you describe your daily duties when you’re in the thick of it?
Typically, because we work on so many movies, we’re doing pre-production, actual production, post-production and delivery all at once. Right now, for example, we are casting a movie, getting the scripts together on three other films, delivering a couple of movies, we have our two movies in Tribeca, and we have more movies in the beginning phases of development.
What are the steps to deliver a movie?
It’s funny. In film school, they don’t teach you how difficult it is. It is one of the hardest things about filmmaking. It’s not just, “Here’s the movie.” It’s the movie, every contract, every single piece of insurance and every other thing you need to get a movie out there. It’s a lot of elements.
Do you use crowdfunding?
We’ve only used crowdfunding on one movie that will be coming out next year, and it’s called, “Chuck Hank and the San Diego Twins.” This is a follow-up film by the guys that did “Bellflower,” which was a breakout at Sundance last year. This one is a crazy action movie inspired by those old side-scrolling ’80s video games. They raised $130,000 dollars on IndieGoGo, and that is a great place to start. The IndieGoGo team that I met with are super supportive of independent cinema. It seems to be a piece of the future of movie financing.
What’s interesting is the FCC just approved new laws and guidelines so it doesn’t have to be just donation-based. People can now invest using IndieGoGo, so they can get a piece of the profits. Up until a few weeks ago they were only allowed to donate money, and we’d be like, “Thanks, here’s a DVD and a signed poster.” Now they can actually be profit participants so if the movie makes money, they can make their money back and then share in the profits, which is really how it should be.
Watch this excerpt from this interview
Watch the trailer for NAA’s award-winning indie “Cheap Thrills”
