New Film Fund Archetype Media Finance Launches With $150M and a Nicolas Cage Thriller

A new Los Angeles financing venture, Archetype Media Finance, has secured $150 million in capital commitments to back films over the next five years, Deadline reported on 3 November.

The company plans to invest in up to 30 features. It is focusing on projects budgeted between $5 million and $25 million, a range that sits well below the largest studio productions but above many small independent shoots.

Archetype is spearheaded by Matthew Shreder, Tyler Condon and Tim Hebard. Shreder is founder and CEO of film sales company Concourse Media. Hebard is a former executive at the streamer Tubi and at Legendary, the production company.

The fund's money comes in three forms. Senior secured debt is a loan that is repaid first from a film's income and is backed by the film itself. Gap financing covers the shortfall between a budget and the money already committed. Equity investments buy a direct ownership stake in a project.

Behind those strategies sits a mix of backers: private equity investment, family office money (funds managed for wealthy families), and a credit facility, which is a standing line of borrowing.

Archetype's first backed project is Parish, a $20 million post-apocalyptic thriller led by Nicolas Cage. Dane DeHaan and Alexandra Shipp also star, and the film has recently wrapped production in Minnesota. Concourse Media had already sold the film to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival, Screen Daily reported in September. Those pre-sales, deals that sell a film's rights to distributors in specific countries before it is finished, helped set up the project's financing.

The fund's slate also includes Vision Board, a romantic comedy starring Lucy Hale. It is set to begin shooting in New York in January. Another backed project is The Smack, which features Casey Affleck and Sam Rockwell.

Archetype has a strategic relationship with Concourse Media, but it says it will operate independently. It plans to finance films from across the industry, not only titles tied to Concourse.

The structure matters for anyone who wonders how a movie gets made. Most films are built from several pots of money, and a fund like this one can supply the debt, gap money or equity that fills a gap. With 30 features in its sights, the fund's first real test will be how many of its projects reach cinemas and streaming services in the years ahead.