Gravitas Ventures is an independent film distribution company owned by Anthem Sports and Entertainment. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles, California in 2006 and moved its headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio in 2019, where it focuses on the distribution of Independent feature films and documentaries.

History

Gravitas Ventures, an independent film distributor, was founded in Los Angeles, California by Nolan Gallagher in 2006. The company releases and promotes independent feature films and documentaries, offering films to theaters and as “

Video on Demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...

” (VOD) to screening services such as Amazon Prime, Hulu,

Paramount Plus Paramount+ is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Me ...

, Apple iTunes,

Vudu Vudu is an American digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media, a joint-venture between NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. The company offers transactional video on demand rentals and digital purchases of film ...

Google Play Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sy ...

Vimeo Vimeo, Inc. () is an American video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices. Vimeo's business model is through software a ...

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

, and Gravitas Movies The company has become one of the US's biggest providers of independent VOD. The company's films come in all forms: traditional movie theater, transactional VOD like traditional cable, telco, satellite and online platforms; subscription and ad-sponsored VOD. Gravitas releases around 400 films per annum; its library contains 2,400 titles. The

Los Angeles Business Journal The ''Los Angeles Business Journal'', established in 1979, is a weekly newspaper and online news source in Los Angeles, California, which provides coverage of local business news. According to the ''Journals website, it has a weekly print circul ...

recognized the company as the #3 fastest-growing private company in 2012, where it was #4 fastest-growing in 2011. In 2019 the company moved its headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio. In 2021 Gravitas Ventures’ film ''The Mole Agent'' was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Documentary.

2017 acquisition

In 2017, the content division of the German broadcast company

ProSiebenSat.1 ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE (officially abbreviated as P7S1, formerly ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG) is a German mass media & digital company. It operates in three segments: Entertainment, Dating and Commerce & Ventures. The company is listed on the Fran ...

, Red Arrow Entertainment, purchased a majority position in Gravitas with an agreement to move to complete ownership in the future. Gravitas remains independent, but works in cooperation with Red Arrow International, the company's distribution group. Red Arrow management said the combination of content generation, distribution and capacity to finance and own projects was motivation for the purchase. They planned to make “significant investments” in global film and television projects. Gravitas management and staff remained with the company.

2021 acquisition

On November 16, 2021, Gravitas was acquired by Canadian media company

Anthem Sports & Entertainment Anthem Sports & Entertainment (formerly Anthem Media Group) is a Canadian multinational media company based in Toronto, Ontario and founded by Leonard Asper. Its assets include combat sports and sports entertainment properties (including the MMA ...

for $73 million in a cash and stock deal.

Premium video on demand

In 2020, the company entered into Premium Video on Demand (PVOD) offering, '' The Secret: Dare to Dream,'' with Katie Holmes and John Lucas, inspired by

Rhonda Byrne Rhonda Byrne ( ; née Izon; born 1951, Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian television writer and producer. Her book '' The Secret'' is based on the belief of the pseudoscientific law of attraction, which claims that thoughts can change a p ...

's popular 2006 best-selling novel. The company originally obtained North American rights to ''The Secret'', which was scheduled for an April 17, 2020 theatrical release on a thousand screens. Gravitas mostly distributes movies through digital channels, though some films get released in theatrical venues nationwide. The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

and subsequent lockdowns closed theaters that spring, delaying ''The Secret’s'' release until July 2020, when it appeared as a PVOD on streaming services like Amazon, iTunes, Comcast and

. Other PVOD releases followed including ''

Our Friend ''Our Friend'' is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and written by Brad Ingelsby, based on Matthew Teague's 2015 '' Esquire'' article "The Friend: Love Is Not a Big Enough Word". It stars Jason Segel, Dako ...

'', starring

Casey Affleck Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt (born August 12, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award. He ...

Dakota Johnson Dakota Mayi Johnson (born October 4, 1989) is an American actress. The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, she made her film debut at age ten with a minor role in the dark comedy film ''Crazy in Alabama'' (1999) with her mothe ...

and

Jason Segel Jason Jordan Segel ( ; born January 18, 1980) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Marshall Eriksen in the CBS sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'', as well as for his work with director and ...

, and '' Queen Bees'', starring

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complicated women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Em ...

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949) is an American actress, singer and voice actor. She is known for numerous roles across stage and screen. Her most high profile roles include Lorrell Robinson in the original Broadway production of '' Dreamg ...

and

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...

. The company released ''

The King's Daughter ''The King's Daughter'' (french: Jeanne, fille du Roy) is a historical novel for young adult readers by Suzanne Martel, first published in 1974. It follows the life of Jeanne Chatel, one of the King's Daughters of New France in the seventeent ...

'', starring Pierce Brosnan,

Kaya Scodelario Kaya Rose Scodelario-Davis ( née Humphrey; born 13 March 1992) is an English actress best known for her roles as Effy Stonem on the E4 teen drama '' Skins'' (2007–2010, 2013), and Teresa in the ''Maze Runner'' film series (2014–2018). Ot ...

, Benjamin Walker,

Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing (, born 16 September 1981) is a Chinese actress. From 2013 to 2017, she was included as the highest-paid celebrity in the ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list after ranking in the top 10 every year since 2006. She appeared on ''Time ...

and

William Hurt William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. H ...

on January 21, 2022, exclusively in over 1000 theaters.

References

{{reflist 2006 establishments in California 2021 mergers and acquisitions American companies established in 2006 Anthem Sports & Entertainment Companies based in Cleveland Film distributors of the United States Mass media companies established in 2006