Grand Electric, the 4-month-old co-venture between veteran producer Eric Newman and Studiocanal, is revving up development by hiring Jacob Jaffke to produce and develop feature films.
Jaffke has producing credits on Mike Birbiglia’s “Sleepwalk With Me” and Ti West’s “The Sacrament,” on which he collaborated with Newman.
His most recent film, “In a Valley of Violence,” marks his fourth collaboration with West and stars Ethan Hawke and John Travolta. The film, which is in post-production, was produced with Blumhouse and Universal Pictures.
Jaffke will produce and oversee all development and production of feature films for the company, including “Revenge,” written by John Hlavin, and “Life and Death in Eden,” written by Black List screenwriter Kristina Lauren Anderson.
“In the increasingly challenging world of film production, where both budgets and distribution opportunities are decreasing, Jacob’s taste, relationships and hands-on experience producing films at a variety of budgetary levels are invaluable,” Newman said.
Before completing his MFA in film producing at Columbia in 2010, Jaffke produced “Off Season,” a short film that earned him and director Jonathan Van Tulleken a BAFTA nomination for best short film.
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Grand Electric was unveiled in September with the goal of acquiring, developing and producing films for the European and North American markets.
