Indie Genius

Indie Genius Productions is the film company of Curt Johnson, one of the producers and musical supervisors of the 2004 film Michael Moore Hates America. Although Johnson has been involved with two films that won Academy Awards, he did not receive any individual awards for the films.

Funding
The Hollywood Reporter reported September 1, 2005, that Indie Genius had "entered into an agreement that will provide it with a $35 million-plus investment and financing commitment for its first year. The New York- and Midwest-based production shingle, headed by Curt Johnson, plans to produce films in the $4 million-$25 million range. It also will co-finance projects and acquire finished projects." The deal was "brokered" by Georgia-based attorney William Slater Vincent, "who will oversee finances for Indie Genius, and financial adviser Howard Jarrot through Wells Fargo and a private equity investor. Darren Trattner of Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum & Morris will oversee legal matters for the company."

In Production

 * Whatever It Takes (producer) with screenwriter David-Matthew Barnes: "upcoming musically-flavored film"; "A young woman focuses her ambition on making it in the music business."

In Development

 * Devil's Weed (co-director and co-producer with Maura Flynn): "About the loss of civil liberties from the smoking ban in Minneapolis."
 * Ricky (producer): "A teen becomes a trailer-park superhero after his near-drowning in a chemical pond imbues him with special powers."
 * The Minneapolis Sound (producer)
 * Untitled (Curt Johnson/PETA Project) (producer): "A story about People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA.)"
 * In January 2006, Johnson, working through his film company Indie Genius on an untitled documentary about the animal rights movement, interviewed Ann Berlin of the Animal Liberation Front website for information on that organization.


 * Untitled (Curt Johnson/Tommy Morrison Boxing Project) (co-producer with Gigi Gaston): "Follows the life of boxing star, Tommy Morrison, one of the few high-profile sports figures forced into retirement as a result of testing positive for HIV."
 * Walk On (co-producer with Mike Julian; Walter Hill Productions): "The true story David Clyde, an 18-year-old high school senior recruited by the Rangers before he could attend his prom in 1973. He saved the franchise from going bankrupt, but his Cinderella story took a turn for the worse when the mercurial Billy Martin replaced coach Whitey Herzog."
 * West Memphis Three (co-producer with director Alex Steyermark, executive co-producers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (who made the 1996 documentary Paradise Lost about the same case)): "Centers on the 1993 murders of three young boys from West Memphis, Arkansas."

Contact Information for Curt Johnson
Phone: (214) 315-9321

SourceWatch Resources

 * Curt Johnson: Filmography

Websites

 * "Free the West Memphis Three" website contains information both on the case and the film.
 * "Michael Moore Hates America" website; Credits.

Articles & Commentary

 * Claude Brodesser, "Indie Genius Swims in $30 Million Fountain," Variety magazine, August 31, 2005.
 * "Ricky Picked Up by Indie Genius," Superhero Hype!, September 1, 2005: "Variety reports that production company Indie Genius has acquired writer Chris Oxley's Ricky, an action-adventure film about a teen who becomes a trailer-park superhero after his near-drowning in a chemical pond imbues him with special powers. ... Most of Indie Genius budgets range between $4 million and $20 million."
 * Dennis Michael, "Indie Genius Lands Funds. New production company set up by Curt Johnson secures $30 million and has three films in the works," Film Stew, September 6, 2005.
 * Curt Johnson Questions Ann Berlin of the Animal Liberation Front January 23, 2006.