Sony Pictures Entertainment & Unanimous Media Form ‘Incubation Lab’ for Underrepresented Talent

Unanimous Media CEO Jeron Smith will help talent from nontraditional backgrounds set up IP at Sony

Jeron Smith, CEO of basketball player Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media, will oversee The Incubation Lab as a joint venture with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Smith says the lab will help “identify nontraditional storytellers, like athletes, musicians, designers, artists, and other influencers, and pair them with screenwriters and filmmakers to develop original intellectual property.” If Sony picks up any of the pitches for development, Smith will serve as an executive producer for them.

“…[D]espite their large platforms, some of the most creative minds don’t have access to the resources or the relationships needed to get projects made,” explained Smith. He hopes the venture will make it easier for talent – particularly from “underrepresented backgrounds” – to be heard within the studio system.

“[The] mission of finding fresh voices and new kinds of storytellers is foundational as we navigate going forward,” said Sanford Panitch, president of SPE’s Motion Picture Group. “Jeron and Stephen have been great partners with a unique perspective on things. We look forward to the new projects that will undoubtedly come out of this.”

Although it is an offshoot of Unanimous Media – which signed its own production deal with Sony back in 2018 – Smith clarifies that the Incubation Lab will be its own separate project. It will also allow for a wider focus of material, whereas Unanimous centers on stories of family, faith, and sports.

“It’s important for huge talent to feel like they’re in their own lane with their own footprint,” Smith said.

Smith also revealed that the first Incubation Lab film is currently in the works at Sony. Although he was minimal on the details, Smith says it’s a hip-hop music film with big musical talent attached. He also mentioned that the film will be the writer-director’s big studio debut.

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