Erika Alexander has partnered with former Google exec and blockchain tech entrepreneur Ben Arnon to launch Color Farm, a multi-platform content company. The company aims to feature a lineup of film, television and digital projects from diverse creators.
The company?s inaugural slate includes an untitled horror/thriller film, written by Alexander for Lionsgate Entertainment. Color Farm has also teamed with producers Jamie Patricoff (Half Nelson, The Zookeeper?s Wife) as well as Paul and Tammy Garnes (Selma, Queen Sugar) to develop a feature about the famed Boys Choir of Harlem, which Alexander is penning.
Best known for her co-starring role in the ?90s Fox sitcom Living Single and who was most recently seen in the Academy Award-nominated film GET OUT, Alexander has also collaborated with Joss Whedon and Dark Horse to co-write the upcoming ?Buffy? spin-off graphic novel series, Giles.
Now, Alexander?s focus is on making Color Farm a success.
?Now is a fantastic time to launch Color Farm Media. With the rise of the Internet, a powerful new audience was created. At Color Farm, Ben and I call this audience the New Majority. The New Majority is a colorful coalition of consumer/viewers made up of African Americans, Asians and Latinos. They are multi-generational, progressive, outspoken and they watch lots of television and film and spend lots of money. So if the old saying is true, ?content is king,? then at Color Farm ?diverse content reigns supreme,? explains Alexander.
The timing is perfect for Color Farm. ?After the year 2000, people of color were persona-non-grata in film and TV. Suddenly, with the explosion of competing streaming sites like Hulu, Netflix and Amazon, powerful creators like Shonda Rhimes, John Ridley, Steve McQueen and Ava Duvernay are able to work and thrive. The New Majority has responded positively, not just here in America, but way beyond our borders. Hello, billion dollar Black Panther. This pluralistic audience wants, no, demands to see themselves in these new shows, and not as second players, as leads. So while the networks scramble and play catch up, at Color Farm we were made for this moment, because this audience has always been our leads,? says Alexander.
It does seem Hollywood is opening up finally, especially with the latest box office success of such films as ?Black Panther.? ?Hollywood doesn’t have a choice; it will open up or perish. Fortunately for us, Hollywood is no longer the center of the cultural universe. New companies and investors are searching for diverse projects and creators to feed a fast-paced, global market. And that means companies who understand this vibrant, inter-cultural landscape are in the vanguard. Like Motown and Def Jam, Color Farm Media is the scrappy, young company that knows who this audience is and knows what this audience wants. It’s not a marriage made in vitro or as an afterthought. At Color Farm, we are looking for them and now, olly olly oxen free, they can find us,? said Alexander.
Seems Color Farm is ready for the ?New? Hollywood.
