Matthew Stillman

British entrepreneur (born 1967)

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Matthew Stillman

Born| 28 September 1967

London, England

Education| University College School, London; Sussex University (UK)
Occupation(s)| Entrepreneur and film producer
Spouse| Kate Driver

Matthew Stillman (born September 28, 1967) is a British entrepreneur , CEO and founder of 2020 Group (also known as 2020 Content) and film producer .[1][2][3] The group owns over 30 companies in 16 countries, operating under 10 brands.[1][3]

Companies in the group have produced films such as Maria, Poor Things, Casino Royale, Mission Impossible 4, Chronicles of Narnia and The Bourne Identity;[4] series such as Wheel of Time, Interview with the Vampire, Dune: The Prophecy and Wednesday; music videos for Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, Thom Yorke, Kanye West, David Bowie and Madonna.;[5] and commercials for clients including Adidas,[6] Google,[7] Guinness, Apple and Audi.[4]

Wednesday, produced by the Stillking Icon team in Romania, became the most-watched Netflix series in its first week[8] and went on to win four Primetime Emmys [9] and Poor Things, produced in Budapest by Pioneer Stillking, won four Oscars, two Golden Globes, and five BAFTAs, among other awards.

In 2000, The Hollywood Reporter named Stillman in its International Power 50 list of the fifty "biggest power players" in global entertainment and media.[10]

## Early life and education

[edit]

Stillman grew up in Richmond, south-west London.[11] His father imported products from China, while his mother worked for Air France at Heathrow Airport.[11] He has two siblings.[11] He was educated at University College School, and the University of Sussex, where he studied politics, graduating in 1991.[12][11]

## Career

[edit]

### Early career

[edit]

After unsuccessfully trying to break into the film industry in London, Stillman visited Prague in 1992[13][14] with a friend, Nick Spikings,[11] to explore the possibility of setting up a production company in the city. Beginning with "$500 and a typewriter" and renting an office at Barrandov Studios for $150 a month,[15] the two friends set up a company called Stillking. They then started a nightclub, Ubiquity, to provide cash flow over the company's first summer.[14]

### Stillking

[edit]

Stillman won Stillking's first business working on a music video for k.d. lang,[14] then produced a TV commercial for Dentsu.[15] More work on TV commercials followed. In 1994, Stillman chose an unknown Czech film student, Ivan Zachariáš, to make a film about UN peacekeepers for a 50th-anniversary commercial for the UN. The project marked a breakthrough for both Stillking and Zachariáš.[15]

By 1995, Stillking was working on around ninety commercials a year.[16] Film-makers were coming to Prague in large numbers, attracted by the combination of low costs, attractive locations and high production standards,[17][18] and over the next decade the company thrived[19] and expanded.[20] Offices were in due course opened in Budapest (Pioneer Stillking),[16] Bucharest (Icon Stillking),[21] , Belgrade (Stillking WIP) [22] , Malaga (Anima Stillking)[19], Cape Town, Ljubljana and Mexico City.[23][24] By 1999 the company was turning over around $20m a year[10] and by 2002 about $168m.[25]

In 1995, Stillking made its first network mini-series: The Ring, for NBC, starring Nastassja Kinski, was released in 1996.[26] The same year Stillking worked on its first feature film, Plunkett & Macleane (released 1999) with Working Title Films.[4] Stillking subsequently set up its own development arm for producing its own English-language films.[27]

The company has become one of Europe's most significant production entities, participating in over 150 film and TV projects, including Maria, Poor Things, Casino Royale, The Bourne Identity, Van Helsing, Red Sparrow, Wanted, Interview with the Vampire, Wednesday ,Carnival Row and The Witcher.[28]

It has also continued to produce music videos, including work for Beyonce, Kanye West and Madonna;[5] and commercials for clients such as Guinness, Audi, Coca-Cola, Mercedes, Apple and Stella Artois.[4]

In 1997, the American heiress Elisabeth Goth purchased a minority stake in the company (reportedly 20 per cent) for an undisclosed sum.[10]

### Stink

[edit]

In 1997, Stillking combined with the production company Blink Ltd to create Stink, a London-based venture that produces TV commercials.[29][30] Stink went on to receive numerous awards for its work, including more than 100 Cannes Lions, more than 50 D&AD pencils and the first ever Film Grand Prix for an interactive piece of work.[31] Its clients have included Honda,[32] Gucci,[33] Apple,[34] Nike[35] and Facebook.[7]

### 2020 Group

[edit]

In 2014 the Stillking Films holding company was renamed 2020 Group.[36] The group, which is sometimes referred to as 2020 Content,[1] now has over 30 daughter companies, in 16 countries,[3] and is one of the largest private companies involved in the production of content in advertising, film and television. Stillman is founder and CEO.[3][2]

### On The Corner Films / Box To Box Films

[edit]

In 2017 Stillman became an investor and director of On The Corner Films,[37] with Asif Karpadia and James Gay Rees[37] and Box To Box Films[38]. The companies specialize in documentaries and factual entertainment,[39] [40] and their award-winning productions include Diego Maradona (2019), Drive To Survive, Full Swing, Break Point, Six Nations, Surfing and Tour de France.[41][42]

In 2024, On The Corner Films and Box To Box Films received a minority investment from Bruin Capital, an investment company focused on global sports, media and technology. [43]

### Illuminated Content

[edit]

In 2018, in collaboration with Liev Schreiber, Stillman launched Illuminated Content, a Gotham-based venture to develop, produce and finance TV and movie projects.[3] In 2019 the company produced Human Capital,[44][45] and announced a collaboration with David Carver to produce The Place I Belong, a biopic of the golfer Moe Norman[46]and the company produced Meeting Zelenskyy[47] in 2024.

## Other activities

[edit]

Stillman is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta).[48] He is a member of Founders Forum, the community for global entrepreneurs, CEOs, and investors in the digital, media and technology sectors.[49]

Stillman was one of 1,280 British business leaders who signed a letter backing Britain Stronger In Europe on the eve of the UK's 2016 referendum on EU membership.[50]

## Filmography (selected)

[edit]

Works for cinema involving Stillman's companies[51][4][52][53][54][55][21][41][56] Year  | Title  | Company

|
|

2024  | Nosferatu | Stillking Prague
2024  | Maria  | Pioneer Stillking Budapest
2024  | Better Man  | Stillking WIP Belgrade
2024  | Lee | Pioneer Stillking Budapest
2024  | White Bird: A Wonder Story  | Stillking Prague
2024  | The Union | Stillking WIP Belgrade
2024  | First Omen | Stillking WIP Belgrade
2024  | Spaceman | Stillking Prague
2024  | Tarot | Stillking WIP Belgrade
2023  | Poor Things | Pioneer Stillking Budapest
2023  | Fair Play | Stillking WIP Belgrade
2023  | Extraction 2 | Stillking Prague
2022  | Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery | Stillking WIP Belgrade
2022  | Hellraiser | Stillking WIP Belgrade
2022  | The Gray Man | Stillking Prague
2022  | Chevalier  | Stillking Prague
2020  | Radioactive | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2020  | Harry Haft | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2020  | Voyagers | Icon Stillking, Bucharest
2020  | Violence of Action | Icon Stillking, Bucharest
2019  | Human Capital | Illuminated Content, New York
2019  | Spider-Man: Far From Home | Stillking Prague
2019  | Diego Maradona | On The Corner Films, London
2019  | The King | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2018  | Ophelia | Stillking Prague
2018  | Red Sparrow | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2018  | Colette | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2017  | Interlude in Prague | Stillking Prague
2017  | Atomic Blonde | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2016  | Underworld: Blood Wars | Stillking Prague
2016  | Don't Breathe | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2015  | Child 44 | Stillking Prague
2013  | Snowpiercer | Stillking Prague
2011  | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol | Stillking Prague
2009  | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | Stillking Prague
2008  | Wanted | Stillking Prague
2008  | Quantum of Solace | Stillking Santiago de Chile
2008  | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Stillking Prague
2006  | Casino Royale | Stillking Prague
2006  | The Illusionist | Stillking Prague
2006  | Last Holiday | Stillking Prague
2006  | Tristan + Isolde | Stillking Prague
2005  | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Stillking Prague
2005  | Doom  | Stillking Prague
2005  | Kinky Boots | Stillking Miro, Milan
2005  | Everything Is Illuminated | Stillking Prague
2004  | AVP: Alien vs. Predator | Stillking Prague
2004  | Van Helsing | Stillking Prague
2004  | The Prince and Me | Stillking Prague
2004  | EuroTrip | Stillking Prague
2003  | Shanghai Knights | Stillking Prague
2002  | xXx | Stillking Prague
2002  | The Bourne Identity | Stillking Prague
2002  | Bad Company | Stillking Prague
2001  | From Hell | Stillking Prague
2000  | Mists of Avalon  | Stillking Prague
2000  | Dungeons & Dragons | Stillking Prague
1999  | The Idiot Returns | Stillking Prague
1999  | Plunkett & Macleane | Stillking Prague
Works for television involving Stillman's companies[4][51][52][54][57] Year  | Title  | Type  | Company

|
|
|

2024  | Interview with the Vampire | TV series (S2)  | Stillking Prague
2024  | We Were The Lucky Ones | TV mini-series  | Icon Stillking Romania
2024  | Shardlake | TV series  | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2024  | All The Light We Cannot See | TV mini-series  | Pioneer Stillking Budapest
2023  | The Continental | TV mini-series  | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2023  | A Small Light | TV mini-series  | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2023  | Wednesday | TV mini-series  | Icon Stillking Romania
2022  | Wheel of Time | TV mini-series  | Stillking Prague
2024-2025  | The North Water | TV mini-series  | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2021-2024  | FBI International | TV mini-series  | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2021  | Hunters | TV mini-series  | Stillking Prague
2018-2023  | Das Boot | TV mini-series  | Stillking Prague
2019  | Miracle Workers | TV series – involved in 1 episode  | Stillking Prague
2019  | The Witcher | TV series  | Stillking Prague
2019  | Whiskey Cavalier | TV series - 13 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2019  | Carnival Row | TV series - 6 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2019  | Treadstone | TV series  | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2018  | Das Boot | TV series - 9 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2018  | The Romanoffs | TV series - 1 episode  | Icon Stillking, Bucharest
2017-2019  | Knightfall | TV series - 15 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2017  | Genius | TV series - 10 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2016-2017  | Mars  | TV series - 4 episodes  | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2016-2017  | Maigret | TV series - 4 episodes  | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2016  | Spark  | TV series  | Stillking Prague
2015  | Legends | TV series – 10 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2015  | Sons of Liberty | TV mini-series  | Icon Stillking, Bucharest
2014  | Houdini | TV movie & Mini-Series  | Pioneer Stillking, Budapest
2013-2014  | Crossing Lines | TV series - 18 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2013  | Terapie | TV series - 14 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2012  | Missing  | TV series - 10 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2009  | Masterwork  | TV series Pilot  | Stillking Prague
2009  | The Philanthropist | TV series - 2 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2005  | Revelations  | TV mini-series - 5 episodes  | Stillking Prague
2005  | Colditz | TV movie  | Stillking Prague
2002  | Young Arthur  | TV series Pilot  | Stillking Prague
1999  | Passion's Way | TV movie  | Stillking Prague
1997  | Into Thin Air: Death on Everest | TV movie  | Stillking Prague
1996  | The Ring  | TV mini-series and movie  | Stillking Prague

## Personal life

[edit]

In 2004, Stillman married Katherine Driver, a manager and producer[58] who is sister of the actress Minnie Driver. They live in London.[59]

Stillman enjoys cycling and appreciates the clothes of designers such as Acne and John Pearse.[5] The fashion website Mr Porter includes him in its Style Council, a directory of "the world’s best-connected men".[60] Stillman is a director of the children’s cancer charity, the Pink Bubble Foundation.[61]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Matthew Stillman – PROfounders Capital". Retrieved 2020-03-12.
2. ^ a b "Matthew Stillman". LinkedIn. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
3. ^ a b c d e "Liev Schreiber & Matthew Stillman Launch Illuminated Content From 'Ray Donovan's New Gotham Base". Deadline. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
4. ^ a b c d e f "Stillking Films". filmcommission.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-03-06.
5. ^ a b c "Style Council Members: Mr Matthew Stillman". Mr Porter. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
6. ^ "Adidas 'Pogba III capsule collection' by Stink Studios". Campaign. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
7. ^ a b Sherwood, I-Hsien (24 February 2020). "This Week's Agency Moves". AdAge. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
8. ^ Bell, BreAnna. "Netflix Top 10: 'Wednesday' Snaps 'Stranger Things 4' Record for Most Hours Viewed in a Week With 341 Million". Variety.
9. ^ "Wednesday - Emmy Awards, Nominations and Wins | Television Academy". Television Academy.
10. ^ a b c Cassidy, Kevin (7–13 November 2000). "International Power 50" (PDF). The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
11. ^ a b c d e Membery, York (10 February 2001). "The Stillman Show" (PDF). FT Weekend Magazine, Financial Times. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
12. ^ "Stillman - Borovan.cz". www.borovan.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-03-06.
13. ^ Helma, Ondrej (22 September 2000). "Prague Is Popular Spot For Filmmakers". Sandusky Register. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
14. ^ a b c Johnstone, Chris (10 August 2009). "Boss of Prague-based Worldwide Film Production Company Matthew Stillman On How He Got Started In The Business And How It Has Changed". Radio Prague International. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
15. ^ a b c Morais, Richard C (2 December 1996). "Go East" (PDF). Forbes. Vol. 158\. pp. 80–82. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
16. ^ a b Holdsworth, Nick (19–25 October 1999). "Prague Spring" (PDF). The Hollywood Reporter. pp. 17–19. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
17. ^ Szczepanik, Petr (2016). Curtin, Michael; Sanson, Kevin (eds.). "Transnational Crews and Postsocialist Precarity: Globalizing Screen Media Labor in Prague". Precarious Creativity: Global Media, Local Labor. University of California Press. JSTOR 10.1525/j.ctt1ffjn40.11.
18. ^ Holley, David (20 August 2000). "The Czech Connection". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
19. ^ a b Meils, Cathy (17 February 2004). "Stillking Films Sees Profits Mushroom". Variety. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
20. ^ Muraskin, Robert (4 July 1996). "In Budapest We'll Always Have Paris". Washington Post. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
21. ^ a b "Icon Films - Client & Contact Info | IMDbPro". pro.imdb.com. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
22. ^ "Contact". Stillking Films - Contact.
23. ^ "Stillking Films - Contact". www.stillking.com. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
24. ^ Schwinke, Theo (5 March 2009). "Stillking and Pioneer launch joint venture in Budapest". Screen Daily. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
25. ^ Meils, Cathy (17 February 2004). "Stillking Films sees profits mushroom". Variety. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
26. ^ "The Ring (1996)". IMDB. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
27. ^ "Stillking To Produce Its Own Films". Premiere. July 2001. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
28. ^ "Companies: With Stillking Films". IMDB. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
29. ^ "STINK LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
30. ^ Campbell, Lisa (19 January 2001). "Blink splits from off-shoot Stink and loses Ivan Zacharias". Campaign. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
31. ^ "The One Club / The One Show - Archive of Award Winners". www.oneclub.org. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
32. ^ "Iceland Offers Dramatic Winter Visuals As Stink Films On Location For Honda". The Location Guide. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
33. ^ "Gucci - Première". Retrieved 9 March 2020.
34. ^ "Jameson Irish Whiskey Launches Third Iteration of Campaign in the UK". AdWorld. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
35. ^ "Nike - My Time Is Now". The FWA. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
36. ^ "2020 GROUP (JERSEY) LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
37. ^ a b "ON THE CORNER FILMS LIMITED - Officers (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
38. ^ "BOX TO BOX FILMS LIMITED". Companies House. 11 March 2016.
39. ^ "About Us – On the Corner". Retrieved 2020-03-06.
40. ^ "About Box to Box". Box to Box Films.
41. ^ a b "With On The Corner Films (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
42. ^ "Box To Box on imdb.com Search". imdb.com.
43. ^ Szalai, Georg (January 16, 2024). "'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' Producer Box to Box Films Gets Minority Investment From Bruin Capital". The Hollywood Reporter.
44. ^ Hipes, Patrick (18 October 2018). "Liev Schreiber & Alex Wolff To Star In 'Human Capital' Movie; Marc Meyers To Direct Oren Moverman Script". Deadline. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
45. ^ "Liev Schreiber & Maya Hawke in First Trailer for 'Human Capital' Film". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
46. ^ Bryson, Mark (15 August 2019). "Hollywood Insiders Sign On To Produce Story About Kitchener Golf Legend Moe Norman". The Record.
47. ^ Macnab, Geoffrey (22 April 2024). "BDE Interview: Meeting Zelenskyy by Andre Singer and Liev Schreiber". Business Doc Europe.
48. ^ Parfitt, Orlando (4 December 2019). "Bafta reveals new members for 2019". Screen Daily. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
49. ^ "10 Years In Names". Founders Forum: 10 Years. 2015. p. 214. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
50. ^ Sheffield, Hazel (22 June 2016). "EU referendum letter: 1280 business leaders sign letter backing Remain". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
51. ^ a b "Matthew Stillman". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
52. ^ a b "With Stillking Films". IMDB. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
53. ^ "Stillking Films: filmography". IMDB Pro.
54. ^ a b "Matthew Stillman - Filmography". IMDB. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
55. ^ Barraclough, Len (2 November 2017). "Hungarian Cast and Crew of 'Red Sparrow' Helped Spy Thriller Take Flight". Variety. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
56. ^ "With Stillking Miro Film (Sorted by Popularity Ascending)". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
57. ^ Vojteková-Točíková, Zuzana (21 February 2019). "Slovak Tax Incentives Lure British and US TV Series to Shoot in Slovakia". Film New Europe. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
58. ^ "Kate Driver". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
59. ^ Elliott, John. "Moving On". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
60. ^ "Style Council Members". Mr Porter. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
61. ^ PinkBubble. "Jak pomáhat dětem s rakovinou | Volejte | Pink Bubble". Nadace PinkBubble (in Czech). Retrieved 2020-03-06.

## External links

[edit]

* Matthew Stillman at British Film Institute
* Matthew Stillman at IMDB
* Stillking Films official website
* Stink official website

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany

People|

* Deutsche Biographie