Alcon Entertainment expanding from film finance to management

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Alcon Entertainment, the film finance and production company behind ‘The Blind Side’ and ‘The Book of Eli,’ is expanding into talent management.

The company backed by FedEx founder Fred Smith has acquired a controlling stake in Madhouse Entertainment, a boutique management company with four managers and more than 50 clients, primarily writers. They include ‘Lost’ co-creator Jeffrey Lieber; Nick Wauters, the creator of NBC’s now cancelled series ‘The Event’; and David Guggenheim, writer of next year’s theatrical thriller ‘Safe House.’

Though it’s not out of the ordinary for production companies to also employ talent managers, it is somewhat unusual for a venture as large as Alcon, which has the financial resources to produce big-budget feature films. The company fully finances its own movies, which are then released by Warner Bros. under a partnership that runs through 2015.

Financial details were not disclosed, but Alcon is aiming to acquire similar controlling interests in up to six talent management companies as part of a new division called Alcon Management Enterprises. Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, chief executives of Alcon, will supervise the division, but each management company’s existing staff will continue to run their businesses day-to-day.

In a statement, Alcon said it hoped owning management companies would help it to develop projects by putting it closer to people creating original properties. Kosove and Johnson first pitched Smith on creating a management division when they created Alcon in 1995.

The company will soon open its family movie ‘Dolphin Tale’ and its development slate includes new movies based on the science-fiction classic ‘Blade Runner.’

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-- Ben Fritz