Brian P. Egan
Executive Creative Producer specializing in human-centered storytelling that creates emotional connections with audiences.
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GENERATION STARTUP

GENERATION STARTUP captures the struggles and triumphs of six recent college graduates who put everything on the line to build startups in Detroit. Shot over 17 months, it’s an honest, in-the-trenches look at what it takes to launch a startup. Directed by Academy Award winner Cynthia Wade and award-winning filmmaker Cheryl Miller Houser, the film celebrates risk-taking, urban revitalization, and diversity while delivering a vital call-to-action—with entrepreneurship at a record low, the country’s economic future is at stake.

The film was released theatrically in NYC, LA and Detroit. It was then released on Netflix.

Genre: Feature-Documentary, Branded Content

Roles: Producer, Camera Operator, Editor, Post Producer, Distribution

 

Big Picture:

 

Along with Producer and Co-Director Cheryl Houser, we conceived, developed and produced the feature-documentary GENERATION STARTUP. We then crafted, oversaw and executed a strategic distribution plan as well as the branding and marketing.

 
 
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#2 Banza team at Eastern Market. Courtesy of Generation Startup.jpg
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IFC Center, NYC

IFC Center, NYC

Distribution:

Theatrical: We premiered at Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit and film festivals, then released GENERATION STARTUP theatrically in NY, LA and Detroit in fall 2016, garnering positive national press and buzz. This drove robust demand for event screenings across the country.

Event Screenings:  Hundreds of major corporations, venture funds, startups, foundations and nonprofits organized public and private screenings to create community or internal team building around the film. Cheryl Houser and others involved in the film often spoke at these event screenings.

Netflix and other Outlets: Netflix released the film in the U.S. six months after our theatrical release. It is now available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu and other outlets.

Educational: Universities across the country have organized event screenings around the film, and an educational distributor is licensing it to middle schools, high schools, universities and libraries for educators to use in their classrooms. We created robust curriculum around eight themes in the film to accompany our educational release. 

American Film Showcase: GENERATION STARTUP was shown around the world as part of a cultural diplomacy program through the State Department and USC Film School. Cheryl Houser traveled with it to Tunisia, Chile, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos where she conducted workshops and speaking engagements for the filmmaking and entrepreneurship communities in those countries.

Branding & Marketing:

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I was one of two people driving the creative, branding and the marketing of the film. Here’s a few things we did:

  • We oversaw the creation of the film’s poster and created the film’s trailer in-house, released on iTunes in August 2016.

  • I built, designed and maintained the film’s website.

  • Spearheaded a successful social media campaign, including the strategy, creative execution and ad buying, achieving our primary goals:

    • to increase awareness about the film

    • drive ticket sales and event bookings

    • create community and uplift around the themes of entrepreneurship and risk-taking.

 
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Watch The Film: