Kevin Hart doesn’t make small moves.
HartBeat projects include FXX breakout comedy Dave, upcoming STX feature American Sole, Netflix’s forthcoming miniseries True Story and a slate of at least four Hart vehicles under a massive new deal with the streamer.
Hart and Smiley run the company in congress — Hart, a font of energy and ideas, and Smiley, a studio vet with an eye for dealmaking — though often from a distance.
BRYAN SMILEY My first real job was at New Regency, in 2006, doing product placement — like putting Mercedes and Jeeps in movies and shows.
So, I was in all of his meetings all the time — not the political stuff, the business stuff — and I learned so much from listening.
And I think it’s a really big deal, as men of color, to not only understand the business but to be respected as people who aren’t overly ambitious with their wants.
HART In this town, you’ve got your “gatekeepers,” right? I think there is a void of people who truly understand how to be a partner to said individuals.
HART I talked to Barack on the phone and our conversation focused on what made the film so appealing to me in the first place.
But the deals really made sense for the talent — so with Die Hart, I can now partner with Roku and give it a new release.
I met with my team and said, “I think there’s an opportunity to make the movies we want and have them actually get made.” And I’ve been number one at the box office, but I’ve yet to partake in this world at the highest level.
SMILEY All the traditional studios are launching their own platforms or closing distribution deals with existing platforms. I do believe theatrical is here to stay in some form, but streaming is what audiences want.
SMILEY A lot of people like to have this moniker of “hardest-working man in Hollywood,” but the reality is that we are on a nine-hour time difference right now — and whether it’s 8 a.m.