FinTech’s red carpet moment: Founder Jon Gosier lands first feature film deal to be shot on innovative SCAD stage

Security data, an upcoming international thriller feature filmis set to bring Georgia’s tech ecosystem to the big screen.

It is the first original script from Jon Gosierfounder and CEO of media financing startup FilmHedge, and is loosely adapted from his tech-focused memoir Code breaker. This will be Gosier’s directorial debut.

The film, locked in with a $15 million budget, will be filmed on one of the new ones SCAD LED XR stagewhich uses augmented reality (XR) to merge real and virtual worlds together.

“Typically, XR technology is used as a substitute for green screen, to create rich sci-fi or fantasy landscapes like in the Disney TV show The Mandalorian,” Gosier told Hypepotamus. “For Collateral Data, we want to push the boundaries of what XR can do in a more subtle way. I intend to use the technology to fill in for on-location footage in exotic locations such as the mountains of Japan, the plains of Kenya and the crowded streets of Egypt. The story is a sprawling international thriller and without SCAD I don’t think I would have been able to do all that. The budget needed to fly our crew around the world like this would be astronomical!”

This will be the first feature film for SCAD’s newest LED volume stage, which Team Payneexecutive director of the SCAD Partnership, calls “groundbreaking for movies.”

“With two LED volumes for virtual production and being the only university in the country with this cutting-edge technology, at this scale, we are making history with this partnership. Not only will Security data will be the first feature film to be shot on SCAD’s newest LED volume stage, but with production taking place as early as March, it will likely be the first feature film production in an LED volume to be shot in partnership with a university,” Payne added.

Image credit: SCAD

The story behind the story

Moving from the fintech world to the director’s seat is a unique opportunity for Gosier and FilmHedge, a finance platform that helps independent filmmakers finance projects.

“I realized that when I built FilmHedge, I now understood all the “ingredients” that go into successfully financing and producing a film. The process also helps me learn from a manufacturer’s perspective, to ensure we continue to offer the best products and funding tools we can,” Gosier told Hypepotamus. “So while I get to be the creator of a change, I see Security data as a case study for the company. It will make FilmHedge more effective in financing any producer, not just me.”

He added that the filmmaking process will “improve [FilmHedge’s] products and services. It allows me to see what it’s like from start to finish and where we can offer new tools to finance producers. We ‘eat our own cooking’, if you will.”

FilmHedge is one of the financing partners, with the rest of the budget coming from equity, debt and distribution financiers.

Filming on one of the new LED stages on campus is a bit of a homecoming for Gosier, who studied sound design at SCAD.

Pre-production on the film began in October 2022 with filming set to begin in June. Gosier said the tentative release date would be early 2024.

Through SCADpro, the university’s collaborative innovation studio that connects students and brands, the film will work with “close to 100 students, faculty and alumni,” according to Payne. This will mean that the SCAD community will be involved in the film from pre-production to filming this summer.

“I look forward to working directly with the students and my fellow student. They are tomorrow’s designers, thinkers and influencers,” Gosier added. He said the students will be on set in Atlanta this summer and will gain specific hands-on experience with practical effects, wardrobe and CGI elements related to the production.

Get to know Atlanta’s media innovation ecosystem

Georgia has been in the top spot for film production for several years running, with over 366 films made in the state in the year 2021 alone. The industry brought in $4 billion in direct economic impact, according to the state. Production in 2023 is set to exceed pre-pandemic levels.

Much of that action is thanks to the state’s tax incentive program, which starts with one 20% base transferable tax credit.

Bringing augmented reality scenes to the state will only attract more film talent to the area, according to Gosier. “What that translates to is jobs and spending in the state. Some of our crew are based in other cities and come to shows like Westworld and Narcos. When they bring their talents here, they rent apartments, go to restaurants and sometimes buy other homes, he said.

It has also meant growth opportunities for a number of film and entertainment-focused startups in the ecosystem. Alongside FilmHedge, startups like Role calls (a streamlined casting app), LoCo+ (a city-centric efficiency platform), and Play on! Sport (high school live sports event media company) has changed the local MediaTech landscape as a whole.

FilmHedge has raised $104.2 million in total between seed funding and debt funding rounds, according to Crunchbase.