Alkemy X taps Philadelphia Film Society CEO Andrew Greenblatt to head new division
A Philadelphia-headquartered media company has tapped a local film industry leader to head up its new division.
Alkemy X appointed Philadelphia Film Society CEO and executive director Andrew Greenblatt to lead its new Independent Film Services segment, which focuses on providing the company’s services to movies produced outside of major studio systems. Alkemy X CEO Justin Wineburgh told the Business Journal that the division is an "infrastructure investment" into the company and its growth.
“This is just another extension of our dedication to the studio, to the craft and to the city,” Wineburgh said.
Founded in Philadelphia in 1981, Alkemy X works on television and film projects at various stages of the creation process, including providing services for aspects like visual effects, sound and editing. The company has worked on productions from director M. Night Shyamalan, who grew up on the Main Line, as well as on Oscar-winning film "The Whale" and Emmy-award winning series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."
Alkemy X's largest studio is in Philadelphia, but it also has locations in New York, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Amsterdam. Wineburgh, who took over the company in 2016 after previously serving as its outside general counsel, said Alkemy X does not expect to grow its physical footprint in response to the launch of the Independent Film Services division.
The new division will, however, allow Alkemy X to grow its staff and bring younger employees onto projects to earn more experience in the industry. Wineburgh said he could see the company adding as many as 25 people to its team to accommodate the increase in business.
While working with Alkemy X, Greenblatt will remain CEO and executive director of the Philadelphia Film Society, a role he has held since 2008. The nonprofit produces the annual Philadelphia Film Festival and manages three theaters in Center City: Philadelphia Film Center, PFS East and PFS Bourse.
Both Philadelphia natives and residents, Greenblatt and Wineburgh are longtime industry colleagues. Greenblatt used Alkemy X's services for several films he produced, including the film "Rittenhouse Square" being released this fall. Wineburgh is a longtime member of the Film Society's board of directors and serves as secretary of the nonprofit's executive committee.
Prior to the creation of this division, Alkemy X had worked with independent filmmakers but not made a “concerted effort” to market its services to that subset of the industry, Wineburgh said. Independent films typically source their work overseas to save on costs since they have smaller budgets than studio-backed movies.
In recent years, as the industry has evolved and independent films have grown in popularity, Wineburgh has been approached more often by independent filmmakers interested in Alkemy X's services. Greenblatt said the new division aims to show those filmmakers that Alkemy X's services are accessible to them.
“The idea is, can we make it clear that there are resources here in the States, and that specifically Alkemy is able to do this at a reasonable price and deliver work on par with 10 times the value,” he said.