Matthew Stillman (born September 28, 1967) is a British

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

, CEO and founder of 2020 Group (also known as 2020 Content) and film producer . The group owns over 30 companies in 16 countries, operating under 10 brands. Companies in the group have produced films such as '' Maria'', '' Poor Things'', '' Casino Royale'', '' Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol'', ''

Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, ...

'' and '' The Bourne Identity''; series such as ''

Wheel of Time The wheel of time or wheel of history (also known as '' Kalachakra'') is a concept found in several religious traditions and philosophies, notably religions of Indian origin such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, which regard time as cyclical ...

'', ''

Interview with the Vampire ''Interview with the Vampire'' is a gothic horror and vampire novel by American author Anne Rice, published in 1976. It was her debut novel. Based on a short story Rice wrote around 1968, the novel centers on vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac ...

'', '' Dune: The Prophecy'' and ''

Wednesday Wednesday is the day of the week between Tuesday and Thursday. According to international standard ISO 8601, it is the third day of the week. In English, the name is derived from Old English and Middle English , 'day of Woden', reflecting ...

''; music videos for Beyonce,

Megan Thee Stallion Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Megan initially gained recognition when videos of her freestyling began to circulate widely on social me ...

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician who is the vocalist and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. ''Rolling Stone'' desc ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

.; and commercials for clients including

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

and

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

. Wednesday, produced by the Stillking Icon team in Romania, became the most-watched Netflix series in its first week and went on to win four Primetime Emmys and Poor Things, produced in Budapest by Pioneer Stillking, won four Oscars, two Golden Globes, and five BAFTAs, among other

awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

. In 2000, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' named Stillman in its International Power 50 list of the fifty "biggest power players" in global entertainment and media.

Early life and education

Stillman grew up in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

, south-west London. His father imported products from China, while his mother worked for

Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

. He has two siblings. He was educated at

University College School University College School, also known as UCS, is a private day school in Frognal, Hampstead, London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views. ...

, and the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

, where he studied politics, graduating in 1991.

Career

Early career

After unsuccessfully trying to break into the film industry in London, Stillman visited

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

in 1992 with a friend, Nick Spikings, to explore the possibility of setting up a production company in the city. Beginning with "$500 and a typewriter" and renting an office at

Barrandov Studios Barrandov Studios is a set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe. Barrandov has made several major Hollywood productions, including ''Mission: Impossible (film), ...

for $150 a month, the two friends set up a company called Stillking. They then started a nightclub, Ubiquity, to provide cash flow over the company's first summer.

Stillking

Stillman won Stillking's first business working on a music video for

k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang (stylised in all lowercase), is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical pe ...

, then produced a TV commercial for

Dentsu , simply known as , stylized as dentsu, is a Japanese international advertising and public relations joint stock company headquartered in Tokyo. Dentsu is the largest advertising agency in Japan and the fifth largest advertising agency network in ...

. More work on TV commercials followed. In 1994, Stillman chose an unknown Czech film student, Ivan Zachariáš, to make a film about UN peacekeepers for a 50th-anniversary commercial for the UN. The project marked a breakthrough for both Stillking and Zachariáš. By 1995, Stillking was working on around ninety commercials a year. Film-makers were coming to Prague in large numbers, attracted by the combination of low costs, attractive locations and high production standards, and over the next decade the company thrived and expanded. Offices were in due course opened in Budapest (Pioneer Stillking), Bucharest (Icon Stillking), Belgrade (Stillking WIP), Malaga (Anima Stillking), Cape Town, Ljubljana and Mexico City. By 1999 the company was turning over around $20m a year and by 2002 about $168m. In 1995, Stillking made its first network mini-series:
The Ring
', for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, starring

Nastassja Kinski Nastassja Aglaia Kinski (; née Nakszynski, ; born 24 January 1961) is a German actress and former model who has appeared in more than 60 films in Europe and the United States. Her worldwide breakthrough was with '' Stay as You Are'' (1978). Sh ...

, was released in 1996. The same year Stillking worked on its first feature film, '' Plunkett & Macleane'' (released 1999) with

Working Title Films Working Title Films Limited, formerly Visionensure Limited and Working Title Limited, is a British film and television production company that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, which is itself a division of Comcast. The company was founded by ...

. Stillking subsequently set up its own development arm for producing its own English-language films. The company has become one of Europe's most significant production entities, participating in over 150 film and TV projects, including ''Maria'', '' Poor Things'', '' Casino Royale'', '' The Bourne Identity'', ''

Van Helsing Professor Abraham Van Helsing () is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula'' written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the P ...

'', ''

Red Sparrow ''Red Sparrow'' is a 2018 American spy thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaert ...

'', '' Wanted'', ''

'', ''

'' ,''

Carnival Row ''Carnival Row'' is an American fantasy television series created by René Echevarria and Travis Beacham, based on Beacham's unproduced film spec script, ''A Killing on Carnival Row''. The series stars Orlando Bloom, Cara Delevingne, Simon M ...

'' and ''

The Witcher ''The Witcher'' (, ) is a series of 9 fantasy novels and 15 short stories by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series revolves around the eponymous witcher, Geralt of Rivia. Witchers are monster hunters given superhuman abilities for the ...

''. It has also continued to produce music videos, including work for Beyonce, Kanye West and Madonna; and commercials for clients such as Guinness, Audi,

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

, Mercedes,

and

Stella Artois Stella Artois ( , ) is a pilsner beer, first brewed in 1926 by Brouwerij Artois in Leuven, Belgium. In its original form, the beer is 5.2 per cent Alcohol by volume, ABV, the country's standard for pilsners. The beer is sold in many EU countrie ...

. In 1997, the American heiress Elisabeth Goth purchased a minority stake in the company (reportedly 20 per cent) for an undisclosed sum.

Stink

In 1997, Stillking combined with the production company Blink Ltd to create Stink, a London-based venture that produces TV commercials. Stink went on to receive numerous awards for its work, including more than 100

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

Lions, more than 50

D&AD Design and Art Direction (D&AD), formerly known as British Design and Art Direction, is a British educational organisation that was created in 1962 to promote excellence in design and advertising. Its main offices are in Spitalfields in London. ...

pencils and the first ever Film Grand Prix for an interactive piece of work. Its clients have included

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

Gucci Guccio Gucci S.p.A., doing business as Gucci ( , ), is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Florence. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and ...

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

and

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

2020 Group

In 2014 the Stillking Films holding company was renamed 2020 Group. The group, which is sometimes referred to as 2020 Content, now has over 30 daughter companies, in 16 countries, and is one of the largest private companies involved in the production of content in advertising, film and television. Stillman is founder and CEO.

On The Corner Films / Box To Box Films

In 2017 Stillman became an investor and director of On The Corner Films, with Asif Karpadia and James Gay Rees and Box To Box Films. The companies specialize in documentaries and factual entertainment, and their award-winning productions include ''

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...

'' (2019), '' Drive To Survive, Full Swing, Break Point, Six Nations, Surfing'' and ''Tour de France''. In 2024, On The Corner Films and Box To Box Films received a minority investment from Bruin Capital, an investment company focused on global sports, media and technology.

Illuminated Content

In 2018, in collaboration with

Liev Schreiber Isaac Liev Schreiber ( ; born October 4, 1967) is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award as well as nominations for nine Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. Schreiber's early film roles incl ...

, Stillman launched Illuminated Content, a Gotham-based venture to develop, produce and finance TV and movie projects. In 2019 the company produced ''

Human Capital Human capital or human assets is a concept used by economists to designate personal attributes considered useful in the production process. It encompasses employee knowledge, skills, know-how, good health, and education. Human capital has a subs ...

'', and announced a collaboration with David Carver to produce ''The Place I Belong'', a biopic of the golfer

Moe Norman Murray Irwin "Moe" Norman (July 10, 1929 – September 4, 2004) was a Canadian professional golfer whose accuracy and ability to hit shot after shot perfectly straight gave him the nickname "Pipeline Moe". During his career Norman won 54 tournam ...

and the documentary Meeting Zelenskyy in 2024.

Other activities

Stillman is a member of the

British Academy of Film and Television Arts The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

(Bafta). He is a member o
Founders Forum
the community for global entrepreneurs, CEOs, and investors in the digital, media and technology sectors. Stillman was one of 1,280 British business leaders who signed a letter backing Britain Stronger In Europe on the eve of the UK's 2016 referendum on EU membership.

Filmography (selected)

Personal life

In 2004, Stillman married Katherine Driver, a manager and producer who is sister of the actress

Minnie Driver Amelia Fiona Jessica "Minnie" Driver (born 31 January 1970) is a British and American actress and singer. She rose to prominence with her break-out role in the 1995 film ''Circle of Friends (1995 film), Circle of Friends''. She went on to star i ...

. They live in London. Stillman enjoys cycling and appreciates the clothes of designers such as Acne and John Pearse. The fashion website Mr Porter includes him in its Style Council, a directory of "the world’s best-connected men". Stillman is a director of the children’s cancer charity, the Pink Bubble Foundation.

References

External links

Matthew Stillman at British Film InstituteMatthew Stillman at IMDBStillking Films official websiteStink official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stillman, Matthew 1967 births Living people Alumni of the University of Sussex British company founders People from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames People educated at University College School