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{{short description|American Movie Producer based in Dallas}}
{{short description|American movie producer based in Dallas}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Dallas Sonnier
| name = Dallas Sonnier
| image = Dallas UPDATED Photo.png
| caption =
| birth_name = Joseph Albert Sonnier IV
| caption = Dallas Sonnier in 2019
| birth_name = Joseph Albert Sonnier IV
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|03|31}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|03|31}}
| birth_place = [[Dallas]], Texas, U.S.
| birth_place = [[Dallas]], Texas, U.S.
| occupation = {{Flatlist|
| occupation = {{Flatlist|
* Film Producer
* Film Producer
* Book Publisher
* Book Publisher
* CEO}}
* CEO}}
| years_active = 2005–present
| years_active = 2005–present
| alma_mater = [[University of Southern California]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Southern California]]
}}
}}


'''Dallas Sonnier''' is an American [[film producer]], [[publisher]], and [[entrepreneur]]. He is best known as the founder of [[Cinestate]] and, from 2018, the publisher of [[Fangoria]] magazine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/arts/11-28-16-cinestate-film-audio-publishing-will-evans-dallas-sonnier/|title=Dallas entrepreneurs embark on new kind of entertainment venture|website=CultureMap Dallas}}</ref> He has producing credits on the films ''[[Bone Tomahawk]]'' (2015), ''[[The Standoff at Sparrow Creek]]'' (2018), and ''[[Dragged Across Concrete]]'' (2019).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2447772/|title=Dallas Sonnier|website=IMDb.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref> In 2018, he purchased the rights to [[Fangoria]] and relaunched the defunct magazine as a print-only publication; he additionally expanded the Fangoria brand to encompass a publishing and film production company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts/arts/2019/01/18/dallas-based-cinestate-forges-extreme-entertainment-path-far-hollywood|title=Dallas-based Cinestate forges its extreme entertainment path far from Hollywood|date=January 18, 2019|website=Dallas News|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>
'''Joseph Albert "Dallas" Sonnier IV''' (born March 31, 1980) is an American [[film producer]], [[publisher]] and [[entrepreneur]]. He is best known as the founder of [[Cinestate]] and, from 2018 to 2020, the publisher of ''[[Fangoria]]'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/arts/11-28-16-cinestate-film-audio-publishing-will-evans-dallas-sonnier/|title=Dallas entrepreneurs embark on new kind of entertainment venture|website=CultureMap Dallas}}</ref> He has producing credits on the films ''[[Bone Tomahawk]]'' (2015), ''[[Brawl in Cell Block 99]]'' (2017), ''[[The Standoff at Sparrow Creek]]'' (2018) and ''[[Dragged Across Concrete]]'' (2019), among others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2447772/|title=Dallas Sonnier|website=IMDb.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref> In 2018, he purchased the rights to ''[[Fangoria]]'' and relaunched the defunct magazine as a print-only publication; he additionally expanded the ''Fangoria'' brand to encompass a publishing and film production company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts/arts/2019/01/18/dallas-based-cinestate-forges-extreme-entertainment-path-far-hollywood|title=Dallas-based Cinestate forges its extreme entertainment path far from Hollywood|date=January 18, 2019|website=Dallas News|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>

Beginning his career as an agent, Sonnier later gravitated towards production, initially founding the California-based Caliber Media with partner Jack Heller. Wanting to bring major film productions to the state of Texas, he returned there in 2016 to found the Dallas-based production company Cinestate.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Dallas Sonnier was born Joseph Albert Sonnier IV in the Highland Park neighborhood of [[Dallas]], [[TX]], USA.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts/visual-arts/2016/10/15/filmmaker-dallas-sonnier-even-murder-ones-parents-can-keep-good-man|title=For Dallas filmmaker, home is where the sadness is, but he’s back to stay and make a mark|date=October 15, 2016|website=Dallas News|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref> His parents, Becky and Dr. Joseph Sonnier moved from [[Shreveport]], [[Louisiana]] to [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], shortly before he was born in 1980. Sonnier’s nickname originated with his parents referring to him as “the Dallas baby” and the moniker stuck with him throughout his life.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2016/december/dallas-sonniers-hollywood-ending/|title=Dallas Sonnier's Hollywood Ending|website=Dmagazine.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>
Dallas Sonnier was born Joseph Albert Sonnier IV in the Highland Park neighborhood of [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], US.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts/visual-arts/2016/10/15/filmmaker-dallas-sonnier-even-murder-ones-parents-can-keep-good-man|title=For Dallas filmmaker, home is where the sadness is, but he's back to stay and make a mark|date=October 15, 2016|website=Dallas News|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref> His parents, Becky and Dr. Joseph Sonnier moved from [[Shreveport]], [[Louisiana]] to [[Dallas]], [[Texas]], shortly before he was born in 1980. Sonnier's nickname originated with his parents referring to him as "the Dallas baby" and the moniker stuck with him throughout his life.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2016/december/dallas-sonniers-hollywood-ending/|title=Dallas Sonnier's Hollywood Ending|website=Dmagazine.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>


Sonnier developed an ambition to begin making movies while still in high school; to this end, he began taking continuing education classes in screenwriting at [[Southern Methodist University]] during the Summer before his senior year at Highland Park High School. He attended film classes at the [[University of Southern California]] while still in high school, and later as an undergrad, becoming one of five students to inaugurate the school’s joint business-film program, introducing him to studio executives, entertainment attorneys, agents, and talent managers. During this period, he learned about aspects of the film making process beyond writing and directing.<ref name="auto2"/>
Sonnier developed an ambition to begin making movies while still in high school; to this end, he began taking continuing education classes in screenwriting at [[Southern Methodist University]] during the Summer before his senior year at Highland Park High School. He attended film classes at the [[University of Southern California]] while still in high school, and later as an undergrad, becoming one of five students to inaugurate the school's joint business-film program, introducing him to studio executives, entertainment attorneys, agents, and talent managers. During this period, he learned about aspects of the film making process beyond writing and directing.<ref name="auto2"/>


==Career==
==Career==
After graduating from USC, Sonnier obtained a job with [[United Talent Agency]], beginning in the mailroom and working his way up to Agent Trainee. After a few years, he left the agency to join a start-up management firm run by David Schiff.<ref name="auto2"/> In 2008, Sonnier and Jack Heller, a USC classmate, founded Caliber Media. While attending [[San Diego Comic Con]], the pair met former wrestler [[Stone Cold Steve Austin]], eventually collaborating with him on nine low-budget action movies that were sold to distributors and premiered on DVD and video-on-demand. Caliber segued into other independent projects before raising funds for two years in order to shoot [[Bone Tomahawk]]; the script had been written by one of the pair’s clients, [[S. Craig Zahler]], whom they had been managing for two years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lubbockonline.com/article/20151208/LIFESTYLE/312089890|title=Sonnier co-produces $1.8 million western after mother, father murdered|first=William|last=Kerns|website=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>
After graduating from USC, Sonnier obtained a job with [[United Talent Agency]], beginning in the mailroom and working his way up to Agent Trainee. After a few years, he left the agency to join a start-up management firm run by David Schiff. In 2008, Sonnier and Jack Heller, a USC classmate, founded Caliber Media. While attending [[San Diego Comic Con]], the pair met former wrestler [[Stone Cold Steve Austin]], eventually collaborating with him on nine low-budget action movies that were sold to distributors and premiered on DVD and video-on-demand. Caliber segued into other independent projects, before raising funds for two years in order to shoot ''[[Bone Tomahawk]]''; the script had been written by one of the pair's clients, [[S. Craig Zahler]], whom they had been managing for two years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lubbockonline.com/article/20151208/LIFESTYLE/312089890|title=Sonnier co-produces $1.8 million western after mother, father murdered|first=William|last=Kerns|website=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>


Zahler's script attracted [[Kurt Russell]] and [[Richard Jenkins]], but the interested financiers wanted the script shortened. After several years of negotiations, Russell's agents were ready to move on if the movie was not fully financed in a matter of months. To secure financing for the film, in 2014, Sonnier took a new mortgage on his house. The film went on to become a financial and critical success, earning $10 million dollars, a figure five times its $5 million budget, and garnering a 91% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.<ref name="auto2"/>
Zahler's script attracted [[Kurt Russell]] and [[Richard Jenkins]], but the interested financiers wanted the script shortened. After several years of negotiations, Russell's agents were ready to move on if the movie was not fully financed in a matter of months. To secure financing for the film, in 2014, Sonnier took a new mortgage on his house. The film failed at the box office, but found success in ancillary markets like DVD sales and VOD rentals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bone-Tomahawk#tab=video-sales|title=Bone Tomahawk - Video Sales|first=|last=|website=The Numbers|accessdate=12 Feb 2021}}</ref>


Following production on Bone Tomahawk, Sonnier departed Caliber to found Cinestate, a production company based in Dallas, with the intention of bringing film production to Texas. Sonnier would go on to collaborate with Zahler for two more films, [[Brawl in Cell Block 99]] and [[Dragged Across Concrete]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-cinestate-film-studio-is-turning-controversial-topics-revenue-1178338|title=How a "Populist" Film Studio Is Turning Rage and Violence Into Revenue|website=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-texas-movies-for-americans-hollywood-left-behind-1526400385|title=Making Movies in the Trump Era for the Audience Hollywood Ignored|first=Erich|last=Schwartzel|website=Wsj.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>
Following production on ''Bone Tomahawk'', Sonnier departed Caliber to found Cinestate, a production company based in Dallas, with the intention of bringing film production to Texas. Sonnier would go on to collaborate with Zahler for two more films: ''[[Brawl in Cell Block 99]]'' and ''[[Dragged Across Concrete]]''.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-cinestate-film-studio-is-turning-controversial-topics-revenue-1178338|title=How a "Populist" Film Studio Is Turning Rage and Violence Into Revenue|website=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-texas-movies-for-americans-hollywood-left-behind-1526400385|title=Making Movies in the Trump Era for the Audience Hollywood Ignored|first=Erich|last=Schwartzel|website=Wsj.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>

In 2022, Sonnier became a key architect for the entertainment division of [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] [[news website]] and [[media company]] ''[[The Daily Wire]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/02/daily-wire-film-conservative-shut-in-1234697971/|title=Scandal Is No Object: With Its First Film Slate, Daily Wire Embraces Those Out of Hollywood’s Favor|first=Chris|last=Lindahl|website=IndieWire|accessdate=10 February 2022}}</ref>


==Production philosophy==
==Production philosophy==
Sonnier's has stated that his approach to production is giving total creative freedom to writers and directors while also keeping budgets low enough that their projects can still be profitable.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2018/05/24/filmmaking-in-the-trump-era|title=Filmmaking In The Trump Era|website=Wbur.org|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/dallas-sonnier/|title=HiT Episode No. 117 &#8211; Cinestate CEO Dallas Sonnier|date=May 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fox4news.com/news/fox-4-features/fox4ward-making-movies-for-a-different-audience|title=Fox4ward: Making Movies for a Different Audience|website=Fox4news.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> In interviews, he has been adamant about not making films that “pander” to any audience, as well as not filtering directors’ creativity.<ref name="auto"/> His business model relies on making films as widely available as possible—through purchase, rental, or streaming—on multiple platforms to “piece together” revenue from every possible source.
Sonnier has stated that his approach to production is giving total creative freedom to writers and directors while also keeping budgets low enough that their projects can still be profitable.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2018/05/24/filmmaking-in-the-trump-era|title=Filmmaking In The Trump Era|website=Wbur.org|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/dallas-sonnier/|title=HiT Episode No. 117 – Cinestate CEO Dallas Sonnier|date=May 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fox4news.com/news/fox-4-features/fox4ward-making-movies-for-a-different-audience|title=Fox4ward: Making Movies for a Different Audience|website=Fox4news.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> In interviews, he has been adamant about not making films that "pander" to any audience, as well as not filtering directors' creativity.<ref name="auto"/> His business model relies on making films as widely available as possible—through purchase, rental, or streaming—on multiple platforms to "piece together" revenue from every possible source.


Sonnier is also an advocate for filmmaking outside of New York and Los Angeles and not relying on the model of traditional studio systems.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/movies/article/Texas-filmmaker-Dallas-Sonnier-fights-for-12273649.php|title=Texas filmmaker Dallas Sonnier fights for relevance with 'Brawl' - HoustonChronicle.com|date=October 12, 2017|website=Houstonchronicle.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>
Sonnier is also an advocate for filmmaking outside of New York and Los Angeles and not relying on the model of traditional studio systems.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/movies/article/Texas-filmmaker-Dallas-Sonnier-fights-for-12273649.php|title=Texas filmmaker Dallas Sonnier fights for relevance with 'Brawl' - HoustonChronicle.com|date=October 12, 2017|website=Houstonchronicle.com|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>


==Cinestate==
==Cinestate==
Sonnier founded Cinestate upon his move back to Dallas from California.
Sonnier founded Cinestate upon his move back to Dallas from California. According to him, the unique selling point of the company was that it produced films that were creatively unfiltered by producers or executives, and which represented the artistic vision of their creators.<ref name="auto"/>


According to Sonnier, the unique selling point of the company is that the company produces films that are creatively unfiltered by producers or executives, and which represent the artistic vision of their creators.<ref name="auto"/>
While revenue from Cinestate productions were a fraction of major studio releases, the company remained profitable by keeping production costs low and relying on word-of-mouth.<ref name="auto1"/>


⚫
In 2018, Sonnier completed the deal to acquire all the assets and trademarks of the ''Fangoria'' brand, including the horror movie magazine, and relaunched it as a division of Cinestate. ''[[Fangoria]]'' became print only and Sonnier hired a brand-new editor-in-chief, [[Phil Nobile Jr.]] of [[Birth.Movies.Death]]. As part of the arrangement, Cinestate acquired control over all material from over 300 issues of ''Fangoria'', spanning the past forty years.
While revenue from Cinestate productions are a fraction of major studio releases, the company remains profitable by keeping production costs low and relying on word-of-mouth.<ref name="auto1"/>


⚫
Cinestate also extended its brand into other content, publishing six genre novels (three under the Cinestate imprint and three under a ''Fangoria'' imprint), as well as audiobook adaptations of screenplays.<ref name="auto"/>
⚫
In 2018, Sonnier completed the deal to acquire all the assets and trademarks of the Fangoria brand, including the horror movie magazine, and relaunched it as a division of Cinestate. [[Fangoria]] Magazine became print only and Sonnier hired a brand-new editor-in-chief, [[Phil Nobile Jr.]] of [[Birth.Movies.Death]]. As part of the arrangement, Cinestate controls all material from over 300 issues of Fangoria Magazine, which means all articles, photos, and exclusive interviews, spanning the past 40 years. Sonnier and his team are further developing Fangoria into a brand for producing movies and podcasts, as well as publishing horror novels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/02/fangoria-magazine-new-owner-management-1202289951/|title=Cinestate Acquires Fangoria Magazine, Installs New Management And Strategy|first1=Anita|last1=Busch|first2=Anita|last2=Busch|date=February 15, 2018|accessdate=5 August 2019}}</ref>


In 2020, following the arrest of producer Adam Donaghey for sexual assault and a ''[[Daily Beast]]'' article alleging misconduct on Cinestate sets, Sonnier was criticized for downplaying abusive behavior and endangering employees. The scandal lead to ''Fangoria'' being sold, all of Cinestate's social media and websites went dormant, the company was closed and its entire staff was laid off.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2020/august/cinestate-metoo-abuse-scandal-dallas-sonnier/|title=Cinestate's #MeToo Scandal and the Upheaval of the Dallas Film Scene |first1=Peter|last1=Simek|date=August 2020|accessdate=15 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |user=SonnyBunch |number=1270788950257545216 |date = 10 June 2020 |title=Sonny Bunch's Announcement of Rebeller (a Cinestate Division) Shutting Down }}</ref>
⚫
Cinestate has also extended its brand into other content, publishing six genre novels (three under the Cinestate imprint and three under a Fangoria imprint), as well as audiobook adaptations of screenplays.<ref name="auto"/>


==Movies==
==Movies==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* 2009: Damage (executive producer)
* 2009: ''Damage'' (executive producer)
* 2010: [[The Stranger (2010 film)|The Stranger]] (executive producer)
* 2010: ''[[The Stranger (2010 film)|The Stranger]]'' (executive producer)
* 2010: [[Hunt to Kill]] (executive producer)
* 2010: ''[[Hunt to Kill]]'' (executive producer)
* 2011: Recoil (executive producer)
* 2011: ''Recoil'' (executive producer)
* 2011: [[Born to Fight]] (executive producer)
* 2011: ''[[Knockout (2011 film)|Born to Fight]]'' (executive producer)
* 2011: [[Tactical Force]] (executive producer)
* 2011: ''[[Tactical Force]]'' (executive producer)
* 2011: [[Enter Nowhere]] (producer)
* 2011: ''[[Enter Nowhere]]'' (producer)
* 2012: [[Refuge (2012 film)|Refuge]] (producer)
* 2012: ''[[Refuge (2012 film)|Refuge]]'' (producer)
* 2012: [[Static (2012 film)|Static]] (executive producer)
* 2012: ''[[Static (2012 film)|Static]]'' (executive producer)
* 2013: [[The Package (2013 film)|The Package]] (executive producer)
* 2013: ''[[The Package (2013 film)|The Package]]'' (executive producer)
* 2013: [[Bad Milo]] (executive producer)
* 2013: ''[[Bad Milo]]'' (executive producer)
* 2014: [[3 Nights in the Desert]] (executive producer)
* 2014: ''[[3 Nights in the Desert]]'' (executive producer)
* 2014: Warren (executive producer)
* 2014: ''Warren'' (executive producer)
* 2014: The Scribbler (producer)
* 2014: ''The Scribbler'' (producer)
* 2014: Making the Rules (executive producer)
* 2014: ''Making the Rules'' (executive producer)
* 2014: Dark was the Night (executive producer)
* 2014: ''Dark was the Night'' (executive producer)
* 2015: [[The Automatic Hate]] (producer)
* 2015: ''[[The Automatic Hate]]'' (producer)
* 2015: Some Kind of Hate (executive producer)
* 2015: ''Some Kind of Hate'' (executive producer)
* 2015: [[Bone Tomahawk]] (producer)
* 2015: ''[[Bone Tomahawk]]'' (producer)
* 2015: [[Condemned (2015 film)|Condemned]] (producer)
* 2015: ''[[Condemned (2015 film)|Condemned]]'' (producer)
* 2015: Figurehead (producer)
* 2015: ''Figurehead'' (producer)
* 2016: Hot (executive producer)
* 2016: ''Hot'' (executive producer)
* 2018: [[Brawl in Cell Block 99]] (producer)
* 2018: ''[[Brawl in Cell Block 99]]'' (producer)
* 2018: [[Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich]] (producer)
* 2018: ''[[Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich]]'' (producer)
* 2018: [[Dragged Across Concrete]] (producer)
* 2018: ''[[Dragged Across Concrete]]'' (producer)
* 2018: [[The Standoff at Sparrow Creek]] (producer)
* 2018: ''[[The Standoff at Sparrow Creek]]'' (producer)
* 2019: [[Satanic Panic (film)|Satanic Panic]] (producer)
* 2019: ''[[Satanic Panic (film)|Satanic Panic]]'' (producer)
* TBD: V.F.W (producer) (post-production)
* 2019: ''[[VFW (film)|V.F.W]]'' (producer)
* TBD: Castle Freak (producer) (post-production)
* 2020: ''[[Run Hide Fight]]'' (producer)
* 2020: ''Castle Freak'' (producer)
* 2021: ''[[The Seventh Day (2021 film)|The Seventh Day]]'' (producer)
* 2021: ''[[South of Heaven (film)|South of Heaven]]'' (producer)
* 2022: ''[[Shut In (2022 film)|Shut In]]'' (producer)
* 2022: ''[[The Hyperions]]'' (producer)
* 2022: ''[[What Is a Woman?]]'' (producer)
* 2022: ''[[Terror on the Prairie]]'' (producer)
* 2023: ''[[Lady Ballers]]'' (producer)
* 2024: ''[[Snow White and the Evil Queen]]'' (producer)
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


Line 80: Line 94:
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
{{Uncategorized|date=August 2019}}
* {{IMDb name|id=2447772}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonnier, Dallas}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1980 births]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]
[[Category:Film producers from Texas]]
[[Category:Mass media people from Dallas]]
[[Category:American company founders]]

Latest revision as of 17:23, 28 June 2024

Dallas Sonnier
Dallas Sonnier in 2019
Born
Joseph Albert Sonnier IV

(1980-03-31) March 31, 1980 (age 44)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
Occupations
  • Film Producer
  • Book Publisher
  • CEO
Years active2005–present

Joseph Albert "Dallas" Sonnier IV (born March 31, 1980) is an American film producer, publisher and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of Cinestate and, from 2018 to 2020, the publisher of Fangoria magazine.[1] He has producing credits on the films Bone Tomahawk (2015), Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017), The Standoff at Sparrow Creek (2018) and Dragged Across Concrete (2019), among others.[2] In 2018, he purchased the rights to Fangoria and relaunched the defunct magazine as a print-only publication; he additionally expanded the Fangoria brand to encompass a publishing and film production company.[3]

Beginning his career as an agent, Sonnier later gravitated towards production, initially founding the California-based Caliber Media with partner Jack Heller. Wanting to bring major film productions to the state of Texas, he returned there in 2016 to found the Dallas-based production company Cinestate.

Early life and education[edit]

Dallas Sonnier was born Joseph Albert Sonnier IV in the Highland Park neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, US.[4] His parents, Becky and Dr. Joseph Sonnier moved from Shreveport, Louisiana to Dallas, Texas, shortly before he was born in 1980. Sonnier's nickname originated with his parents referring to him as "the Dallas baby" and the moniker stuck with him throughout his life.[5]

Sonnier developed an ambition to begin making movies while still in high school; to this end, he began taking continuing education classes in screenwriting at Southern Methodist University during the Summer before his senior year at Highland Park High School. He attended film classes at the University of Southern California while still in high school, and later as an undergrad, becoming one of five students to inaugurate the school's joint business-film program, introducing him to studio executives, entertainment attorneys, agents, and talent managers. During this period, he learned about aspects of the film making process beyond writing and directing.[5]

Career[edit]

After graduating from USC, Sonnier obtained a job with United Talent Agency, beginning in the mailroom and working his way up to Agent Trainee. After a few years, he left the agency to join a start-up management firm run by David Schiff. In 2008, Sonnier and Jack Heller, a USC classmate, founded Caliber Media. While attending San Diego Comic Con, the pair met former wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin, eventually collaborating with him on nine low-budget action movies that were sold to distributors and premiered on DVD and video-on-demand. Caliber segued into other independent projects, before raising funds for two years in order to shoot Bone Tomahawk; the script had been written by one of the pair's clients, S. Craig Zahler, whom they had been managing for two years.[6]

Zahler's script attracted Kurt Russell and Richard Jenkins, but the interested financiers wanted the script shortened. After several years of negotiations, Russell's agents were ready to move on if the movie was not fully financed in a matter of months. To secure financing for the film, in 2014, Sonnier took a new mortgage on his house. The film failed at the box office, but found success in ancillary markets like DVD sales and VOD rentals.[7]

Following production on Bone Tomahawk, Sonnier departed Caliber to found Cinestate, a production company based in Dallas, with the intention of bringing film production to Texas. Sonnier would go on to collaborate with Zahler for two more films: Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Dragged Across Concrete.[8][9]

In 2022, Sonnier became a key architect for the entertainment division of conservative news website and media company The Daily Wire.[10]

Production philosophy[edit]

Sonnier has stated that his approach to production is giving total creative freedom to writers and directors while also keeping budgets low enough that their projects can still be profitable.[11][12][13][8] In interviews, he has been adamant about not making films that "pander" to any audience, as well as not filtering directors' creativity.[8] His business model relies on making films as widely available as possible—through purchase, rental, or streaming—on multiple platforms to "piece together" revenue from every possible source.

Sonnier is also an advocate for filmmaking outside of New York and Los Angeles and not relying on the model of traditional studio systems.[14]

Cinestate[edit]

Sonnier founded Cinestate upon his move back to Dallas from California. According to him, the unique selling point of the company was that it produced films that were creatively unfiltered by producers or executives, and which represented the artistic vision of their creators.[8]

While revenue from Cinestate productions were a fraction of major studio releases, the company remained profitable by keeping production costs low and relying on word-of-mouth.[9]

In 2018, Sonnier completed the deal to acquire all the assets and trademarks of the Fangoria brand, including the horror movie magazine, and relaunched it as a division of Cinestate. Fangoria became print only and Sonnier hired a brand-new editor-in-chief, Phil Nobile Jr. of Birth.Movies.Death. As part of the arrangement, Cinestate acquired control over all material from over 300 issues of Fangoria, spanning the past forty years.

Cinestate also extended its brand into other content, publishing six genre novels (three under the Cinestate imprint and three under a Fangoria imprint), as well as audiobook adaptations of screenplays.[8]

In 2020, following the arrest of producer Adam Donaghey for sexual assault and a Daily Beast article alleging misconduct on Cinestate sets, Sonnier was criticized for downplaying abusive behavior and endangering employees. The scandal lead to Fangoria being sold, all of Cinestate's social media and websites went dormant, the company was closed and its entire staff was laid off.[15][16]

Movies[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Dallas entrepreneurs embark on new kind of entertainment venture". CultureMap Dallas.
  2. ^ "Dallas Sonnier". IMDb.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Dallas-based Cinestate forges its extreme entertainment path far from Hollywood". Dallas News. January 18, 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  4. ^ "For Dallas filmmaker, home is where the sadness is, but he's back to stay and make a mark". Dallas News. October 15, 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Dallas Sonnier's Hollywood Ending". Dmagazine.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  6. ^ Kerns, William. "Sonnier co-produces $1.8 million western after mother, father murdered". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Bone Tomahawk - Video Sales". The Numbers. Retrieved 12 Feb 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e "How a "Populist" Film Studio Is Turning Rage and Violence Into Revenue". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  9. ^ a b Schwartzel, Erich. "Making Movies in the Trump Era for the Audience Hollywood Ignored". Wsj.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  10. ^ Lindahl, Chris. "Scandal Is No Object: With Its First Film Slate, Daily Wire Embraces Those Out of Hollywood's Favor". IndieWire. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Filmmaking In The Trump Era". Wbur.org. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  12. ^ "HiT Episode No. 117 – Cinestate CEO Dallas Sonnier". May 7, 2019.
  13. ^ "Fox4ward: Making Movies for a Different Audience". Fox4news.com. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Texas filmmaker Dallas Sonnier fights for relevance with 'Brawl' - HoustonChronicle.com". Houstonchronicle.com. October 12, 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  15. ^ Simek, Peter (August 2020). "Cinestate's #MeToo Scandal and the Upheaval of the Dallas Film Scene". Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  16. ^ @SonnyBunch (10 June 2020). "Sonny Bunch's Announcement of Rebeller (a Cinestate Division) Shutting Down" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

External links[edit]

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