R.J. Cutler Launches New Outfit with Industrial Media

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Emmy-winning director and producer R.J. Cutler is launching a new production company, This Machine, with an investment from Eli Holzman’s Industrial Media.

This Machine will focus on developing and producing non-scripted projects for film and television, as well as scripted titles. It joins a roster of production companies at Industrial Media that also includes The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), Sharp Entertainment, B17 Entertainment and 19 Entertainment.

The team at This Machine includes Elise Pearlstein as executive VP of documentaries and Devon Hammonds, Industrial Media’s senior VP of development and current programming, East Coast, as executive VP of non-fiction TV. Trevor Smith, Cutler’s longtime producing partner, will serve as producer for the company’s original content. This Machine has also sealed a first-look deal with Jane Cha Cutler, who previously worked with Holzman on Project Runway.

“R.J. is a gifted filmmaker and a longtime friend,” said Holzman, CEO of Industrial Media. “Aaron [Saidman, president] and I both have long admired his creative range and have envied his eye for compelling stories that reach broad audiences. We are so excited to be a part of the promising future that This Machine has in store.”

Saidman added, “It is incredibly exciting to team with R.J. at the launch of his new venture. Our shared creative enthusiasm and commitment to excellence in production makes for an excellent partnership and we greatly look forward to welcoming This Machine into the Industrial Media family.”

Cutler stated, “I could not be more thrilled about launching This Machine. I’m honored to be in business with Industrial Media and have always had deep admiration for Eli and Aaron and the companies they have built. The opportunity to build a team to expand the work that Trevor and I have been doing for years is a dream come true and we are thrilled to have this new platform to tell high-quality stories about the times in which we live.”

Cutler’s upcoming projects include the feature doc Belushi and Apple TV+’s Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry for Apple TV+.