It’s been more than two years since the powerful newspaper – led by Liz Garbus and producer/financier Dan Cogan – launched Syndicate News, a production company that has won four films competing for Oscars to date.

In addition to producing the Garbus for National Geographic’s “Becoming Cousteau”, which is now available in theaters, Syndicate’s story is behind three other Oscar-worthy newspapers: “Jaws” by John Hoffman and Janet Tobias (National Geographic), “Convergence:” by Orlando von Einsiedel Confidence in Crisis” (Netflix) and “Mayor Pete” by Jesse Moss (Amazon) “Nuclear Family,” Ry Russo-Young also produced a three-part HBO series about gay mothers and women facing law court father-in-law. , and “Britney vs Spears,” Erin Lee Carr, the Netflix name that oversees Britney Spears’ treatment.

Garbus and Cogan started the Brooklyn-based production company in June 2019 with just three acting releases: “I’m Going in the Dark” with HBO, “All: The Fight for Democracy” on Amazon, and three episodes of “The File of Innocence.” ” (Garbus was involved as director of all projects.) Although the industry supported Garbus-based projects in the first place, the goal has always been to make Syndicate History home. for many directors; The syndicate reported 17 jobs. and six development costs by 2021.

Both projects were successful when they started Syndicate Stories: Garbus – a two-time Emmy winner and Oscar nominee – had just completed a master’s degree in crime for HBO titled “The Killer of Garrett Phillips” and was working on his first mythical story. The “Lost Girl” program for Netflix. Cogan is currently in the 13th year of his career as general manager of Impact Partners, a financial services firm where he continues his consulting work. In 2018 he won an Academy Award for creating the Netflix doping magazine “Icarus”.

While Cogan admits he wants “change,” the story of the birth of the Syndicate is primarily about the fluid changes he sees happening in the newspaper market.

Cogan, who works with his wife, explains: “I was attracted to the fact that fewer moviegoers are buying films, instead they are producing books and books. “So I’m pretty sure the future is making films and systems for swimmers instead of creating and investing personally in their sales, and that’s what I do at Impact.”

For his part, Garbus wants a career in storytelling cinema and has his roots in the paper space.

“When you create a script, you focus entirely on the sky,” explains Garbus. “As a director, I want to be able to do it, but my heart and my work are in the movies. So I was like, ‘How do you deal with those two?’

The answer is clear.

“I want to be able to have a party, if I’m making a film with a script, still at a high level so I can talk about other things I can do, or if I have work to do. meeting with the producers, then I don’t remember the exact moment when I thought ‘Wait a minute. Why don’t Dan and I do it together?'”

Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of world literature and book content, collaborated with Garbus and Cogan on “Becoming Cousteau” and “Fauci”. When Nat Geo delivers “Cousteau”, Bernstein wins the soft fight for “Maw”.

Bernstein watched “Fauci,” a film about an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who “fits pretty well,” but wants to work with Story Syndicate again.

Bernstein says, “In ‘Fauci’ and ‘Being Cousteau’ and in every book I’ve worked on, there are many problems to solve,” Bernstein says. “Difficult situations arise and Dan Cogan is a good partner in those situations because it’s good to see problems and find solutions. It’s very untenable.”

The company is a proud manufacturing company with 25 employees, including three home builders – Kate Barry, Nell Constantinople, and Jack Youngelson – and CEO Jon Bardin. Under the same roof, there is a factory. Seventy-five percent of Syndicate’s story content is produced and distributed locally across multiple platforms, contributing to production.

Russo-Young, director of independent news, met with three producers prior to his Story Syndicate at the launch of “Nuclear Family,” his first newspaper.

Russo-Young relates: “At first I was nervous because I didn’t know about the newspaper receipts and I thought it would be too difficult. “But it happened, I think very quickly because Cogan knew the right people. The thing about Dan is that he’s an unrivaled creator with a great plan, and it’s a mix that’s available directly to the producers.”

Working with sources means working with companies, so in part, Cogan says we live in the age of the newspaper industry rather than the age of newspapers.

“Most of these films generate revenue from the platforms and those platforms have their purposes and their algorithms are curated,” he said. “So, as a developer, all you have to do is improve what you believe in and what you think is important that you want to do with what a business in the world can be – this environment.

“How do you find a place on a Venn map between something big, new and crucial and one that speaks to the world in a very important way and is appropriate in the business sector?”

Sometimes he goes on, “that means you’re not signing up for the platform, you’re doing it yourself”.

Planned work includes: “Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Women in Hollywood” Apple TV Plus and “Number One on the Call Out Sheet: Black Leading Man in Hollywood” on Black’s virtue in the industry. Maxim Pozdorovkin “Conspiracy the Conspiracy”, as well as a Netflix documentary about the product change of the GameStop game initiated by a group of retailers on Reddit.

Story Syndicate developed a fairy tale and mythical name, but the couple insisted that the corporate identity will always be “in fairy tales.”

Cogan said, “We understand interesting stories, characters, characters in our lives, and useful.

As for whether Syndicate Report will be a next-generation retailer with private equity assets or streams, the national answer appears to be – so far.

“Liz and I will have control over our actions,” Cogan said. “Nobody can tell us what to do and nobody can tell us to do something. That’s the way I like it. “