‘Dragged Across Concrete’ Producer & Fangoria Owner Cinestate Grows Distribution Biz With Key Hire

Tom Grater

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EXCLUSIVE: Dallas Sonnier’s Cinestate, the production outfit that also owns horror brand Fangoria, is ramping up its distribution activities and has hired Brandon Hill as VP of acquisitions and distribution.

Based in LA, Hill will acquire films for Cinestate, including its horror label Fangoria, for distribution across theatrical and all other platforms.

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The Dallas-based company has produced titles including S. Craig Zahler’s Bone Tomahawk, Brawl In Cell Block 99, and Dragged Across Concrete. Since acquiring Fangoria in 2018, it has also produced four titles through that label: Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, Satanic Panic, and the upcoming VFW and Castle Freak.

Fangoria distributes some of its titles in-house, and acquires outside produced movies for platform distribution, an effort headed up by Rob Galluzzo in LA. Now, the company is looking to expand beyond home entertainment as part of Cinestate’s wider push into theatrical releasing.

Hill joins from his role as executive director of acquisitions and distribution at Good Deed Entertainment and Cranked Up Films, where he oversaw acquisitions for the two labels, acquiring titles including Nightmare Cinema and Don’t Leave Home. He previously worked in sales at Echo Bridge Entertainment.

At Cinestate/Fangoria, he will acquire for both wings and will build out the wider outfit’s distribution strategy, which will also encompass the releasing of some of its future in-house produced titles. The company will also continue to produce projects for studios, streamers and other distributors.

“As Brandon Hill and I kept crossing paths in the industry and competing over scripts and movies, it became increasingly clear that we have the same taste. Instead of fighting over titles, we decided to join forces, and I am confident in his ability to attract more renegade movies that fit the Cinestate and Fangoria brands beyond what we can physical produce each year,” Cinestate CEO Dallas Sonnier said.

“We’re always seeking to control our own destiny and adding an A-player like Brandon Hill to the team is another step in that direction,” added Cinestate production head Amanda Presmyk.

During this year’s AFM, we revealed two new production pics from Cinestate, thriller movie Till Death starring Jason Sudeikis and Evangeline Lilly, which is being directed by Big Bad Wolves director Aharon Keshales, and exorcism horror film The Seventh Day starring Guy Pearce.

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