Documentary filmmaker and producer Ben Cotner has joined celebrity-driven on-line studying platform MasterClass as vice chairman of artistic, main the corporate’s artistic and growth groups.
Cotner reviews to chief content material officer Len Amato, the previous HBO exec who joined MasterClass a 12 months in the past.
Cotner joined indie studio A24 in 2019 as head of documentaries the place he oversaw the manufacturing of “Val” (for Amazon), “Residence” Season 2 (Apple TV+) in addition to a number of movies at present in post-production together with Morgan Neville’s untitled Steve Martin mission for Apple TV+. He’ll proceed to see many of those initiatives by way of as a producer or govt producer, in keeping with MasterClass.
Cotner involves MasterClass on the heels of premiering two movies on the 2023 Sundance Movie Competition: “Underrated: Stephen Curry” directed by Pete Nicks, and “The Deepest Breath,” directed by Laura McGann. The movies had been produced by A24 and shall be launched, respectively, by Apple TV+ and Netflix.
Previous to A24, Cotner served as director of authentic documentaries at Netflix from 2015-19. Whereas on the streamer, he served as an govt producer on award-winning movies and collection together with Making a Assassin,” “Wild Wild Nation,” “Salt Fats Acid Warmth,” “Final Likelihood U,” “The thirteenth,” “Amanda Knox,” “The Staircase,” “The Keepers,” “Chasing Coral,” “Take Your Drugs,” “Canines,” “Bobby Kennedy for President,” “5 Got here Again,” “Ugly Scrumptious” and “Summary.”
Documentary movie “The Case In opposition to 8,” which Cotner co-directed with Ryan White, premiered at Sundance in 2014 the place it gained the directing award. The documentary, in regards to the case to overturn California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage, was launched that very same 12 months by HBO.
MasterClass, launched in 2015, sells subscription-based entry to greater than 150 on-line programs led by consultants and celebs together with James Cameron, Shonda Rhimes, Ken Burns, Jodie Foster, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Nas, Gordon Ramsay, Bob Iger, Metallica, Issa Rae, RuPaul, and Invoice Clinton and Hillary Clinton.
San Francisco-based MasterClass had a reported valuation of $2.75 billion after its most up-to-date spherical of funding in 2021.
