In a move that bolsters the domestic and global reach of Cinecittá Studios, the company has formed a partnership with Los Angeles-based Montana Artists Agency. Under the leadership of Executive Vice President Matt Birch, Montana Artists Agency, will represent Cinecittá Studios in the United States. Cinecittá Studios services film, commercial, television, music video and multimedia industries worldwide.
In making the announcement, Cinecittá Studios’ General Manager Lamberto Mancini said: “We were searching for a combination of practical production experience and studio production background. We want to reach our potential clients through professionals who intimately understand the below-the-line world, and also the perspective of studio executives. For these reasons, we are sure Montana Artists Agency is the right choice for us.”
Through his experience and network of relationships, Matt Birch plans to help Cinecittá Studios promote the Italian Tax Credit incentive. His past experience includes Endgame Entertainment, where he oversaw physical production of such films as The Brothers Bloom and An Education. Prior to Endgame, Birch served as production supervisor and production manager for films including Transformers, Mission: Impossible 3, Elizabethtown, Constantine, and The Italian Job.
Cinecittá’s main studio in Rome is the largest film and television production facility in Europe and the biggest production center outside of Hollywood. It boasts 22 stages, extensive permanent sets such as an Ancient Roman set fully equipped with set dressing items, a 70,000 square foot outdoor tank and a 25 acre backlot, all located within 99 acres of parkland estates. In addition to this main studio, Cinecittá owns and operates Dino Studios, a few miles outside
of Rome, which was built in 1962 by the internationally acclaimed producer Dino De Laurentis. Cinecittá’s third location is Umbria Studios, renovated by Oscar®-winning actor/director Roberto Benigni, who shot both Life Is Beautiful and Pinocchio there.
Recent productions that have taken advantage of Cinecittá’s authentic sets (and the teams of artisans who can build to any specifications) include the HBO series Rome, Spike Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna and, appropriately, Rob Marshall’s Nine, a musical re-telling of Fellini’s classic 8?.
