Brent Hodge | |
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Born | St. Albert, Alberta, Canada | July 9, 1985
Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, entrepreneur |
Years active | 2008–present |
Website | www |
Brent Hodge (born July 9, 1985) is a Canadian-New Zealander documentary filmmaker and entrepreneur. He is best known for his documentaries I Am Chris Farley , A Brony Tale , The Pistol Shrimps , Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary, Chris Farley: Anything for a Laugh, Who Let the Dogs Out and Pharma Bro. He has been nominated for six Leo Awards for his documentary movies Winning America , What Happens Next? and A Brony Tale , winning one for A Brony Tale in 2015. [1] [2] He was nominated for two Shorty Awards under the "director" category in 2014 and 2015 for his work on The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions and A Brony Tale. Hodge also won a Canadian Screen Award in 2014 for directing The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions with Grant Lawrence . [3]
The documentary The Pistol Shrimps (2016), follows a LA-based female basketball team, the Pistol Shrimps — including actress Aubrey Plaza and founder Maria Blasucci ( Drunk History ) — who come together for weekly matches filled with trash-talking, hard-fouling, wisecracking action. The documentary was co-produced with Warrior Poets and Morgan Spurlock as executive producer. The documentary won a Founders Award at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival in July 2016. The film is distributed by NBC's subscription streaming service, Seeso and available online.
Hodge directed I Am Chris Farley in 2015 with Derik Murray of Network Entertainment. The documentary is based on the life of comedian actor Chris Farley and features interviews with numerous actors, comedians and others who worked with Farley during his career. The film was long listed for an Academy Award. [4]
In 2014, Hodge released his critically acclaimed documentary A Brony Tale . It delves into the world of the teenage and adult fans of the television show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (called "bronies") through the eyes of musician and voice actress Ashleigh Ball on her trip to the 2012 BronyCon. [5]
He has also done corporate work for ESPN, Time magazine, [6] Karlie Kloss, CBC Music, [7] Tourism Alberta, and National Film Board of Canada (for the movie Hue: A Matter of Colour), [8] as well as technology startups Uber, City Storage Systems, Lightstep, Hootsuite and Steve Russell's analytics startup Prism Skylabs.
Hodge grew up in the City of St. Albert, Alberta, but moved to Victoria, British Columbia at the age of 12. He was first exposed to filmmaking in his entrepreneur class at Mount Douglas Secondary School. After high school he attended University of Victoria for a year before completing a degree in commerce at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Upon completing his degree he returned to Canada, attending School Creative in Vancouver, during which time he did sketch comedy with Chris Kelly, Zahf Paroo as well as Ryan Steele and Amy Goodmurphy from The Ryan and Amy Show . Hodge holds dual citizenship for both New Zealand and Canada. [9]
Industry | Films |
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Founded | 2012 |
Founder | Brent Hodge |
Headquarters | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Key people | Brent Hodge, founder and director |
Products | Film |
Number of employees | 5 |
Website | www |
Hodgee Films is a Vancouver-based independent film company. Their films include A Brony Tale, The Pistol Shrimps, Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary, Who Let the Dogs Out and Pharma Bro.
Pharma Bro, co-produced by Blumhouse Productions, profiles Martin Shkreli, the financial entrepreneur and pharmaceutical tycoon from Brooklyn, New York, known for raising the price of an AIDS drug 5500% overnight, buying the sole copy of a Wu-Tang Clan album for $2 million dollars and being convicted of securities fraud. Release for the film is October 5, 2021.
Who Let the Dogs Out tells the origin story of the smash hit song "Who Let the Dogs Out" and goes back further than anyone could have imagined; steeped in legal battles, female empowerment and artist integrity. The film premiered in 2019 at SXSW and can be found on Bell's Crave TV start March 2, 2020.
Produced by A&E Network as part of their "Cultureshock" series, Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary takes you behind the scenes of the beloved cult-classic show created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow. Through intimate interviews with the cast and crew, we learn the story behind the show that holds the unique position of being cancelled after one season while also ranking amongst Time magazine's Greatest Television Shows of all time.
The documentary The Pistol Shrimps (2016), follows a LA-based female basketball team, the Pistol Shrimps — including actress Aubrey Plaza and founder Maria Blasucci ( Drunk History ) — who come together for weekly matches filled with trash-talking, hard-fouling, wisecracking action. The documentary won a Founders Award at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival in July 2016. The film is distributed by NBC's subscription streaming service, Seeso and available online.
Hodge directed I Am Chris Farley in 2015 with Derik Murray of Network Entertainment. The documentary is based on the life of comedian actor Chris Farley and features interviews with numerous actors, comedians and others who worked with Farley during his career. The film was long listed for an Academy Award. [4]
In 2014, Hodge released his critically acclaimed documentary A Brony Tale. It delves into the world of the teenage and adult fans of the television show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (called "bronies") through the eyes of musician and voice actress Ashleigh Ball on her trip to the 2012 BronyCon. [5] The film was nominated for six 2015 Leo Awards, including "Best Documentary", won "Best Documentary" at the 2014 Las Vegas Film Festival and premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.
The company also produced W Network's spinoff series Cameron's House Rules . [10] [11]
In 2014 Hodge was named one of BCBusiness 's Top 30 under 30 for his work as CEO of Hodgee Films. [12] Hodge stated that he had given himself a goal to hit a certain revenue target, film globally and bring his work back to Vancouver for post-production work.
The company logo, a white rabbit with the text "Hodgee Films" next to it, was inspired by the film Alice in Wonderland, says CEO of the company Brent Hodge: "I always go back to the little logo I have, which is a white rabbit. It comes from Alice in Wonderland and it's about having that magic in everything we do. Down the rabbit hole." [13]
Year | Film | Notes |
---|---|---|
2008 | Paradise Lost | Actor |
2008 | Smallville | Actor |
2009 | Rampage | Actor |
2011 | The Cockumentary | Director/producer/subject |
2011 | Winning America | Director/producer; nominated for a Leo Award for Best Documentary in 2012 |
2012 | What Happens Next? | Director/producer; nominated for a Leo Award for Best Documentary in 2013 |
2013 | The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions with Grant Lawrence | Director; won a Canadian Screen Award in 2014 |
2013 | Hue: A Matter of Colour | Camera operator |
2014 | A Brony Tale | Director/writer/producer; premiered at 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, won Best Documentary at the Las Vegas Film Festival and holds a 100% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes; nominated for four Leo Awards, including Best Feature Documentary and Best Director; won the Leo Award for "Best Overall Sound" |
2014 | Violent | Executive producer; showcased at the Cannes Film Festival, screened the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, and the Vancouver International Film Festival where it won "Best Canadian Film" and "Best British Columbia Film"; nominated for nine Leo Awards, winning eight, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director"; nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Foreign Language Film" |
2015 | I Am Chris Farley | Director/editor; premiered in August on Spike TV |
2015 | Cameron's House Rules | Director/producer/editor; TV mini-series |
2015 | Consider the Source | Director/producer/editor; in association with Disney's Maker Studios and Morgan Spurlock |
2016 | The Pistol Shrimps | Director/producer/writer/editor; in association with Warrior Poets, a documentary starring Aubrey Plaza about a women's basketball team made up of comedians, models and actresses |
2018 | Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary | Director/Producer |
2019 | Who Let the Dogs Out | Director/Producer; a documentary-comedy about tracking down the real writer of the hit song "Who Let the Dogs Out" |
2019 | Chris Farley: Anything for a Laugh | Director/Producer; a follow-up to 2015's "I Am Chris Farley" |
2019 | Ash | Executive Producer; feature film from Amazing Factory |
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor and comedian. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Christopher Crosby Farley was an American comedian and actor. He was known for his loud, energetic comedic style, and was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and later a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live for five seasons from 1990 to 1995. He went on to pursue a film career, appearing in films such as Airheads, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja, and Almost Heroes.
CBC Radio 3 is a Canadian digital radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which plays a relatively freeform mix of indie rock, indie pop, alternative hip hop, folk, country and electronic music.
Nicole Lyn Oliver is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Princess Celestia and Cheerilee in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and Zoe Trent in Littlest Pet Shop.
John Patrick Farley is an American actor and comedian. He is the youngest brother of actor and comedian Chris Farley.
Ashleigh Adele Ball is a Canadian voice actress and musician known for voicing characters in several toyetic movies and television series, notably the Barbie film series, Bratz, Johnny Test, Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and The Deep. She is the subject of the documentary A Brony Tale directed by Brent Hodge, which follows her through her first interactions with the brony community at BronyCon 2012. She is also a singer and performs with the pop rock band Hey Ocean!
BronyCon was an annual fan convention held on the East Coast of the United States for fans of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, among them adult and teenage bronies. Eleven events were held, with the final one in August 2019 drawing in 10,215 attendees. Though originally planned to run through 2025, it was announced at the closing ceremonies of the 2018 convention that 2019 would be the final year, tying in with the final season of the show.
Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony is a 2012 documentary film centering on bronies, the adult fans of the 2010 animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The film, funded through crowd-sourcing via Kickstarter, was originally envisioned to follow voice actor and executive producer John de Lancie to the 2012 Summer BronyCon in New Jersey. The project raised much more than anticipated, allowing it to grow in scope to bring on Lauren Faust, Friendship Is Magic's original creator, and Tara Strong, a principal voice actress on the show, as executive producers and to include additional convention footage from European conventions.
Winning America is a documentary television film about the Canadian band Said the Whale. It follows the band on their first US tour down through California, and then to South by Southwest. It premiered on CBC Television on July 23, 2011. The film was directed by Brent Hodge and Thomas Buchan, and was produced by Brent Hodge, Jon Siddall and Sheila Peacock. It was nominated for a Leo Award in 2012.
What Happens Next? is a documentary film about the Canadian singer-songwriter, Dan Mangan. It explores Mangan's ideas on fate and destiny as he's about to perform in his biggest performance to date, a sold out show at the Vancouver, British Columbia Orpheum. It premiered on CBC Television on August 25, 2012. The film was directed and produced by Brent Hodge and Jon Siddall. It was nominated for a Leo Award in 2013.
A Brony Tale is a 2014 Canadian-American documentary film directed by Brent Hodge. The film explores the brony phenomenon, the adult fan base of the children's animated show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic that arose shortly after its premiere in 2010. The film is structured around the journey of Ashleigh Ball, one of the principal voice actresses for the show, including her initial reactions to learning of this older fanbase, and her travel as a Guest of Honor to one of the first fan conventions BronyCon held in New York City in 2012. Hodge, a close friend of and previous collaborator with Ball, was curious as she was as to this phenomenon and opted to film her travel and appearance at the convention for the documentary.
Chris Kelly is a Canadian podcast producer and film composer/musician based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is also co-founder of the production company Kelly&Kelly.
Lauren Bercovitch is a Vancouver-based Canadian producer, whose most recent film, A Brony Tale, was released in North American theaters July 2014.
Violent is a 2014 Canadian-Norwegian drama film directed by Andrew Huculiak and created by the Vancouver-based production company Amazing Factory Productions. The film acts as a companion to the Vancouver band We Are the City's album of the same name. Though the film features an original score by the band, none of the band's songs are featured in the film.
Molly Driscoll Hawkey is an American actress, photographer, and comedian. She portrayed Lacey Wilcox in the horror comedy Brain Blockers (2007), Molly in the drama Higher Ground (2011), and voiced Orro Oxslayer in the fantasy video game Guild Wars 2 (2012). In 2016, she became known for editing herself into episodes of The Bachelor, which she made into a web series titled Molly on The Bachelor.
Angela Denise Trimbur is an American actress, writer, dancer, choreographer, and former reality television participant.
Cameron's House Rules is a 2015 Canadian-American reality/comedy mini-series and a spin-off to Game of Homes, airing on the W Network, directed by Brent Hodge, produced by Hodge, Lauren Bercovitch and Chris Kelly and starring Cameron Mathison.
I Am Chris Farley is a 2015 documentary film based on the life of comedian and actor Chris Farley, co-directed by Brent Hodge of Hodgee Films and Derik Murray, who was also a producer, of Network Entertainment. The production features interviews with numerous actors, comedians and others who worked with Farley during his career.
Consider the Source is a 2015 Canadian-American web series directed by Brent Hodge and produced by Morgan Spurlock, produced through Spurlock's company Warrior Poets, Hodgee Films and Disney's Maker Studios. Consider the Source examines the everyday consumer products used by the public, such as gas or water, and the journeys that those products take to get from the factories and fields to store shelves and homes. The series was released on the YouTube channel SMARTish. After Maker Studios dissolved, the web series was removed from Disney's lineup.
The Pistol Shrimps is a 2016 Canadian-American documentary film about the all-female recreational basketball team of the same name, written and directed by Brent Hodge. The film stars Aubrey Plaza, Molly Hawkey, Angela Trimbur, Melissa Stetten, Maria Blasucci, and Jesse Thomas. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 14, 2016. The film was released on June 16, 2016 by Seeso.