Beastie Boy Yauch enters film distribution biz

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Adam Yauch, of hip-hop group Beastie Boys, is launching Oscilloscope Pictures, an independent film distribution and international sales company.

Former ThinkFilm vice president David Fenkel will run the unit, an arm of Yauch's music and film production outfit Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Yauch and Fenkel plan to acquire narrative and documentary features from festivals for release in the U.S. and provide funds to complete and release unfinished films.

The pair, who worked on Yauch's Beastie Boys documentary "Awesome! I F***in' Shot That!" at ThinkFilm, will oversee postproduction and marketing work at Oscilloscope Laboratories' downtown Manhattan production space. Fenkel's fellow ThinkFilm alumni Dan Berger is joining them in the venture.

"We're kind of winging it," said Yauch. He plans to release two to 10 films in the first year. Without any outside financial backing for the self-financed venture, he hopes to make deals in which the filmmakers share the risk.

OP will handle its own theatrical distribution and control all marketing materials in-house but likely will partner with an outside distribution company for home video releases.

Its first theatrical release, set to be announced within the next month, will hit theaters by the summer.

Fenkel said many of the company's marketing campaigns will incorporate an indie music-style, DIY approach in keeping with the Beastie Boys' way of connecting with fans.