Film production and financing company Productivity Media Inc. has suspended its CEO amid an investigation into allegations of financial mismanagement, the company says. The Hollywood ReporterIt recently informed investors that its executive team had hired auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers to audit its books and review loans.
“We can confirm that a confidential investigation is ongoing and that William Santor is currently on temporary leave of absence,” a representative said.
Multiple sources tell DAY that at least some PMI Productions producers (independent films with budgets typically under $10 million) have not received their full compensation and believe their distribution efforts may be jeopardized by the issues now being reviewed. “It is company policy not to comment on these types of alleged contractual issues in a public forum,” the PMI representative said.
Santor, PMI’s founder, did not respond to a request for comment. He has long run Prosapia, a Canadian wealth management firm that says it services multiple family offices.
PMI has been a Hollywood financier for over a decade. It provides distribution rights-backed financing and interim financing backed by tax credit rebates. Its most notable projects include Aubrey Plaza's indies The Little Hours AND Black bear.
Since the start of the pandemic, a handful of PMI projects have been filmed in the Cayman Islands, including Ron Perlman's action film The baker and the thriller by Don Johnson Unit 234 — under a multi-production pact with the British self-governing territory’s film commission. (The Cayman Islands are known as a hub for offshore banking, not entertainment production.)[The government’s] “Our vision of developing and fostering a robust film industry is very exciting, while providing a safe and secure place for production in these unprecedented times,” Santor said. Daily screen in 2021.
PMI's Most Talked About Upcoming Film, A Black and White Boxing Drama Day of struggle — Jack Huston's directorial debut starring his ex Waterfront Empire co-star Michael C. Pitt — recently hired awards season consultants behind Parasitethe successful campaign for the 2020 Oscar nomination for Best Picture.