The Wild World of Wild Eye Releasing

The Wild World of Wild Eye Releasing
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When you are the head of a small film distribution company that specializes in “B” movie fare, it is harder than ever to stand out in a marketplace dominated by the major studios. What you lack in money though can still be made up for in creative thinking and some good old fashioned showmanship. The president of Wild Eye Releasing, Rob Hauschild, knows all about that. A few years ago he acquired a low budget zombie film right before heading to AFM (American Film Market) titled, "Sars Zombies", he quickly re-titled the film to "Ebola Zombies" due to the fact that the Ebola outbreak scare was so prevalent in the news at the time. Rob's change in title may seem a bit distasteful, but the newly titled "Ebola Zombies" was a success and made a major splash at AFM that year.

Wild Eye is a small, independent distributor that isn't located in the usual film industry locale. "We are headquartered in the epicenter of Hollywood, circa 1910, Northern New Jersey," jokes Rob. Putting out films that might be low on budget but high in originality and offering something unique to viewers is one way that Rob Hauschild has been able to keep Wild Eye Releasing in business throughout the years. Smaller companies, like Wild Eye, are no competition for the major studios, which are divisions of giant corporations with huge amounts of power and money. Rob has been able to keep his company going “by conducting ourselves the complete opposite of anything remotely Hollywood, and by applying a frugal, blue-collar mindset to the process," he says. The major studios also have the advantage of A-list stars in their movies, like George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. A big-name star for a Wild Eye release would be actors like the recently departed former TV Batman, Adam West, who is featured in their super hero comedy Sexina, or actor Jason Mewes (Clerks) and actress Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), who both appear in their horror film, The Last House.

Rob Hauschild with Sleepaway Camp star, Felissa Rose at AFM

Rob Hauschild with Sleepaway Camp star, Felissa Rose at AFM

If you think Wild Eye Releasing's techniques sound inspired by those of “B” movie king Roger Corman, you would be right. President Rob Hauschild is heavily inspired by the work and career of Corman, the man who brought you high-concept exploitation films from back-in-the-day, like Piranha and Death Race 2000. He was famous for really fantastic film titles and for nurturing new talent such as Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, and Jack Nicholson. "Corman is a spiritual father,” Rob says. “Many things can be learned from him about marketing a film, but what I learned most is to take a risk on new, emerging talent and to facilitate a launching pad for that talent into the larger industry."

You can expect more wacky titles and outlandish films from Wild Eye Releasing like, Shark Exorcist, Tsunambee, and Sharkenstein! I personally recommend checking out their thoughtful horror film release, Model Hunger, which showcases a fantastic directorial debut from veteran genre actress, Debbie Rochon. The struggle remains, however, for Wild Eye to try to compete in a business that is dominated by big-budget franchises. The truth is the coffee budget on an Avengers film is more than it costs to make most of the movies Wild Eye puts out. “Even the highest budgeted film we have released would be nothing but vapor to a major studio production," Rob admits. What keeps Rob motivated is his true love of movies. He will take chances on independent films that most distributors would never release and gives them a home with his company. Yes, Rob Hauschild is the “little guy” who is trying to get his company's films out there in a country where huge corporations and studios are running the majority of what the general public sees and hears. Through all this, Rob manages to stay optimistic about his company and the films he releases. "The movies will ultimately determine our future. Each new release is like a new day, another chance, and that’s the only way it should be."

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