Who is Ben Browning? Meghan Markle and Prince Harry hire Hollywood exec to lead production company Archewell
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have reportedly found the man to lead their production company Archewell through which they will produce content for Netflix. Sources reveal that the royal duo has roped in Ben Browning to lead Archewell.
According to sources who divulged the information to The Hollywood Reporter, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have brought in the president of the film and television production at FilmNation Entertainment. He’s coming off of a hot year, having produced HBO’s 'I Know This Much is True' and the Golden Globe-nominated film 'Promising Young Woman'.
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According to THR, it was after finding success producing indie dramas such as 'Room' and 'Passengers', Browning joined FilmNation. He also earned two BAFTA nominations recently, for 'Promising Young Woman', a movie that is also expected to get several Oscar nominations.
Back in September, Markle and Harry inked their multi-year production deal with Netflix. Under the deal, the couple is set to spearhead the creation of original scripted and unscripted content including film and television programs, documentaries and children's entertainment. "Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope," the couple had told the New York Times. "As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us."
They added that Netflix’s "unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action".
The Netflix deal is reportedly worth more than $100 million, while the subsequent Spotify deal is estimated to be worth about $25 million.
But in their recent bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry revealed that he and his wife were not planning on signing the megadeal with Netflix at all. The Netflix deal was followed by a Spotify deal. But both of these were a product of the fact that the Prince was "literally cut [me] off financially" from the royal family. "The Netflixes and Spotifys of it all was never part of the plan," Harry said.
He clarified that since he would have to pay for his family's safety, they had to figure a way out. "This was never the intention. We’re certainly not complaining, our life is great now, we’ve got a beautiful house, I’ve got a beautiful family. The dogs are really happy," he explained to Winfrey. "At the time during Covid, the suggestion by a friend was ‘What about streamers?’ and we hadn’t thought about it. There were all sorts of different options and from my perspective, I just needed enough money to pay for security to keep my family safe."
Who is Ben Browning?
Browning is a veteran in film financing and the international marketplace, and according to THR, joined FilmNation in 2014.
As executive producer, he has several names to his credit from 'Red Rocket', which is in post-production to 'Sharp Stick'. He is also known for serving as executive producer on 'The Nightingale', 'Gloria Bell', 'Hold the Dark', 'The Personal History of David Copperfield', 'The Children Act', 'The Big Sick', 'Disobedience' and 'The Sense of an Ending' among others.
