Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Luo
Hi Peter, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am the founder of Stars Collective – a multifaceted entertainment company and industry-leading proponent of multicultural representation and diversity and the CEO of Starlight Media. I graduated from the Directing Program of Beijing Film Academy, and have been involved in film and television productions for decades.
I pride myself on producing powerful, innovative and diverse visual narratives that sit at the intersection of prestige and wide commercial appeal. With an open-minded approach to content creation, I develop, package, finance and produce a broad array of highly elevated projects suited for major studios, networks and streamers.
I’ve taken a bit of a transmedia approach to developing IP and collaborating with content creators around the world, and have set deals with top creative talent and A-list filmmakers such as Robert Zemeckis, Sam Raimi, Sylvester Stallone, James Wan, F. Gary Gray, Roland Emmerich, Jon M. Chu, Alan Taylor, Jonathan Liebesman, Nattawut Poonpiriya and Bryan Singer, whose collective global box office earnings eclipse $30 billion.
Since launching my company, I have been involved in the production and financing of a wide range of critically and commercially successful films including Oscar® nominated “Marshall,” directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Chadwick Boesman; John Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians”, a global hit that proved films with a predominantly Asian cast can achieve massive box office success; James Wan’s “Malignant,” the sci/fi horror hit
“Greta”, directed by Neil Jordan and starring Chloe Grace Moretz; “Midway”, the WWII action/drama starring Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, and Luke Evans; and the horror/mystery/thriller “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” from Guillermo del Toro.
Prior to launching Stars Collective, I worked as an executive producer, director, screenwriter, and showrunner, making many critically acclaimed and highly-rated film and television programs, starting in 2001. These include: “Love in Sunshine”, which was the first TV drama in China that finished the whole production outside the country; “Blooming Hibiscus,” which was the first TV drama with a city marketing plan in China; the TV series “Plainclothes Policeman,” which was broadcast on CCTV-1, ranked in the top three in ratings for a year, and won many awards including ‘The Five Best National Works’ and the ‘Outstanding TV Drama Awards from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television’; “Snowy Eagle”, which was broadcast on CCTV-1, and was the highest-rated show of that year, whiel also setting a record of 1.5 billion views online; and “Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing,” which was was the highest-rated show in China the year it debuted.
I began my career producing ads and created seven advertising production branches in Asia. Today, I see myself as a leader who embraces disruption and champions innovation.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I see a tremendous benefit in disruption being fully embraced by the industry, globally. Because of the pandemic, the entertainment industry has become more dynamic and more open to shift, pivot and evolve. The pandemic, coupled with new technologies, namely AI, changed 100-year-old norms and allowed for blueprints to be created and conditioned people in all sectors of the entertainment ecosystem to embrace change and grow. In the long run, the industry will benefit from this mind set change. Overall, the team at Stars Collective has met and responded to all challenges brilliantly. We have so many great projects in various stages of development, production and release, and we are collaborating with strong studio partners and remarkable talent. This makes it easier to stay motivated and encouraged during difficult times. Our team is extremely passionate and adaptive, so we believe we can overcome any challenge We have been, and will continue to be, focused and creative in how we approach doing business.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Stars Collective is a dynamic initiative committed to diversity, innovation, and empowerment and to pushing the boundaries of storytelling through the integration of breakthrough technologies. The company exists to promote the next generation of diverse voices and creative storytellers.
Through Stars Collective, filmmakers and artists are afforded the opportunity to develop content with the guidance of industry luminaries such as directors Sam Raimi, John M. Chu and Alan Taylor, actor Xiaoming Huang, and producers Donna Gigliotti, Gianni Nunnari, Chris Lee, Sanping Han, Paula Wagner, Patrick Wachsberger, Eric Heumann, Liming Ke, Rob Minkoff, Anthony McCarren and Chuan Lu.
By combining the art of filmmaking with the power of emerging technologies, Stars Collective seeks to captivate audiences with immersive and transformative storytelling experiences. Leading the revolution is its flagship incubator program, which currently supports over 200 emerging filmmakers and artists from diverse backgrounds, connecting them to industry-leading mentors and unparalleled resources to maximize their artistic potential.
At the inaugural Stars Summit in Los Angeles, Stars Collective, Hana Investment (China) and Starlight Media confirmed their partnership on the first projects emanating from the ambitious Stars-Hana $300 million fund established to invest in a number of verticals including film & TV, comics, games, collectibles, consumer goods, artificial intelligence and advanced entertainment technologies.
The slate will include new film franchises as well as video games adapted from major movies from some of the industry’s top filmmakers like James Wan, Sam Raimi and Roy Lee, creating an extended and expansive IP universe.
The Stars-Hana fund is partnering with leading game companies including Tencent and Tencent-owned DreamSky Technology, as well as HYJZ, Forevernine, and other globally renowned gaming companies with hundreds of millions of users, to concurrently develop a series of video games. This ambitious slate includes adaptations of upcoming films and IP that include “The Garfield Movie”; “Every House is Haunted” from Sam Raimi and Roy Lee; “The Burden” from James Wan and Sam Raimi; “Hunting Season” from James Wan and Don Murphy; James Wan’s “The Call of Cthulhu,” “Mass Extinction” and “GMO”; “The Goxfather” with Jon Chu; and “Memory Lost in Space,” based on the bestsellers by Tong Hua. Stars Collective is a producer on all of the aforementioned films with the exception of “Garfield.” Stars Collective holds a 25-year exclusive picture-related merchandising license in the Greater China region for “The Garfield Movie” encompassing all categories except theme park and stage rights.
Stars Collective and Hana Investment are also tapping into their fund to develop three new original film franchises under Stars Collective, all of which will be gamified. These are the “Genius Crime” franchise, a “Kung Fu” universe, and a new horror franchise featuring female ghost stories inspired by Asian folklore and legends. Popular Thai actress Kitty Chicha stars in the first installment of the folklore franchise. Overall, the goal of Stars Collective, Hana Investment and Starlight Media is to establish global franchises encompassing movies, games, and merchandising, providing consumers with more engaging and accessible high-quality products.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice is to embrace disruption and don’t be afraid to take risks. The playbooks across so many industries are being rewritten thanks to technology advancements.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://starscollective.com/
- Other: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19i_gdXBvmatI4hMUunVvpRKz_Y7k5Puc/view?usp=sharing
Image Credits
Credit: Stars Collective
