Matthew Stillman

Early career

After unsuccessfully trying to break into the film industry in London, Stillman visited Prague in 1992^[13][14] with a friend, Nick Spikings,^[11] to explore the possibility of setting up a production company in the city. Beginning with "$500 and a typewriter" and renting an office at Barrandov Studios for $150 a month,^[15] the two friends set up a company called Stillking. They then started a nightclub, Ubiquity, to provide cash flow over the company's first summer.^[14]

Stillking

Stillman won Stillking's first business working on a music video for k.d. lang,^[14] then produced a TV commercial for Dentsu.^[15] More work on TV commercials followed. In 1994, Stillman chose an unknown Czech film student, Ivan Zachariáš, to make a film about UN peacekeepers for a 50th-anniversary commercial for the UN. The project marked a breakthrough for both Stillking and Zachariáš.^[15]

By 1995, Stillking was working on around ninety commercials a year.^[16] Film-makers were coming to Prague in large numbers, attracted by the combination of low costs, attractive locations and high production standards,^[17][18] and over the next decade the company thrived^[19] and expanded.^[20] Offices were in due course opened in Budapest (Pioneer Stillking),^[16] Bucharest (Icon Stillking),^[21] Belgrade (Stillking WIP),^[22] Malaga (Anima Stillking),^[19] Cape Town, Ljubljana and Mexico City.^[23][24] By 1999 the company was turning over around $20m a year^[10] and by 2002 about $168m.^[25]

In 1995, Stillking made its first network mini-series: The Ring, for NBC, starring Nastassja Kinski, was released in 1996.^[26] The same year Stillking worked on its first feature film, Plunkett & Macleane (released 1999) with Working Title Films.^[4] Stillking subsequently set up its own development arm for producing its own English-language films.^[27]

The company has become one of Europe's most significant production entities, participating in over 150 film and TV projects, including Maria, Poor Things, Casino Royale, The Bourne Identity, Van Helsing, Red Sparrow, Wanted, Interview with the Vampire, Wednesday ,Carnival Row and The Witcher.^[28]

It has also continued to produce music videos, including work for Beyonce, Kanye West and Madonna;^[5] and commercials for clients such as Guinness, Audi, Coca-Cola, Mercedes, Apple and Stella Artois.^[4]

In 1997, the American heiress Elisabeth Goth purchased a minority stake in the company (reportedly 20 per cent) for an undisclosed sum.^[10]

Stink

In 1997, Stillking combined with the production company Blink Ltd to create Stink, a London-based venture that produces TV commercials.^[29][30] Stink went on to receive numerous awards for its work, including more than 100 Cannes Lions, more than 50 D&AD pencils and the first ever Film Grand Prix for an interactive piece of work.^[31] Its clients have included Honda,^[32] Gucci,^[33] Apple,^[34] Nike^[35] and Facebook.^[7]

2020 Group

In 2014 the Stillking Films holding company was renamed 2020 Group.^[36] The group, which is sometimes referred to as 2020 Content,^[1] now has over 30 daughter companies, in 16 countries,^[3] and is one of the largest private companies involved in the production of content in advertising, film and television. Stillman is founder and CEO.^[3][2]

On The Corner Films / Box To Box Films

In 2017 Stillman became an investor and director of On The Corner Films,^[37] with Asif Karpadia and James Gay Rees^[37] and Box To Box Films.^[38] The companies specialize in documentaries and factual entertainment,^[39][40] and their award-winning productions include Diego Maradona (2019), Drive To Survive, Full Swing, Break Point, Six Nations, Surfing and Tour de France.^[41][42]

In 2024, On The Corner Films and Box To Box Films received a minority investment from Bruin Capital, an investment company focused on global sports, media and technology.^[43]

Illuminated Content

In 2018, in collaboration with Liev Schreiber, Stillman launched Illuminated Content, a Gotham-based venture to develop, produce and finance TV and movie projects.^[3] In 2019 the company produced Human Capital,^[44][45] and announced a collaboration with David Carver to produce The Place I Belong, a biopic of the golfer Moe Norman^[46] and the documentary Meeting Zelenskyy^[47] in 2024.