Paving the Path to Entertainment Success with Creative Executive Samina Martens
Everywhere online you’ll read that Hollywood is in a panic. It’s certain that the film industry is changing but, into what? It takes a confident and creative hand to arrive at the answer. While she doesn’t claim to see the future, creative executive Samina Martens is a calm center in the eye of this storm. With some mammoth productions to her resume including the Oscar–Nominated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. III and Oscar Award–Winner Bombshell, Ms. Martens has a proven track record that spans genres, indicating that her sense of what constitutes good material is “on point.” Sam remarks, “Ultimately, my approach in this changing landscape is to return to the basics. Regardless of where the project will land, in theatres or at home, my job is to produce a good story. What has a high-concept, universal hook that will resonate with audiences worldwide? What stories feel urgent – with every project I develop, I ask myself ‘why now?’ What roles in this script would attract talent, and is that talent meaningful to theatrical audiences? These are all questions I ask right from the very beginning of the development process.”
The bad news for those looking for a silver bullet or unearthing the secret to finding an ideal project, is that such a shortcut doesn’t exist. Sam is emphatic that you need to do your research and be vigilant when it comes to spotting creativity that is compelling. As part of the team behind director J.C. Lee’s Bad Genius (2024), Ms. Martens agreed that the original Thai film (2017, of the same title) offered a lot of concepts which could be expounded on and modernized for American audiences. She specifies, “We loved the idea of an Ocean’s Eleven-style heist movie set in the high-stakes world of high school testing. It had great characters that made it relatable to audiences around the world; a fun, high-concept core in the SAT heist; and interesting themes that explored issues like the ethics of college admissions and cheating scandals, which felt relevant today. We were confident that these three axes would make this story resonate with English-speaking audiences.” The cast featuring Benedict Wong (of the MCU, Netflix’s Marco Polo, The Martian), Callina Liang (of the Apple+ Series Foundation), and Taylor Hickson (of the megahit Deadpool) amplified the attractiveness of this film to a diverse audience.
Varnamtown is a project that highlights how great material can be found in other mediums. Originally a podcast which investigated the legend that drug kingpin Pablo Escobar used this tiny town in North Carolina to shuttle drugs into the country and employed the town’s residents to do it, Sam helped steer this riveting story through a successful season of downloads and now is working on the adaptation as a television series. As creative executive of the production, she recognized the niche that this unique story could fill stating, “We loved the story because it presented a lighter take on the true crime genre. Rather than gruesome murders or serial killer exposés, we wanted to tell a story that still provided the high-stakes thrills that audiences love about true crime stories, but in a unique and fun way that didn’t focus so much on blood and gore.” Varnamtown is hosted by investigative journalist Joshua Davis and Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan.
There’s no denying the merits of good original material that resonates universally. Sam points to her most recent project Charlie Harper as an example of this. Currently in post-production, The film stars BAFTA–Nominated actress Emilia Jones in the lead role. Ms. Jones gained international notoriety for her role as Ruby Rossi in 2022’s Oscar Award–Winner for Picture of the Year Coda. Charlie Harper is described as a coming-of-age story set in New Orleans focused on young love. Ms. Martens notes, “This film has so many of the components that I look for in a project that feels destined for success. The first thing I look for in a piece of material is a clear, defined concept or hook. What is the core of the story I’m about to read, and does the idea of it grip me? Does the hook feel universal and relatable? Then, when reading, it’s vital that the material makes me feel something. It sounds simple, but the easiest way to evaluate whether a story is effective is whether it manages to make you feel something. If it makes you laugh, if it makes you curious, if it tugs at your heartstrings. Feeling is the core of story. Sure enough, throughout the development and production of this movie, we noticed that everyone who encountered the material was moved in a deep way. Everyone knows how it feels to be young and in love – and the film reminds them of those feelings. That universal relatability is rare and is what first attracted us to this project.”
Samina Martens concedes that there is minutia in the filmmaking process. She pushes back on any notion that this is troublesome work. Taking great care along every step of the way is her manner of fostering the potential greatness of a project. From watching dailies, supervising the production, and reviewing in-depth every cut of a film throughout the post-production process of Bad Genius to giving notes on its edit, score, songs, VFX, color, and more, Sam sees the profound impact every part of the production team makes on the final product. On Varnamtown, her approach required scrutinizing every episode in terms of sound effects to cliffhangers to the fun banter between the hosts. On Charlie Harper, this spanned the pre-production balancing of creative vision with the practical realities of filmmaking like budgets, locations, helping to close all the various contracts, union and guild processes, choosing locations, and heads of department to post-production reviews of the cuts. In her eyes, the work of a creative executive is unceasing. She proclaims, “In the content-crazed, super-saturated media landscape we live in today, it’s so important to think about what stories feel fresh, unique, and are able to “rise above the noise.” What qualities does the story have that make it feel distinctive? What will convince audiences to spend their time watching this, as opposed to their many other options? I like stories that have their own ‘voice,’ a fresh point of view, or a unique twist that feels new and surprising. That’s what I am always looking for and I’m determined to make certain every production I’m involved with achieves this.”
Writer : Calvin Hooney
