TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mark Wahlberg’s Unrealistic Ideas, the company behind HBO’s McMillions, has joined forces with Viral Nation and filmmaker Eddie Schmidt to tell the true inside story of the smartphone pioneers at BlackBerry.
The project, which is already in production, will be a deep dive into how a transformative technology giant emerged out of a small Canadian town and outpaced international corporate behemoths in the race to bring smartphones to the world.
Fueled by exclusive access to the Research In Motion (BlackBerry) Alumni Association, which includes dozens of key executives from the earliest stages of the company, the film is the definitive look at the meteoric ascent and subsequent decline of the company told through interviews with the people who lived it and a wealth of never-before-seen behind the scenes archive.
Canadian-based Viral Nation brought in Unrealistic Ideas, the non-scripted production company launched by Wahlberg, Archie Gips and Stephen Levinson, to oversee the project and they quickly added Academy Award- and Emmy-nominated Schmidt, a Sundance Film Festival veteran known for This Film Is Not Yet Rated and Twist of Faith, as well as series like Ugly Delicious, to direct.
“Unrealistic Ideas is well-known for its unparalleled expertise in documentary storytelling. Our shared passion for exploring BlackBerry’s profound impact on communication and global connectivity made them the obvious choice for this project,” said Joe Gagliese, CEO and co-founder of Viral Nation.
“Eddie brings an incredible eye for pathos and character-driven storytelling to the project, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with the fantastic team at Viral Nation,” adds Unrealistic Ideas President/Partner Archie Gips.
”I’m always interested in the story behind the story - the one you think you know, only you don't,” remarks director Eddie Schmidt. “Unrealistic Ideas and Viral Nation are the perfect pair with which to explore this unpredictable real-life saga at the intersection of technology and popular culture.”
Wahlberg, Levinson, Gips and David Wendell will produce from Unrealistic Ideas alongside Colin McRae and Neil Desai from Viral Nation. WME represents Unrealistic Ideas. CAA represents Schmidt.
About Viral Nation
Viral Nation unlocks the full power of Social-First marketing to scale brands into the future. Since 2014, Viral Nation has been connecting the dots between Culture, Influence and Technology to drive meaningful results for clients ranging from the world’s biggest brands to the individual influencer. Today, as the leader in social-first transformation, we unite the social ecosystem through our full-service creative agency, a 360° digital talent representation agency and social-first suite of technology solutions. Named as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in North America for 2023 by Deloitte, Viral Nation is a global company and home to the largest influencer roster. Our multidisciplinary teams are as diverse as our portfolio, proud to fuel growth for global brands including Audible, Campbell’s, Chegg, The Coca-Cola Company, A24, Microsoft, Meta, Vivid Seats, Tencent, TJX, and Walmart. For more information, please visit www.viralnation.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok.