Taylor Swift Productions
Taylor Swift Productions, Inc. is the in-house production company of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was first credited in the DVD and Bluray version of Speak Now World Tour – Live in 2011 and has produced all of Swift's visual media works since 2018, including her music videos and films.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Visual media |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Founder | Taylor Swift |
| Headquarters | United States |
The studio's outputs have received various accolades, including two Grammy Awards for Best Music Video for "Bad Blood" (2015) and All Too Well: The Short Film (2021), and three MTV Video Music Awards for Video of the Year with "You Need to Calm Down" (2019), All Too Well: The Short Film, and "Anti-Hero" (2022). Its 2023 film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, is the highest grossing concert film of all time.
Background edit
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift views visual media as an important element in her songwriting process.[1] As her career progressed, she delved into screenwriting, directing, and producing.[2] Several directors that Swift has collaborated with, including Roman White and Joseph Kahn, praised her involvement in creating her music videos.[3][4] In 2015, Swift won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Interactive Program as an executive producer for the interactive app AMEX Unstaged: Taylor Swift Experience.[5] She produced the music video for "Bad Blood", which won the Grammy Award for Best Music Video in 2016.[6]
History edit
Swift quietly launched her in-house production company, Taylor Swift Productions, Inc., which debuted in the DVD and Bluray version of the concert film Speak Now World Tour – Live (2011).[citation needed] The production company was officially launched with the release of her concert film Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018).[7] Directed by Paul Dugdale, produced by Swift, and distributed through Netflix, the film received critical acclaim for its direction, production, camerawork, and Swift's stage presence.[8][9] The company's next feature release, the television special Taylor Swift: City of Lover (2020), was directed by Dan Massie.[10] It was aired on ABC on May 17, 2020, and was made available for on-demand streaming on Hulu and Disney+ the following day.[11] The special received positive reviews from critics, who complimented its intimate setting and Swift's storytelling abilities, but felt that its 42-minute runtime was too short.[12][13]
Swift made her debut as a film director with the documentary feature Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020).[14] Based on her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020), and distributed by Disney+, the film received widespread critical acclaim for its performances, intimacy, and conversations regarding Folklore's creative process.[15][16] It received the Gracie Grand Award for Outstanding Special or Variety.[17] Swift made her filmmaking debut with the romantic drama All Too Well: The Short Film (2021), an adaptation of the 10-minute version of her song "All Too Well".[18] The film, which stars Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, received a limited theatrical release through Universal Pictures[19] and special screenings at the 2022 Tribeca and Toronto film festivals.[20][21] It garnered several awards and nominations and was critically acclaimed for its cast performances and Swift's vision as a filmmaker.[22][23] Taylor Swift Productions independently produced the concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023), with Sam Wrench as director and worldwide theatrical distribution by AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theatres.[24] Receiving critical acclaim for its direction and energy, the film became the highest-grossing concert film of all-time, earning over $200 million in worldwide revenue.[25][26][27]
Reception edit
In 2024, the business magazine Fast Company ranked Taylor Swift Productions at number 15 on their list of "The World's Most Innovative Companies", for "reimagining the business of concerts, music, and movies".[28] The magazine cited the commercial success and innovative distribution agreement of The Eras Tour film as the chief reason.[29]
Credits edit
Films edit
| Year | Title(s) | Director(s) | Distributor(s) | Budget | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Speak Now World Tour – Live | Ryan Polito | Big Machine Records | — | — |
| 2018 | Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour | Paul Dugdale | Netflix | ||
| 2020 | Taylor Swift: City of Lover | Dan Massie | |||
| Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions | Taylor Swift | Disney+ | |||
| 2021 | All Too Well: The Short Film | ||||
| Universal Pictures (theatrical) | |||||
| 2023 | Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour | Sam Wrench | AMC Theatres (United States) | $10–20 million[30] | $261.7 million[26][27] |
| Cinemark Theatres (worldwide) |
Music videos edit
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Director(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Me!" |
|
| Lover |
| "You Need to Calm Down" | Swift |
| ||
| "Lover" | ||||
| "Christmas Tree Farm" | Swift | Non-album single | ||
| "The Man" | Lover | |||
| 2020 | "Cardigan" | Folklore | ||
| "Willow" | Evermore | |||
| 2021 | "I Bet You Think About Me" |
| Blake Lively | Red (Taylor's Version) |
| 2022 | "Anti-Hero" | Swift | Swift | Midnights |
| "Bejeweled" | ||||
| 2023 | "Lavender Haze" | |||
| "Karma" |
| |||
| "I Can See You" | Swift | Speak Now (Taylor's Version) | ||
| 2024 | "Fortnight" |
| The Tortured Poets Department |
References edit
- ^ Ordoña, Michael (September 9, 2022). "Taylor Swift, in the race for an Oscar, brings 'All Too Well' to TIFF". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Taylor Swift's "Mean" Video Debuts Friday". CMT. May 4, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Bonaguro, Allison (May 6, 2011). "OFFSTAGE: Taylor Swift Isn't "Mean" at All, Director Says". CMT. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Tailor, Leena (September 1, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Swift's Director Joseph Kahn on How Her Image Invokes a Double Standard: 'She's a Genius'". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ O'Connell, Mikey (September 10, 2015). "Taylor Swift and Jimmy Fallon Among Early Emmy Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Lynch, Joe (February 15, 2016). "Watch Taylor Swift & Selena Gomez Freak Out After 'Bad Blood' Grammy Win". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Cohen, Jess (December 31, 2018). "9 Things You Might Have Missed in Taylor Swift's Netflix Concert Film". E!. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (December 31, 2018). "Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Film Shows Why She's One of the All-Time Greats". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Petrusich, Amanda (January 3, 2019). "Taylor Swift's Netflix Special Is the End of an Era". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (May 8, 2020). "ABC To Air Taylor Swift 'City of Lover' Concert Special". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Lipshutz, Jason (May 18, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'City of Lover Concert' Special: 8 Best Moments". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Willman, Chris (May 18, 2020). "Taylor Swift's Acoustic Side Commands Center Stage in 'City of Lover' Special". Variety. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (May 18, 2020). "Taylor Swift's 'City of Lover' concert special was brief and bittersweet. Remember live music? | Review". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (November 24, 2020). "Taylor Swift 'Folklore' Concert Film to Debut on Disney Plus". Variety. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (November 26, 2020). "Taylor Swift Illuminates 'Folklore' in a Stripped-Down Studio Concert". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Loftus, Johnny (November 25, 2020). "Taylor Swift Disney Plus 'Folklore' Review: Stream It or Skip It?". Decider. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "46th Annual Gracie Awards Winners Announced by The Alliance For Women In Media Foundation". PR Newswire. June 9, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Spanos, Brittany (November 12, 2021). "Taylor Swift Digs Deep Into Heartache and Scarf Lore With 'All Too Well' Short Film". Rolling Stone. from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (November 15, 2021). "Taylor Swift's 'All Too Well' and the Weaponization of Memory". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (June 12, 2022). "Taylor Swift, Film Nerd: 'All Too Well' Singer Gives Rare Solo Performance at Tribeca". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Lang, Brent (September 2, 2022). "Taylor Swift Going to Toronto Film Festival With 'All Too Well'". Variety. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Quinn, Karl (November 16, 2021). "Taylor Swift's All Too Well short film: On controlling the narrative and having the last word". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Kirkpatrick, Emily (July 26, 2022). "Taylor Swift Receives Five VMA Nominations For Her Self-Directed "All Too Well" Music Video". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Snapes, Laura (September 26, 2023). "Taylor Swift: Eras tour concert film to get global release in October". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Moreau, Jordan; Lang, Brent (October 13, 2023). "Box Office: 'Taylor Swift: Eras Tour' Kicks Off With $2.8 Million in Previews". Variety. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- ^ a b "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- ^ a b "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- ^ "Most Innovative Companies 2024". Fast Company. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Zara, Christopher (March 19, 2024). "How Taylor Swift upended the business of concerts, music, and movies in a single year". Fast Company. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Belloni, Matthew (September 1, 2023). "How the Swiftie Cinematic Universe Came to Theaters". Puck. from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.