How the Stars Aligned for the Launch of WW7 Entertainment

Earlier this month, comedy-focused commercial production company, World War Seven (WW7), launched WW7 Entertainment - an entertainment division for producing feature films, episodic, podcasts and more, to be run by producers Peter Kline and Alex Needles. 

“We plan to work with [WW7 partner, David] Shafei and the amazing roster of talented directors at WW7… bring in comedic filmmakers who are more traditionally in the entertainment industry but align with WW7’s brand ethos, and create our own curated slate that will build on the amazing work the company has curated over the last decade,” Alex tells LBB.

Aiming to produce more of the “novel, unexpected, entertaining stories” that WW7 has become known for in the commercial space, the division has kicked off with a familiar sense of subversive humour, producing 'Pavements', an off-kilter doc-musical hybrid about iconic '90s band Pavement, starring Jason Schwartzman, Tim Heidecker and Joe Keery, and directed by Alex Ross Perry. Other upcoming projects include a documentary for Sony Pictures Classics, a true crime podcast series with Wondery, and a slate of scripted comedy projects.

LBB’s Ben Conway caught up with Alex and Peter to discuss their plans for the new division and how they’re seeking out writers and directors with distinct voices that align with WW7’s sensibilities.

Above: Producers Alex Needles and Peter Kline

LBB> What was the catalyst for launching WW7 Entertainment now? 

Peter> Alex and I have known [WW7 founders] David [Shafei] and Josh [Ferrazzano], and Sloane [Skala, executive producer] for many years. We have long admired what they have been building at World War Seven. It was more a matter of timing and synchronicity. Our sensibilities have always been aligned, and WW7 has reached a period of maturity where they’ve been crushing the commercial game and are now ready to expand into new things — specifically entertainment. So, the stars really aligned this year.

LBB> Briefly, what are the main capabilities of WW7 Entertainment? What will you need to partner with other companies for, and what can you achieve in-house?

Alex> We really build from the ground up and get involved with our creative collaborators from the beginning. We’re there at ideation, helping develop the story – or we find the story. We create materials that we think will stand out in the marketplace, and then bring in strategic partners, whether an important executive producer attachment or a critical piece of casting. 

Peter> Because we have long worked at the intersection of brand work and traditional entertainment, we have been very successful in bringing in key brand partners to support traditional entertainment. We are attracted to material that is unique and innovative. We champion artists who have singular voices and are looking to push the envelope. Even if it might be a challenge to get these projects made, we believe that ultimate success and longevity in this industry come from making great work that is bold. 

LBB> You are producers on the quirky doc-musical hybrid ‘Pavements’, about the band Pavement, which debuted at Venice. What can you tell us about that project? 

Peter> This film is unique in that it’s practically unclassifiable. It explodes the somewhat tired music documentary form and turns it on its head. From the beginning, we knew that if we were going to do a documentary on Pavement, one of my favourite bands from the ‘90s, and perhaps the model for the detached, ironic, anti-commercial ethos that defined that era, we knew we couldn’t do something straightforward. We never considered going to a documentary filmmaker but rather a narrative filmmaker who could invent and create his own interpretation of what the band Pavement represents. Alex Ross Perry was our first choice, and fortunately, he was a huge fan of the band. 

Alex> We were incredibly grateful to premiere the film at the Venice International Film Festival this month, and to be there with the cast and crew. To have that kind of reception and reaction is incredible, and really validates the last few years. We’re on to the New York Film Festival next week, with a special concert by the band preceding our domestic premiere, which we’re all very excited about. It’s unique to have this kind of relationship amongst the subjects and partners on the film.

LBB> The film stars household names like Jason Schwartzman, Tim Heidecker and Joe Keery – what have been the most fulfilling and challenging moments from the development of the project? 

Peter> Alex Ross Perry was incredible at coming up with brilliant, creative, borderline-unproducible ideas, providing all the pieces, including an incredible cast, script and even a fully hatched musical, and saying, ‘guys, we need to do this on this date – make it happen, whatever it takes’. Once we captured all the amazing, disparate pieces, we had an incredible creative partner on the other side – producer and editor Robert Greene – who, along with Alex, helped to devise this really unique, strange, perfect, associative architecture that helped pull the film together. Our absolute favourite thing is working with creative people and helping to facilitate their wild, beautiful ideas.   

LBB> The division will also work on episodic offerings and podcasts as well as films. How have you set up the business to work with these mediums? How is it different, or similar, to the advertising side of WW7? 

Alex> In addition to some of the documentaries and podcasts already coming out next year, we are also developing narrative projects for film and television. We plan to work with Shafei and the amazing roster of talented directors at WW7, as well as bring in comedic filmmakers who are more traditionally in the entertainment industry but align with WW7’s brand ethos, and create our own curated slate that will build on the amazing work the company has curated over the last decade. 

LBB> You say the entertainment projects will embody WW7's patented blend of eccentricity and craft – how are you finding new projects to develop and artists to work with on this long-form content? 

Peter> It’s really just a matter of what we find interesting, funny and unique. Ultimately, it’s a curation process. We are attracted to certain writers and directors for their distinct points of view, and just naturally seek out those voices. The rest tends to develop from there. Great creators have great ideas, and we love bringing them to life.

Alex> WW7 has always been attracted to novel, unexpected, entertaining ways of telling stories. It’s part of why we were excited to join forces. Our sensibilities are very much aligned, so the decisions about what we pursue tend to be easy. 

LBB> What other specialties or focuses do you have besides comedy? Which projects or prior experiences have prepared you for documentary work, or podcasting, for example? 

Peter> As producers, we have had success bridging the gap between brands and traditional entertainment, and have worked with global brands like Lyft, Pepsi and Coinbase - both in the short-form world and in traditional long-form entertainment. It is a delicate, nuanced process, as both sides need to be educated on how to work together. The goal is always to make exciting, interesting work, and in this transitional time in both advertising and entertainment, it’s important to think about new modes of partnership, and how to execute work that benefits everybody.

Alex> Peter and I have similar sensibilities but different backgrounds. I think that’s what makes us so dynamic: we identify the things that matter to us artistically or ethically, and bring our own specialty and background to the creative or financial task. And despite many of the things we hear from the market about what’s needed to fill certain mandates or what might be the most viable projects, we have a unique perspective – and stubbornness – to devote the time to what we feel is right. We hope the work speaks for itself.