Insider #074

 

2024 Year In ReVIEW: Building Momentum, Breaking Boundaries

2024 has been nothing short of monumental for Legion M, marking one of our best years yet. We celebrated the theatrical releases of William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill and The Man In The White Van, both of which rallied our community out to the big screen. Meanwhile, My Dead Friend Zoe captivated audiences and earned multiple accolades across the festival circuit, setting the stage for its February 2025 premiere and worldwide major studio release. As we continue to ramp up projects like Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls and Fade To Black, it’s clear that our slate is not just growing—it’s elevating what a fan-owned entertainment company can achieve.

Each year brings us closer to realizing our long-term vision of making Legion M a powerful force in Hollywood and beyond. In 2024, we didn’t just raise the bar—we set a new standard. And with the foundation we’ve built, 2025 is poised to be even bigger, bolder, and more groundbreaking. In the detailed year in review that follows, we invite you to celebrate the milestones we’ve reached and get excited about the future we’re building together.

JANUARY

  • This is Not Financial Advice Landed on Fuse TV and Digital — Legion M’s compelling doc, This Is Not Financial Advice, was released via Fuse TV and can also be found on-demand via Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Google Play! If you’ve already watched it (or once you do), we would love to hear what you think of the film, so be sure to leave a review on your favorite platforms!

  • Work in Progress on Robert Smalls Black History Mural — Spearheaded by producer Marvin Jones III, team Defiant was unbelievably honored to announce that Smalls had been included in the Black History Mural Project event being organized by the Shining Light Foundation.

FEBRUARY

  • We Dropped the Trailer for You Can Call Me Bill: With Bills’s 93rd birthday (and the film’s release day) quickly approaching we got everyone excited to see the definitive doc by dropping the official trailer!

  • CAA Signed on to Represent MDFZ: Creative Artists Agency is one of the largest, most prolific, and well-known sales agencies in the world. This partnership placed us in the hands of a very successful team responsible for some of the biggest sales in the space.

  • Collider Revealed You Can Call Me Bill Poster: With the film gearing up for release, Collider gave the world an exclusive look at the brand new You Can Call Me Bill poster art.

  • We Gave a Long-Awaited Update on Calculated: Exciting news!! In OneDoor Studios' most recent update on Calculated, they chatted with author Nova McBee about how the project is progressing.

  • We Announced our Newest Legion Does Good Initiative: For the release of You Can Call Me Bill (and again with The Man in the White Van), we partnered with highly rated 501(c)(3) nonprofits to give fans the ability to give back to veterans, seniors, and first responders with our innovative “Buy a Ticket For…” program.

MARCH

  • Variety Named My Dead Friend Zoe One of the Hottest Films at SXSW — plus they chatted with director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes about his service in Iraq and the 'surreal' experience of Travis Kelce investing in his debut film.

  • Legion M Announced Multiple Red Carpet Events for YCCMB — with our newest film William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill set to be released in theaters March 22nd, we put together a series of bucket-list events in Richmond, NY, Playa Vista, LA, and Bloomington to celebrate!

  • My Dead Friend Zoe Premiered at SXSW — The Paramount Theatre was nothing short of electric on Saturday March 9th, as lines snaked around the building for the world premiere of My Dead Friend Zoe at SXSW 2024. After seeing the film on the big screen, we can confidently say that this is not just one of the best movies Legion M has produced to date, but it’s also one of the most important.

  • You Can Call Me Bill Released in Theaters — starting with a special advance screening + Q&A on March 21st, our William Shatner documentary was shown in nearly 550 theaters across the country! 

  • My Dead Friend Zoe Claims Top Honor at SXSW — Legion M's newest feature film, My Dead Friend Zoe, secured the prestigious Narrative Spotlight Audience Award at SXSW 2024!

APRIL

  • William Shatner In Your Living Room? — If you didn’t have a chance to see William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill while it was in theaters, it’s now available digitally on-demand on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and everywhere you buy or rent movies online.

  • The Man in the White Van East Coast Premiere in Sunny Florida — The epic East Coast premiere of The Man in the White Van took place at the Sarasota Film Festival, and if you weren’t able to make it, we’ve got all the highlights (including a surprise guest) for you right here!

MAY

JUNE

  • Legion M'S 2023 Annual Report - every year Legion M files independently audited financials with the SEC and these are always available publicly via the SEC and Legion M websites. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our most recent filing. The short summary is that revenue is up, costs are down, and we’re setting the stage for growth. 

  • Briarcliff Entertainment to Release My Dead Friend Zoe - As was reported by Variety, Briarcliff Entertainment acquired domestic distribution rights to Legion M’s award winning and critically acclaimed dark comedy, My Dead Friend Zoe. 

JULY

AUGUST

  • Q&A: What is the ROI of an Investment in Legion M — When you invest in Legion M you are buying stock in an early stage company. Our goal is get big enough to have an IPO or other exit that allows you to sell your shares – hopefully at a huge profit because you got in so early.

  • Q&A: Does Legion M Pay for Celebrity Endorsements — Most of the celebrities in our videos are people we’ve worked with on projects, while others are on our Advisory Board, but either way, none have been paid for their statements!

  • Inside Comic-Con: The Man in the White Van Takes Center Stage — Add another stellar year on the books for Legion M at San Diego Comic-Con with cast in attendance for our upcoming thriller, The Man in the White Van. If you missed it, the film will be releasing into theaters later this year, thanks to our friends at Relativity.

SEPTEMBER

  • Kingscrowd Gives Legion M a 4.2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Deal Rating — Last month, Kingscrowd’s founder Chris Lustrino sat down with Legion M’s Jeff Annison to record an episode of their podcast Inside Startup Investing, and while there, he mentioned that Legion M had a 4.2 star deal rating! Click the link above to find out what that means.

  • Legion M’S M-Pulse Pick, Fade to Black, Gets the Greenlight — We’re thrilled to announce that Fade To Black, one of your top M-Pulse picks is officially going into pre-production!

  • Calculated: Classroom Resources — After requests from teachers, author Nova McBee worked to create supplemental materials to enhance the reading and teaching experience for the Calculated books. Please pass the info along if you know any schools, educators, or book clubs who would benefit from these awesome resources. 

  • MDFZ Film Festival Round Up — In preparation for the February release of My Dead Friend Zoe, we secured a number of awesome festival appearances for the film, including the NY Latino Film Festival, Calgary International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, and more!

OCTOBER

  • My Dead Friend Zoe Snags THIRD Audience Award! — Few projects capture the mission and purpose of Legion M as powerfully as My Dead Friend Zoe. More than a project, MDFZ is a mission…a mission to entertain, to bring meaningful stories to life, to make the world a better place and help people along the way.

  • Milestone Achievement - 5️⃣0️⃣󠀬󠀬,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ Investors — For a company whose power comes from its community, the size of the community matters. That's why we spend so much time growing and cultivating our community, and why we get so excited about milestones like this.

  • The Trailer for The Man in the White Van is Here! — In anticipation of the upcoming nationwide theatrical release, we just dropped the trailer and final poster art for The Man In The White Van.

  • Q&A: How do a Million Investors Impact Dilution? — Many people assume that Legion M’s funding strategy is highly dilutive. Or that our goal of uniting one million shareholders can’t be achieved without diluting early investors. Neither of these are true – in fact you’ll see that the way we’ve structured our fundraising was specifically designed to reduce the impact of future dilution.

NOVEMBER

  • A Thanksgiving Letter of Gratitude — This Thanksgiving, we wanted to take a moment to express just how grateful we are for each and every one of you. This journey would not be possible without your support, engagement, and belief in the vision of Legion M. You are the core of what makes this company special—our superpower—and every ounce of success we achieve is thanks to your involvement and passion.

  • Fade To Black - New Cast Members Announced — Filming in Los Angeles during the month of November, FADE TO BLACK's already stellar cast got even better, with exciting new talent joining the lineup!

  • My Dead Friend Zoe - Official Trailer Release — For Veterans Day, we shared the official trailer, plus a heartfelt request from Kyle Hausmann-Stokes…US Army Iraq combat veteran and writer/director of Legion M’s upcoming award-winning film, My Dead Friend Zoe.

DECEMBER

LEGION M MOVIE BUNDLE PACKS

You made it this far down the newsletter and to reward you for scrolling, be one of the lucky few to capture a special deal in our Legion M Shop. Get caught up on some of our past Legion M projects with the Blu-ray or DVD movie bundle created especially for those who recently joined our vibrant community.

 
Legion M Team