30-Minute Mentor: Couper Samuelson on Leadership as an Artist

It can be a challenge to be a strong leader while maintaining your creativity. (Left brain vs. right brain, anyone?) But there is a way to balance — and Blumhouse president of feature films Couper Samuelson wants to help. In this edition of 30-Minute Mentor, we'll discuss how to balance your leadership skills with your artistic skills — even when the going gets tough. Plus, live questions from a few creators in the throes of their own projects. About Couper Samuelson COUPER SAMUELSON is the president of feature films at Blumhouse and is responsible for its film output. Samuelson joined the company in 2011 at the onset of its first-look deal with Universal Pictures. Since joining Blumhouse, Samuelson has overseen a slate of over 60 films with a budget range from $200,000 to $25 million. He helped to take the example of the success of Paranormal Activity (a $15,000 movie that grossed $200 million worldwide) and built a slate that included the least expensive and often most profitable movie at studios like Sony (Insidious), Paramount (Paranormal Activity), STX (The Gift), Sony Classics (Whiplash), HBO (The Normal Heart), Warner Bros. (The Gallows) and Universal Pictures (The Purge, Ouija, and Happy Death Day). In his first year working for Blumhouse, Samuelson incubated Whiplash, using company resources to produce a short film that would propel the subsequent feature to be the lowest-budgeted movie in Hollywood history to win three Oscars®. In 2015, he sourced and shepherded two critically acclaimed hit films by first-time directors: The Gift, for which Joel Edgerton received a DGA nomination, and the Academy Award®-winning Jordan Peele film Get Out. Despite its focus on genre, Blumhouse films have won five Oscars in the last five years. He has continued to broaden the scope of the company’s output beyond genre films to include star-driven dramas like Spike Lee's Oscar-winning Blackkklansman, live-action family films (Netflix's Benji reboot), high-concept action movies like The Hunt and comedy hits like the Happy Death Day franchise, as well as the relaunching of the Halloween franchise and Universal's monsterverse with The Invisible Man. About Seed&Spark Connecting people through stories that matter. Seed&Spark is where creators and audiences work together to tell stories that celebrate diverse voices and foster vibrant conversation. Join a free virtual event, start — or support — a creative project. Find your next spark of curiosity, inspiration and community! www.seedandspark.com