Zachary Quinto’s Before the Door Pictures Inks Deals With AMC & Spoke Studios, Taps Steve Baker As Head Of Production

Zachary Quinto’s production company Before the Door Pictures is ramping up operations, signing first-look deals with AMC for scripted projects and with Spoke Studios, the production arm of Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse Entertainment, for unscripted fare.

Additionally, Before the Door Pictures has hired Steve Baker, former VP in HBO Series Programming, as Head of Production, and has promoted Marie Nikolova to Development Executive.

Launched in 2008, Before the Door Pictures announced its arrival with its first feature, J. C. Chandor’s Margin Call, winning two Indie Spirit Award and landing an Oscar nomination. As it bulks up and partners up with AMC and Spoke, the company plans to develop projects in film, television, and across all media.

Before the Door’s two-year first-look deal with AMC for scripted series stems from Quinto’s starring role on the network’s supernatural horror drama series NOS4A2.

“We’re so happy to expand our relationship beyond Zach’s scarily wonderful performance on NOS4A2 to embrace his shingle Before the Door Pictures,” said Sarah Barnett, President of AMC Networks’ Entertainment Group & AMC Studios. “Zach has impeccable taste, sharp creativity and a passion for elevating unique voices and stories. We’re very excited to be working together in this collaborative new way.”

On the unscripted side, Quinto will work with the Spoke Studios team to develop and produce unscripted series and feature documentaries for TV and film, streaming, and podcasting.

“We’ve been fans of Zach for a long time and have been impressed by his substance, his intellect and his range, all of which are evident in his work as a performer and a producer,” said Co-Presidents of Spoke Studios, Wiill Nothaker and Joe Weinstock. “This is an exciting partnership and we’re eager to delve into rich, new creative worlds together.”

Before the Door Pictures’ credits also include the features All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year, Breakup at a Wedding, Banshee Chapter and Aardvark, as well as the Starz documentary series The Chair and History’s recent revival of In Search Of… which Quinto also hosts. The company currently has projects set up at A24, Bad Robot/Paramount.

“My interests have always been rooted in telling meaningful stories which speak to people from all walks of life,” said Quinto. “I feel lucky to have found the creativity and collaboration in Steve and Marie that will help propel our collective vision forward and redefine Before the Door Pictures. I am especially thrilled to announce these new partnerships with my AMC family – who have been so wonderfully supportive and encouraging over the course of the past two seasons of NOS4A2 – and Spoke Studios, a unique and innovative presence in the industry. This is an exciting time for Before the Door – we are developing so many projects that we are eager to share with the world.”