A24 WAS BUILT BY A FINANCIER, A DISTRIBUTOR AND A PRODUCER

Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges founded A24 on August 20, 2012, in New York City. Katz came from film finance, Fenkel from distribution and Hodges from production, and Guggenheim Partners provided the seed money. Hodges left in March 2018, and Katz and Fenkel were the two founding partners who stayed to oversee the studio.

Three Resumes and One Check From Guggenheim

Each founder brought the job the new company needed done. Katz had led the film finance group at Guggenheim Partners, Fenkel was president, cofounder and partner at the distributor Oscilloscope, and Hodges was head of production and development at Big Beach. Money, release strategy and development sat in three different heads from day one, and the money came from the firm Katz had just left.

Charles Swan III Went Out First on February 8, 2013

A24's first release was Roman Coppola's A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, which opened in limited release on February 8, 2013. Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers followed in March 2013 and was the box office success that put the company on the map. By the 97th ceremony the studio had 87 Oscar nominations and 21 wins, with Best Picture for Moonlight in 2017 and Everything Everywhere All at Once in 2023, a count laid out in the A24 Oscars breakdown. The biggest hit of the founders' second decade came from a YouTube series: Backrooms passed Marty Supreme's $192 million worldwide to become the highest grossing release in A24 history.

Hodges Left in March 2018

On March 26, 2018, A24 announced that Hodges was leaving to pursue "future opportunities," with no further changes to management. In his statement he said, "I am incredibly proud of the company we created and of the amazing team at A24 that has been integral to its success." The company's cryptic social habits outlived him; on June 29, 2026 it posted only the date 06.29.1990 with no caption.

Josh Kushner Joined the Board in 2024

A24 is privately held, and its last reported valuation is $3.5 billion, set by a June 2024 round led by Josh Kushner's Thrive Capital. That was a 40 percent jump from the 2022 round, which raised $225 million at a $2.5 billion valuation. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Thrive put in $75 million at a $3.25 billion pre money valuation, and that Kushner would join A24's board. Since then the studio has kept extending the brand past film: the Prime tie sold ahead of Primetime, and Dior signed on as premier partner of the Cherry Lane Theatre for two years.

Autostrada A24 Gave the Studio Its Name

A24 is named after Autostrada A24, the Italian motorway that connects Rome to Teramo. Katz is reported to have decided to start the company while driving on it. The name explains why the studio has never carried a founder's surname on the door, and why a bare letter and number could end up on a Rotten Tomatoes 94 percent biopic and a pair of Emmy nominations for The Yogurt Shop Murders alike.