# Demarest Films

Demarest Films is an Asset Manager based in Los Angeles, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** Los Angeles, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Los Angeles, CA, United States
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** demarestfilms.com

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Demarest Films was co-founded by Sam Englebardt, a former Wall Street lawyer turned media investor, and William D. Johnson. The firm emerged in the early 2010s with a specific thesis: that the independent film market offered risk-adjusted returns uncorrelated to traditional asset classes, provided you structured the financing correctly. Englebardt brought legal and financial structuring expertise, while Johnson added production and creative development experience. Demarest operates as a production finance and equity provider, targeting independent features with commercial and awards potential. The firm's model blends senior debt, mezzanine, and gap financing with direct equity production investments. Its portfolio includes critically recognized and commercially notable titles such as J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year (2014), starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, and James Ponsoldt's The End of the Tour (2015), with Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg. The firm has also been involved in genre plays, including the thriller Blood Father (2016) with Mel Gibson. Geographic focus is primarily US productions, with strategic co-financing arrangements extending to select international territories and European co-productions. Team size and total deployed capital are not publicly disclosed. The firm operates principally out of Los Angeles. Demarest's adjacent activities include direct development involvement and packaging projects alongside established talent agencies and distributors. In 2018, Englebardt co-founded Galaxy Interactive, a venture capital firm focused on interactive entertainment and digital media, signaling an expansion of his investment thesis beyond traditional film into gaming and virtual worlds. Demarest's structural differentiator lies in its hybrid approach: functioning as both a financier and a hands-on production partner. Unlike pure slate-financing funds that blindly spread capital across studio pipelines, Demarest selectively attaches to individual projects early, often participating in development decisions and international sales strategy. This active engagement model — selecting projects based on script, talent package, and gap analysis rather than aggregated collateral pools — distinguishes it from passive film lenders and tax-credit intermediaries.

## Sectors

- Media & Entertainment

## People

- Sam Englebardt — Co-Founder
- William D. Johnson — Co-Founder

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Demarest Films?

Co-founders Sam Englebardt and William D. Johnson drive investment decisions. Englebardt handles financial structuring, capital raising, and deal terms, drawing on his background as an entertainment and media attorney. Johnson oversees creative development, production execution, and talent relationships. The lean partnership structure means greenlight decisions rest with the two principals.

### Is Demarest Films a fund or a project-by-project financier?

Demarest operates primarily on a project-by-project basis, raising capital per film or in small slates rather than through a blind-pool fund structure. This gives limited partners visibility into specific projects before committing capital. The firm structures each vehicle individually, using a mix of equity, structured debt, and gap tranches tailored to the distribution and pre-sale landscape of each picture.

### What is Demarest Films' known posture on co-investments?

Demarest regularly co-finances alongside other independent equity providers, foreign sales agents, and regional production funds. On titles like A Most Violent Year, the firm participated as part of a structured co-finance consortium that included production companies and international distributors. The firm has not publicly marketed a formal co-investor club or LP network for deal-by-deal syndication.

## Related profiles

- [Cox Orange Investment](https://altss.com/profile/cox-orange-investment)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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