Watch out, Disney and Paramount. Neumann has launched a film production company. Housed in the School of Business, Neumann Productions will partner with organizations to create films about their history, mission, expertise, or impact.

“We are open to working with clients on all types and all lengths of films,” says Sara McDermott Jain, director of Neumann Productions. “We will also offer audio book production.”

According to Jain, the goals of the new venture are to gain recognition for the film department, provide internship possibilities for students, and generate revenue. A generous gift from a donor will support the company for the first year, but Jain admits that “eventually, Neumann Productions has to be a self-sustaining endeavor.”

Of course, film production is expensive. To produce a one-hour-forty-minute documentary like No Risk, No Gain – the film about the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia that Jain wrote and directed – the approximate cost would be $250,000, depending on travel expenses and other factors. She believes that early projects will be for much shorter and more affordable films.

She plans to get to work immediately, with an intense schedule of networking and outreach to connect with at least 30 potential clients and pursue available grants. The company operates independently of Neumann Media, which produces academic and marketing videos for the university.

Dr. Chris Domes, Eric Wellington and Sr. Kathy Dougherty created the idea for a film production company, says Jain, who admits that the timing of the enterprise was perfect for her. The new role, paired with her duties as director of the Neumann Inspires Film Festival, allows her to continue full-time employment with Neumann.

Jain is a novelist (Wolves at Night), a screenwriter who has worked with more than 75 authors in adapting their books to films (To Kill an Alien, Chance, The Dawn, Foreign Nationals), and the founder of PRINDIE, the Princeton Independent Film Festival, which ran from 2015-2022.