Why we founded ICU

ICU Managing Partner Mike Bawden explains the motivation behind founding Imagination Connoisseurs Unlimited with partner Robert Meyer Burnett.

ICU Creative Director and Co-Founding Partner Robert Meyer Burnett

In the case of AXANAR, there were other factors in play that doomed the production from the outset. And the fifteen months I was involved handling press outreach from reporters who wanted to understand the “hows” and “whys” behind a studio suing a fan for tens of millions of dollars really opened my eyes to a larger, chronic problem developing in the entertainment industry.

At that time, it became clear to me that Hollywood’s growing reliance on old, established intellectual properties was creating an unhealthy relationship between fans and the keepers of their favorite franchises. It was also stymieing the growth and development of new ideas that could, eventually, evolve into the STAR WARS and STAR TREKS of the 21^st Century.

But where did this interest in “classic” franchises come from? And, more importantly, why were the studios committed to acquiring and developing that IP with sometimes very little knowledge about or experience with the franchise, creatively speaking.

Understanding the business case for “legacy” IP

The appeal of taking an old movie or TV series off the shelf and re-heating it to make it new again is understandable. It’s safe. And depending on the age of the source material, sometimes people don’t even know a remake is what it is. I still remember the “aha moment” that I had when I realized BODY HEAT was, in reality, just a new twist on DOUBLE INDEMNITY.

But today, we’re seeing more and more movies and TV properties that resemble older IP (even, in most cases, sharing the title or show “brand”) until you start watching. That’s often when you (as the viewer) realize that the copy you’re watching isn’t anything like the original you remember.

In fact, if the writers and producers are not from that earlier era, they run the risk of missing the context often baked into the original and wind up producing something that not only misses the point, but it also often offends long-time fans. I remember hearing producers other than George Lucas referring to the STAR WARS franchise as a bunch of kids’ movies, never once mentioning Buck Rodgers, Akira Kurosawa, or the movie serial structure so effectively used in the first two movies.

This was a problem that only seemed to be getting worse by the season. And no one noticed more than the long-time fans of these venerable franchises.

An anxious fan base is a tinderbox – and the studios own the matches

The disconnect between fans and the keepers of their venerable IP continued to grow. It seemed that in many cases the way studios reacted to fan negativity was to either ignore it, dismiss it out of hand, or, worst of all, leave it to the producers and cast members to defend their projects.

At this point in history, where incivility seemed to be normalized and technology empowered the most obnoxious among us to broadcast their grievances, it would be just a matter of time before fans could take their complaints directly to other fans – generating thousands of dollars in the process and establishing a beachhead for “haters” of every given franchise.

Rob and I had been in the eye of the storm that swirled around Star Trek and AXANAR. And once that roller-coaster came to a stop, we decided to pursue a different path: we would find ways to celebrate the franchises we love, encourage peaceful fan engagement, and develop new “genre” IP that might introduce fans to a new generation of creators, filmmakers, and talent.

It all started on YouTube

Rob and I started working on The Burnettwork (his YouTube Channel) and the Post-Geek Singularity (the community of fans and genre enthusiasts who tuned in) about six years ago. We produced a variety of programs – some successful, others less so. But by far the most popular shows have been ROBSERVATIONS (Rob’s epic livestreams about topics of interest to him and the genre entertainment community) and LET’S GET PHYSICAL MEDIA (which celebrates physical media of all kinds).

The community of fans Rob referred to as “imagination connoisseurs” grew quickly and still grows to this day today because of Rob’s friendly on-screen persona (which isn’t faked, by the way) and his willingness to engage with fans of all kinds on a variety of social media platforms.

“Everyone has a story to tell, all you have to do is listen,” Rob often opines at the close of his livestreams and it’s that openness to all sorts of stories and the careful criticism of the stories made for us to consume today that have defined our work.

And now, we’re going beyond …

In August of 2023, Rob and I had an opportunity to spend some time with Max Collins and talk about his amazing career as a best-selling author of detective/crime fiction.  I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Max for a number of years and when he found The Burnettwork (by happy accident), he was surprised to find out that Rob and I had a connection.

Well, Rob and I listened to Max’s story about his life, his writing, his characters, and his stories – it’s a pretty easy thing to do, really, because Max is a master storyteller (some might even say “Grand Master”). But we knew instantly during that meeting we had a unique opportunity to make something bigger and better than our YouTube streams. The result was what we now refer to as TRUE NOIR™.

To make an immersive audio drama of the size, scope, and expense of the first season of TRUE NOIR, we needed to form a company to provide the legal and industry legitimacy required to engage the kinds of professionals we wanted to work with. Imagination Connoisseurs Unlimited, LLC is the result.

And, as the name indicates, “imagination connoisseurs” are at the heart of what we’re making. When we tell people we want to find, develop, and make new genre intellectual property, that sounds like a generic mission statement (and trust me, I’ve written plenty of them). When we elaborate to explain that engaging fandom lies at the heart of our mission and that “we want to make it fun again to be a fan” everything becomes clearer.

ICU Co-Founder and Managing Partner Mike Bawden

Stay tuned.

More about ICU …