Jeff Yapp built the movie studios for MTV, VH1, and CMT, which together produced over $200 million in revenue. Two films out of the CMT studio prove the thesis he ran on: back the story everyone else is passing on, keep the budget disciplined, and let conviction do the rest.
DALE, and a Walmart-sized idea
Jeff earned two Emmy nominations as executive producer of DALE, the authorized story of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt and the highest rated film in CMT's history. The business move behind it was as sharp as the film. Rather than a conventional release, he sold it exclusively through Walmart, turning a modest production into a wave of revenue and reaching the exact audience that loved the subject.
Crazy Heart, the one the industry passed on
Jeff greenlit Crazy Heart, a film much of Hollywood had let go by. Starring Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Colin Farrell, it earned three Oscar nominations and won two, Best Actor for Jeff Bridges and Best Original Song for T Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham. It was proof that a small, well-chosen bet can end the night holding an Academy Award.