EXCLUSIVE: Actor-turned-executive Ella Wahlestedt on Wednesday announced the launch of Quarterlife Pictures, an L.A.-based production company dedicated to developing and producing women-centric and impactful narratives across film and TV.
Quarterlife will look to blend meaningful storytelling with commercial viability, focusing on stories in the genre and science fiction space. Its emphasis on women-fronted projects comes at a critical time, with a new study reporting a near 10-year low in female-led films. Already, the company has struck a strategic partnership with award-winning production house, CreativeChaos vmg, to collaborate on an undisclosed high-end docuseries.
Wahlestedt began her career as an actress, with credits including Relativity Media’s Earth to Echo, Lifetime’s Army Wives, R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. She later joined Buffalo 8 Productions, known for its work on Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Max Original The Fallout starring Jenna Ortega, and Emmy-winning docs, including Netflix’s Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes and HBO’s Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street. There, she served as Director of Distribution & Acquisitions to support the establishment and global expansion of Buffalo 8’s distribution arm by structuring direct outputs with VOD platforms, streamers, exhibitors, and international distributors. Wahlestedt was responsible for releasing over a hundred titles including the Cannes-premiering Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be, American Cherry, and the Polish Oscar contender Leave No Traces.
“Transitioning from acting to distribution and production has equipped me with a unique vantage point in the industry,” Wahlestedt told Deadline. “I have witnessed the rapid evolution of this industry over the last decade, and it has continued to reinforce the importance of pairing flexible capital with underserved and much-desired storytelling. Our focus with Quarterlife is to continue replicating that balance — where consumer interest, meaningful storytelling, and artistic integrity converge to create impactful cinema, particularly with women-led narratives.”