Los Angeles, CA – January 29, 2024 – SpectreVision, the genre-bending production company, is excited to unveil Mutant, their new art and collectibles outfit in partnership with the venerated creative team from Mondo. The former Mondo creative directors Spencer Hickman, Eric Garza, Mitch Putnam, and Mo Shafeek have reassembled with CEO Jenny Jacobi under a new roof to continue and expand upon their groundbreaking work producing highly sought-after limited-edition artwork, soundtracks on vinyl, collectibles, unique experiential events, and more.
In celebration of their launch, Mutant is kicking things off with a vinyl soundtrack for Netflix’s critically acclaimed Academy Award-nominated film “Society of the Snow,” featuring an incredible score from composer Michael Giacchino, liner notes from director J.A. Bayona, and artwork from Mo Shafeek. Next up is the premiere vinyl release of the soundtrack to Warner Bros. Pictures’ box office sensation “Wonka,” featuring songs by Neil Hannon and an original score by Joby Talbot. Mutant has also teamed with Pressure Printing to produce an intricately sculpted and foil-stamped fine art print by Aaron Horkey. Further down the line, they’ll be unveiling posters for the highly anticipated sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two.” Sign up for the Mutant newsletter for reveals and details on how to secure limited-edition screen prints and soundtracks at MadeByMutant.com.
Mutant’s mission is to celebrate underserved fandoms with their team’s passionate love of film, TV, art, music, video games, and pop culture. Mutant will work closely with studio partners, including Disney, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, and Netflix, as well as independent filmmakers, composers, and creators to expand and deepen their audiences’ relationships with the films and series they love via beautifully-rendered limited-edition posters, soundtracks, and collectibles by the world’s best artists. The company will build on this artist-forward foundation of collectibles for beloved licensed properties to also introduce original works from an international roster of visual artists and musicians alike.
Mutant CEO Jenny Jacobi brings two decades of leadership in the entertainment space with industry-defining, world-class organizations, including Mondo, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, Drafthouse Films, Valve (Steam), SXSW, Sundance, and the Telluride Film Festival. She currently serves on advisory boards for the SXSW Film Festival, Vidiots Foundation, and the Overlook Film Festival.
“Joining this visionary team under the Mutant banner is an incredible opportunity, and I’m honored to work with some of the very best creative minds to bring fandom to life and to celebrate and elevate artists and creators in the process,” says Jacobi.
SpectreVision founders Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah set out to launch Mutant based on years of admiring the work of the creative directors, commenting, “It’s not hyperbole to say that we’re superfans of this team and their work. Our offices are covered in their prints, and our shelves are lined with their records. It’s a true privilege to provide a platform for them to not only continue the incredible work they’re known for but also to expand in ways that they’ve been keen to for years.”
The Mutant creative team currently consists of Mitch Putnam and Eric Garza, heading up posters, original artwork, and additional consumer product lines, and music industry veterans Spencer Hickman and Mo Shafeek, leading Mutant’s music division.
Mitch Putnam has spent most of his working life dedicated to expanding the world of limited-edition posters. After getting his start in the concert poster world, Mitch co-founded Mondo and worked on thousands of film posters and hundreds of gallery shows during his time there. Mitch also founded Postersandtoys.com, OMGPosters.com, and THE VACVVM.
In 2011, Mitch was joined by Eric Garza, who played an important role in growing Mondo from an art boutique into a pop culture juggernaut as Senior Creative Director. Collaborating with artists all over the world, he helped establish the rise of alternative film art through the curation and creation of thousands of celebrated and award-winning silkscreen posters for film, television, video games, and comics.
“We’re extremely excited about being back in the poster game as we aim for a ‘return to form’ for limited edition artwork. Our priorities center around art-focused projects with an emphasis on championing our favorite artists, designers, writers, and filmmakers and continuing to push the boundaries of what we’ve accomplished already,” said Garza and Putnam.
Upcoming releases include work from Aaron Horkey, Nicolas Delort, Matt Taylor, Deb Lee, Phantom City Creative, Rory Kurtz, Matthew Woodson, Greg Ruth, Francesco Francavilla, Teagan White, Daniel Danger, Murugiah, We Buy Your Kids, Ken Taylor and more.
Spencer Hickman is a music industry professional with over three decades of experience in the field. Among his notable achievements is the opening and management of Rough Trade East, the largest record store in the world. Hickman also founded Record Store Day in the UK, which has now grown to become the world’s largest celebration of record shop culture. In 2012, he founded Death Waltz Recording Co. The label has received numerous accolades for its work in the soundtrack space, working closely with composers, directors, and studios alike. Later in 2015, Hickman joined Mondo and merged labels.
Mo Shafeek is a prominent figure in the film, television, and video game music space, having worked in the industry for close to two decades. For the last thirteen years, acting as Creative Director of Music for Mondo / Death Waltz Recording Co., together with Spencer Hickman, he co-produced nearly 500 physical soundtrack re-issues for countless studios and independent composers alike, the championing of which he believes is essential to the industry.
“Gone are the days of monoculture — and with that, we’ve seen a fracturing of cultural awareness around much of the media produced year after year. With Mutant, we aim to build a foundation for fandom with curation and celebration — not only for the biggest soundtracks of the year but also for those films, television, and video games that get lost in the sea of choices in the world of streaming. We want to build a community where all are welcome by creating tangible pop culture products for all fandoms,” said Hickman and Shafeek.
The music team is deep into productions featuring scores by Michael Giacchino, Hans Zimmer, Carter Burwell, Isabella Summers, Goblin, Laura Karpman, Le Matos, Simon Waskow, and so many more.
Along with SpectreVision, the other founding partners are Tim League, the original founder of Mondo and Alamo Drafthouse, and Steven Demmler, Chief Executive Officer of Talon Entertainment Finance. “I’ve worked with this incredible team for nearly fifteen years. When I got the call from Steven Demmler and SpectreVision to reassemble the squad and help enable the next exciting chapter, I immediately said hell yes,” says League. Adds Demmler, “I jumped at the opportunity to help join SpectreVision’s artistic integrity and ingenuity together with the singular vision of the masterminds who innovated the art and collectibles space into what it is today. The potential of this natural pairing is limitless.”
There’s more churning in the Mutant factory as they continue to grow the foundation of posters and vinyl and expand into new collectibles categories, including original Sofubi vinyl figures, pop-up galleries with original, fine artwork, and design services for studios and filmmakers, all serving to build on an artist-led vision for the company.
Fans are encouraged to sign up for the Mutant newsletter to receive the latest news on products and limited edition releases. Much more will be announced in the weeks to come!
Visit the Mutant official site & social handles for more information:
• Website: MadeByMutant.com
• Newsletter: MadeByMutant.com/newsletter
• Instagram: @MadeByMutant
• Twitter: @MadeByMutant
• Facebook: @MadeByMutant
• TikTok: @MadeByMutant
