Spike Jonze, Propaganda/Satellite Films, and Music Video Work: Talent Management and the Construction of an Indie-Auteur

Abstract

This chapter critically evaluates the status Jonze has earned as indie-auteur, a label placing him alongside filmmakers such as Jim Jarmusch, the Coen Brothers and Steven Soderbergh. Jonze’s filmmaking career began in part thanks to his music video work, particularly for Propaganda Films; Stubbs analyses Propaganda Films’ talent management practices and their role in helping to develop Jonze’s brand and industry profile. The chapter investigates the economic and industrial strategies underpinning Jonze’s cultural and commercial profile, synthesizing textual analyses of Jonze’s music videos with marketing and critical discourse analysis. Stubbs aims to reconfigure Jonze’s authorial profile while considering the cultural implications of the indie-auteur label in general.