Matthew Stillman (born September 28, 1967) is a British entrepreneur, CEO and founder of 2020 Group (also known as 2020 Content) and film producer . The group owns 30 companies in 16 countries, operating under 10 brands.
Companies have co-produced films including Nosferatu, Spider-Man, Extraction 2, The Gray Man, Casino Royale, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Chronicles of Narnia and The Bourne Identity; series such as Wheel of Time, Interview with the Vampire, Dune: The Prophecy, Tangled and Wednesday; music videos for Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Thom Yorke, Kanye West, David Bowie and Madonna; and commercials for clients including Adidas, Google, Guinness, Coca-Cola, Amazon, Apple and Audi.
Wednesday, produced by the Stillking Icon team in Romania, became the most-watched Netflix series in its first week and went on to win four Primetime Emmys and Poor Things, produced in Budapest by Pioneer Stillking, won four Oscars, two Golden Globes, and five BAFTAs, among other awards.
Current productions include the upcoming films Dune: Part Three, Warner Bros (Denis Villeneuve; Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Anya Taylor-Joy), What Happens at Night, Apple (Martin Scorsese; Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Mads Mikkelsen), The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, Lionsgate (Francis Lawrence; Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin), The Age of Innocence, Netflix (Shannon Murphy; Camila Morrone, Kristine Froseth, Ben Radcliffe), Resident Evil, Sony Pictures (Zach Cregger; Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis), Sunny Dancer, Athenaeum Productions (George Jaques; James Norton, Bella Ramsey, Neil Patrick Harris) and Billion Dollar Spy, Walden Media (Amma Asante; Russell Crowe, Harry Lawtey, Rufus Sewell).
In 2000, The Hollywood Reporter named Stillman in its International Power 50 list of the fifty "biggest power players" in global entertainment and media.
Early life and education Stillman grew up in Richmond, south-west London. His father imported products from China, while his mother worked for Air France at Heathrow Airport. He has two siblings. He was educated at University College School, and the University of Sussex, where he studied politics, graduating in 1991.
Career
Early career After unsuccessfully trying to break into the film industry in London, Stillman visited Prague in 1992 with a friend, Nick Spikings, to explore the possibility of setting up a production company in the city. Beginning with "$500 and a typewriter" and renting an office at Barrandov Studios for $150 a month, the two friends set up a company called Stillking. They then started a nightclub, Ubiquity, to provide cash flow over the company's first summer.
Stillking Stillman won Stillking's first business working on a music video for k.d. lang, then produced a TV commercial for Dentsu. More work on TV commercials followed. In 1994, Stillman chose an unknown Czech film student, Ivan Zachariáš, to make a film about UN peacekeepers for a 50th-anniversary commercial for the UN. The project marked a breakthrough for both Stillking and Zachariáš.
By 1995, Stillking was working on around ninety commercials a year. Film-makers were coming to Prague in large numbers, attracted by the combination of low costs, attractive locations and high production standards, and over the next decade the company thrived and expanded. Offices were in due course opened in Budapest (Pioneer Stillking), Bucharest (Icon Stillking), Belgrade (Stillking WIP), Malaga (Anima Stillking), Cape Town, Ljubljana and Mexico City. By 1999 the company was turning over around $20m a year and by 2002 about $168m.
In 1995, Stillking made its first network mini-series: The Ring, for NBC, starring Nastassja Kinski, was released in 1996. The same year Stillking worked on its first feature film, Plunkett & Macleane (released 1999) with Working Title Films. Stillking subsequently set up its own development arm for producing its own English-language films.
The company has become one of Europe's most significant production entities, participating in over 150 film and TV projects, including Maria, Poor Things, Casino Royale, The Bourne Identity, Van Helsing, Red Sparrow, Wanted, Interview with the Vampire, Wednesday, Carnival Row and The Witcher.
It has also continued to produce music videos, including work for Beyonce, Kanye West and Madonna; and commercials for clients such as Guinness, Audi, Coca-Cola, Mercedes, Apple and Stella Artois.
In 1997, the American heiress Elisabeth Goth purchased a minority stake in the company (reportedly 20 per cent) for an undisclosed sum.
Stink In 1997, Stillking combined with the production company Blink Ltd to create Stink, a London-based venture that produces TV commercials. Stink went on to receive numerous awards for its work, including more than 100 Cannes Lions, more than 50 D&AD pencils and the first ever Film Grand Prix for an interactive piece of work. Its clients have included Honda, Gucci, Apple, Nike and Facebook.
2020 Group In 2014 the Stillking Films holding company was renamed 2020 Group. The group, which is sometimes referred to as 2020 Content, now has over 30 daughter companies, in 16 countries, and is one of the largest private companies involved in the production of content in advertising, film and television. Stillman is founder and CEO.
On The Corner Films / Box To Box Films In 2017 Stillman became an investor and director of On The Corner Films, with Asif Karpadia and James Gay Rees and Box To Box Films. The companies specialize in documentaries and factual entertainment, and their award-winning productions include Diego Maradona (2019), Drive To Survive, Full Swing, Break Point, Six Nations, Surfing and Tour de France.
In 2024, On The Corner Films and Box To Box Films received a minority investment from Bruin Capital, an investment company focused on global sports, media and technology.
Illuminated Content In 2018, in collaboration with Liev Schreiber, Stillman launched Illuminated Content, a Gotham-based venture to develop, produce and finance TV and movie projects. In 2019 the company produced Human Capital, and announced a collaboration with David Carver to produce The Place I Belong, a biopic of the golfer Moe Norman and the documentary Meeting Zelenskyy in 2024.
Other activities Stillman is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta). He is a member of Founders Forum, the community for global entrepreneurs, CEOs, and investors in the digital, media and technology sectors.
Stillman was one of 1,280 British business leaders who signed a letter backing Britain Stronger In Europe on the eve of the UK's 2016 referendum on EU membership.
Filmography (selected) + Works for cinema involving Stillman's companiesYearTitleCompany2026Dune: Part ThreePioneer Stillking, Budapest2026The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the ReapingÁnima Stillking, Spain2026Resident EvilStillking Prague2026Pretty LethalPioneer Stillking, Budapest2024NosferatuStillking Prague2024MariaPioneer Stillking, Budapest2024Better ManStillking WIP, Belgrade2024LeePioneer Stillking, Budapest2024White Bird: A Wonder StoryStillking Prague2024The UnionStillking WIP, Belgrade2024First OmenStillking WIP, Belgrade2024SpacemanStillking Prague2024TarotStillking WIP, Belgrade2023Poor ThingsPioneer Stillking, Budapest2023Fair PlayStillking WIP, Belgrade2023Extraction 2Stillking Prague2022Glass Onion: A Knives Out MysteryStillking WIP, Belgrade2022HellraiserStillking WIP, Belgrade2022The Gray ManStillking Prague2022ChevalierStillking Prague2020RadioactivePioneer Stillking, Budapest2020Harry HaftPioneer Stillking, Budapest2020VoyagersIcon Stillking, Bucharest2020Violence of ActionIcon Stillking, Bucharest2019Human CapitalIlluminated Content, New York2019Spider-Man: Far From HomeStillking Prague2019Diego MaradonaOn The Corner Films, London2019The KingPioneer Stillking, Budapest2018OpheliaStillking Prague2018Red SparrowPioneer Stillking, Budapest2018ColettePioneer Stillking, Budapest2017Interlude in PragueStillking Prague2017Atomic BlondePioneer Stillking, Budapest2016Underworld: Blood WarsStillking Prague2016Don't BreathePioneer Stillking, Budapest2015Child 44Stillking Prague2013SnowpiercerStillking Prague2011Mission: Impossible - Ghost ProtocolStillking Prague2009G.I. Joe: The Rise of CobraStillking Prague2008WantedStillking Prague2008Quantum of SolaceStillking Santiago de Chile2008The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianStillking Prague2006Casino RoyaleStillking Prague2006The IllusionistStillking Prague2006Last HolidayStillking Prague2006Tristan + IsoldeStillking Prague2005The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeStillking Prague2005DoomStillking Prague2005Kinky BootsStillking Miro, Milan2005Everything Is IlluminatedStillking Prague2004AVP: Alien vs. PredatorStillking Prague2004Van HelsingStillking Prague2004The Prince and MeStillking Prague2004EuroTripStillking Prague2003Shanghai KnightsStillking Prague2002xXxStillking Prague2002The Bourne IdentityStillking Prague2002Bad CompanyStillking Prague2001From HellStillking Prague2000Mists of AvalonStillking Prague2000Dungeons & DragonsStillking Prague1999The Idiot ReturnsStillking Prague1999Plunkett & MacleaneStillking Prague + Works for television involving Stillman's companiesYearTitleTypeCompany2026The Age of InnocenceTV mini-seriesStillking Prague2026Ride or DieTV mini-seriesStillking Prague2026The RookieTV series (1 episode)Stillking Prague2025The GirlfriendTV mini-seriesÁnima Stillking, Spain2025The Twisted Tale of Amanda KnoxTV mini-seriesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2025Daryl DixonTV series (S3–4)Ánima Stillking, Spain2025Death by LightningTV mini-seriesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2025FubarTV series (1 episode)Stillking Prague2025Band of SpiesTV mini-seriesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2024Interview with the VampireTV series (S2)Stillking Prague2024We Were The Lucky OnesTV mini-seriesIcon Stillking, Bucharest2024Dune: The ProphecyTV seriesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2024ShardlakeTV seriesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2023All The Light We Cannot SeeTV mini-seriesPioneer Stillking Budapest2023The ContinentalTV mini-seriesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2023A Small LightTV mini-seriesStillking Prague2022WednesdayTV seriesIcon Stillking, Bucharest2024-2025Wheel of TimeTV series (S3)Stillking Prague2021-2024FBI InternationalTV series (S1-4)Pioneer Stillking, Budapest2021HuntersTV series (S2)Stillking Prague2018-2023Das BootTV series (S1-4)Stillking Prague2019Miracle WorkersTV series – involved in 1 episodeStillking Prague2019The WitcherTV seriesStillking Prague2019Whiskey CavalierTV series - 13 episodesStillking Prague2019Carnival RowTV series - 6 episodesStillking Prague2019TreadstoneTV seriesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2018Das BootTV series - 9 episodesStillking Prague2018The RomanoffsTV series - 1 episodeIcon Stillking, Bucharest2017-2019KnightfallTV series - 15 episodesStillking Prague2017GeniusTV series - 10 episodesStillking Prague2016-2017MarsTV series - 4 episodesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2016-2017MaigretTV series - 4 episodesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2016SparkTV seriesStillking Prague2015LegendsTV series – 10 episodesStillking Prague2015Sons of LibertyTV mini-seriesIcon Stillking, Bucharest2014HoudiniTV movie & Mini-SeriesPioneer Stillking, Budapest2013-2014Crossing LinesTV series - 18 episodesStillking Prague2013TerapieTV series - 14 episodesStillking Prague2012MissingTV series - 10 episodesStillking Prague2009MasterworkTV series PilotStillking Prague2009The PhilanthropistTV series - 2 episodesStillking Prague2005RevelationsTV mini-series - 5 episodesStillking Prague2005ColditzTV movieStillking Prague2002Young ArthurTV series PilotStillking Prague1999Passion's WayTV movieStillking Prague1997Into Thin Air: Death on EverestTV movieStillking Prague1996The RingTV mini-series and movieStillking Prague
Personal life