![John Devaney, Manor House Films founder](https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/John-Devaney.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1)
EXCLUSIVE: John Devaney, CEO and Founder of the Miami-based United Capital Markets, on Wednesday announced the launch of Manor House Films, an equity-driven production company that he says will look to support “unique filmmakers and purpose driven films.”
Already, Devaney has had two occasions to do that through the company — first, as the financier of the addiction-themed drama The Prince, scripted by David Mamet, on which we were first to report. Currently in post, the film from director Cameron Van Hoy chronicles an addict’s tumultuous odyssey through the high-stakes world of power, pleasure, and pain on a transformative journey toward recovery.
Pic’s cast includes Nicolas Cage, J.K. Simmons, Giancarlo Esposito, Andy Garcia, Scott Haze, Simon Rex and more. Multiple sources told us the project was inspired by Hunter Biden, though sources close to the production denied it.
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Devaney has also financed the P&A budget for City of Dreams, a thriller marking the feature directorial debut of Mohit Ramchandani, which is being released nationwide by Roadside Attractions on August 30. Inspired by a true story, this film chronicles the journey of a Mexican boy whose dreams of becoming a soccer star are shattered when he’s smuggled across the border and sold to a sweatshop in downtown Los Angeles. Exec producers on the project include Tony Robbins, five-time Latin Grammy winner Luis Fonsi, award-winning singer-song-writer Linda Perry, Academy Award winner Michael Phillips (The Sting, Taxi Driver), Roma Oscar nom Yalitza Aparicio, and Sean Wolfington, the exec producer of last year’s surprise box office breakout Sound of Freedom.
With regard to his involvement with the latter film, Devaney explained, “I was in pre-production on The Prince when my friend Sean Wolfington called and insisted that I watch a cut of City of Dreams. I was absolutely blown away and couldn’t remember the last time I had such an emotional response to a movie. I got on the phone with my new friend Mo and was equally impressed with his strength of character as I was with his visionary filmmaking.”
Ramchandani made the film, the financier recalled, “because his father worked in a sweatshop, and after his mother passed away, he used the proceeds of her life insurance policy to finance the production. Wow.”
He added that he’s “honored to be part of his journey and this very special film that shines a light for the 500,000 migrant children that are being exploited in the supply chains of large corporations in our country.”
Over the course of decades, Devaney has established himself as an authority in measuring risk, finding opportunity and providing liquidity in structured finance. He founded United Capital Markets in 1999, to fill the vacuum of liquidity and modeling in the aftermath of the Long-Term Capital Management crisis. Since then, he’s been involved in trading billions of dollars’ worth of structured finance products.