“Where do we find the money? Can we get the rights? The talent?” These are the questions that Tom Guida ’97, a Double Eagle, asks and answers every day as general counsel and executive vice president for business and legal affairs at Marv Studios, a British film production company best known for the Kingsman trilogy, Kick-Ass, and Layer Cake as well as Stardust and Eddie the Eagle.
“My job is to solve problems,” explains Guida, who is based in London and joined Marv from private practice in 2020. “What the creatives don’t want to hear is ‘no.’ My job is to say, ‘Here’s the issue, here’s how we solve it.’ When I do say ‘no,’ they know it’s really a ‘no.’”
Guida also produces independent films. His first film, Manhattan Night, starred Adrien Brody and Yvonne Strahovski and was released worldwide in 2016. “Making a film is the most artistic puzzle you can ever put together, especially your first one,” says Guida. “What’s always surprising to me is how good filmmaking can turn on a key decision. All it takes is one editing decision to turn a bad scene into a good one. There are so many choices.”
Guida’s second film, Trust, was released theatrically last March. A romantic drama starring Victoria Justice and Matthew Daddario, it is now available on Hulu in the US and Netflix in other countries.Guida launched his legal career in banking and insurance, then segued into the digital space before finding his true calling, taking pro bono work for creatives until he could legitimately call himself an entertainment and television lawyer. He is also a member of London Comedy Writers and is currently shopping a sitcom pilot. “There is no difference between my vocation and avocation,” says Guida. “I love what I do.”
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