The article explores the migration of indie-auteurs to television during the 2010s. Using David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh’s work on House of Cards and The Knick as case studies, the article argues that talent intermediaries such as producers and talent managers have sought to mobilize the indie-auteur, a branded identity and authorial discourse, to package premium television programmes to exploit growing competition between channels and platforms. The article also explores repercussions of the indie-auteur’s insertion in television as a mark of distinction, arguing that it becomes increasingly important to be aware of the systems behind it.

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This article explores David Fincher’s collaboration with Propaganda Films, an integrated production and talent management company, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Focusing specifically on Fincher’s music video work, the article investigates how Propaganda’s talent management strategies helped to develop Fincher’s career and construct him as an auteur. To do so, the article adopts a cultural production approach conceptualizing the auteur as a branded identity and discourse mobilized in promotional and critical materials. In doing so, the article shows how Propaganda helped to single out Fincher’s videos as artistic works showcasing the exceptional talent of an aspiring feature-filmmaker. At the same time, however, the article considers how Propaganda’s talent management strategies contributed to sustaining problematic cultural notions surrounding music video and short-form work in general. As a result, the article advocates adopting new and more diverse approaches when examining short-form work and interrelated industry practice.

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