Monday, February 27, 2017
OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today congratulated Oklahoma natives Trent and Thad Luckinbill for their work on the film, “La La Land,” which received six Oscars during Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremony.
“I applaud Trent and Thad Luckinbill for their blockbuster hit,” said Fallin. “All of us Oklahomans are standing a little taller today with a sense of pride because of their impressive achievement.”
Trent and Thad Luckinbill, Enid natives and brothers, helped finance and produce “La La Land” through their company, Black Label Media, which they formed with producer Molly Smith in 2013. In only a few short years, the company has financed and produced a number of hit films including “Demolition,” “71,” “The Good Lie,” “Begin Again” and “Sicario”, which was nominated for three Academy Awards in 2015. The Oklahoma Film + Music Office is working with the duo in hopes of attracting one of their future productions to Oklahoma.
The Luckinbills have come a long way since graduating from the University of Oklahoma. Trent, who earned a law degree, has an extensive legal and financial background with the Department of Treasury’s Office of Financial Stability and the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. Shortly after earning a business degree, Thad moved to California where he began working as both an actor and producer, widely known for his role as J.T. Hellstrom on the CBS soap opera “The Young and the Restless.” Their recent success with “La La Land” has transformed into box office gold as the film has dominated the box office, raking in more than $343 million since its release.
“We are very proud to be a part of ‘La La land’ and the incredible reception it has received,” said the Luckinbills. “When Black Label decided to come on board, we knew that we were working on a special film with tremendous heart. We are amazed and thrilled by the outpour of praise and the way in which the film so thoroughly resonates with a universal audience. As two proud Oklahomans, it is exciting to see the film industry in our home state now rapidly building, with strong incentives and rebates. We’ve received overwhelming support from the state and look forward to finding opportunities to bring future productions to Oklahoma.”
“La La Land” won six Oscars; for lead actress, best director, cinematography, production design, original score and original song. With a total of 14 Oscar nominations, the film tied “Titanic” and “All About Eve” for the most nominations for a single film in motion picture history.
Written and Directed by Damien Chazelle (“Whiplash”), “La La Land” is a modern-day musical with a classic flair that tells the story of a jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling - “Drive,” “The Notebook”) who falls for an aspiring actress (Emma Stone - “The Help,” “Birdman”) in Los Angeles.