International sales manager, Cornerstone Film
- Graduated with a masters in international film business from London Film School and the University of Exeter in 2021
- Joined Cornerstone Film as sales co-ordinator in 2021
An unlikely journey to film sales began for Rhodes with six years working in production on unscripted series such as Married At First Sight. He now represents the work of some of the UK’s most esteemed filmmakers, including Andrea Arnold and Mike Leigh.
“It can be scary, when you’re 30-ish, and you’ve done something very different,” reflects Rhodes on his career pivot. However, unscripted taught him how to stay nimble and constantly adaptable — a skill that has put him in good stead for working on the frontline of film sales at a modestly sized but globally revered company such as Cornerstone Film.
A fervent passion for film, beginning with a teenage love for David Lynch and Paul Thomas Anderson, led him to a masters in international film business from London Film School and the University of Exeter. By the time he graduated in 2021, Rhodes had already landed a job as a sales co-ordinator at Cornerstone.
He was promoted to sales manager in 2024, and is breaking new ground for the company — in Asia in particular. Last year he attended Busan, a first for Cornerstone, doing good business on Leigh’s Hard Truths, and at Cannes 2024 he clinched one of the largest Japan deals Cornerstone had seen in years, on Arnold’s Competition title Bird.
Rhodes is endlessly passionate about championing up-and-coming talent. “Whether that’s the arthouse space, genre space, it really excites me,” he says, with brisk sales already in for Harry Lighton’s Cannes Un Certain Regard feature debut Pillion.
Contact: Jonathan Rhodes
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