Macro's Charles D. King Chases a Billion-Dollar Media Empire

By Amara Osei

Warner Bros.' horror thriller Sinners grossed $279.7 million domestically, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2025 and the only title in the top 10 not based on popular IP, according to Box Office Mojo. Charles D. King helped broker the deal behind it — an arrangement arguably more groundbreaking than the box office itself.

King, founder and CEO of the multi-platform media company Macro, worked alongside Ryan Coogler's WME agent Craig Kestel, attorney Jonathan Gardner and WME COO Dan Limerick to negotiate terms giving Coogler final cut, first-dollar gross participation and ownership of the film's rights after 25 years.

"We knew Sinners was going to be special," King told ADWEEK. "The ownership deal was well earned given Ryan's extraordinary track record and is in alignment with deal precedent for a select number of very accomplished filmmakers."

He added: "I hope this deal serves as a reminder to Hollywood and beyond of the enormous potential upside of partnering with extraordinary storytellers and original voices."

The claim of precedent deserves scrutiny — such ownership terms remain rare, reserved for a handful of elite filmmakers. King's argument is that Coogler's track record earned it; the industry has yet to show whether the deal extends beyond that select circle.

Who is Charles D. King?

King became the first Black partner at WME in the agency's more than 100-year history, and the first at any major Hollywood talent firm. In 2024, the Producers Guild of America gave him its Milestone Award, citing his "immeasurable contribution to the film industry," placing him alongside recipients like Steven Spielberg and Walt Disney.

He founded Macro in 2015 to bring BIPOC stories to screen. The studio has since expanded into talent representation (M88) and a creative agency (Brand Macro), and in September acquired the streaming platform Allblk from AMC Global Media.

King's stated goal is a billion-dollar company. The résumé backing it includes Fences, Sorry to Bother You and Judas and the Black Messiah, which earned six Oscar nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards — making King, Coogler and Shaka King (no relation) the first all-Black producing team nominated for Best Picture. The film won two Oscars: Best Supporting Actor for Daniel Kaluuya and Best Original Song.

"That experience—I'll take it with me forever," King said. "To really be in it as a producer, and to then get the blessing of being the first film from an all-Black producer unit to get an Oscar nomination, was just truly icing on the cake."

What does impact mean beyond awards?

King measures success in more than trophies. "There's the careers that we've launched by financing films by first-time filmmakers," he said. "We've had productions where we're making sure there's diversity and a range of folks hired as part of our crews."

He estimates between 350 and 400 interns have passed through Macro since its founding, several becoming "executives at every one of the major talent agencies." Alumni include Mark Wright, vice president of film and TV at Higher Ground, the production studio of Barack and Michelle Obama. Macro alumni have also won Emmys.

Coogler, who met King in 2012 and became the first Black winner of the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Sinners, credits King's financing ability with making "all the difference in the world" in getting projects greenlit.

"He made sure our voices were heard in those agency hallways, advocating for the value of Black filmmakers and the value of Black stories," Coogler told ADWEEK.

Can the model survive a shrinking Hollywood?

King launched Macro during Peak TV, when U.S. series output jumped 52% — from 349 shows in 2013 to 532 in 2019, per the New York Times — and studios adopted DEI policies after campaigns like 2015's #OscarsSoWhite. That pipeline has narrowed: production volumes have dropped significantly, Paramount Skydance closed its acquisition of Warner Bros. in October, and social-first microdramas are eating audience share.

King's response is consolidation of his own. In March, Macro announced a multi-year first-look, co-financing and distribution deal with Sony Pictures. The Allblk acquisition, a platform founded by BET's Bob Johnson in 2014 that King says he watched for 12 years, gives Macro direct distribution.

"It's a larger market opportunity that we saw needed to be unlocked," King said. He is also considering acquiring assets spun out of consolidating media giants and expanding into live events. On AI, he sees efficiency and "democratization of opportunity," but insists it should "never replace real storytelling, writing, and acting," with IP protection a priority.

"That's one of the benefits of being a smaller, more nimble institution, as opposed to a much larger institution where it's harder to pivot and maneuver," King said of adapting to the market.

For his work elevating and financing diverse creative talent, King receives the Adcolor | ADWEEK 2027 Beacon Award.

Coogler's verdict on his chances in a transitioning industry: "People who can be both patient but can also act fearlessly, and people who have good taste and great relationships with talent, seem to always be able to make the moments of transition work best for themselves. And Charles is both of those things."