Justine Wachsberger

Justine Wachsberger grew up between Los Angeles and Paris with a view of film that has little to do with red-carpet glamour. The daughter of Patrick Wachsberger, one of the most influential executives in the international rights sales business, she quickly understood that this industry is divided between those who wait for a phone call and those who make things happen. She studied at the Sorbonne, and that European academic foundation gave her an analytical edge before she launched into the American market.

In 2009, she landed the role of Gianna in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. It was a small part in a gigantic machine. But that shoot gave her a chance to observe crowd behavior and the logistics of a franchise that moved millions of dollars. And although she took part in other high-profile productions such as Turning Red in 2010 or Now You See Me in 2013, her mind was already heading toward the production offices.

Acting was only the prologue.

In 2014, she joined the cast of Divergent and experienced from the inside the rise of young adult literary adaptations. But Justine didn't want to limit herself to delivering lines written by others. Real control in Hollywood lies in developing intellectual property and in financing, a field she knew well through her family background but chose to conquer on her own merits.

Moving Into the Offices of Picturestart

Her transition into production was solidified when she joined the team at Picturestart. There, she specialized in identifying stories with commercial potential that also had a clear authorial point of view. In 2022, she worked on the production of Luckiest Girl Alive for Netflix, and the film hit number one worldwide within just a few days of its release.

That same year, she brought Am I OK? to completion, a film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to solid reviews. Her work shifted from seeking the spotlight to managing shooting schedules and tight budgets. On this project, she proved she could move through prestige independent cinema with the same ease as in blockbusters.

Decision-making won the game.

In 2024, she was actively involved in the production of Borderlands, the ambitious video game adaptation directed by Eli Roth. The film's budget exceeded $ 110 million, and managing a cast led by Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis required meticulous technical coordination. It was a shoot marked by delays and reshoots, a setting where Justine had to act as the liaison between the studio and the creative vision.

Strategy and New Formats

Her name is also linked to television through the series I Know What You Did Last Summer, which premiered in 2021. But her approach is not that of a traditional producer who waits in an office. She gets involved in acquiring novel rights before the books reach bookstores, always looking for a competitive edge in a saturated content market.

In 2023, she served as executive producer of The Night Agent. The project was one of the most profitable audience hits for its distribution platform. For her, though, success isn't measured in applause but in the ability to repeat the formula across different genres and budget scales.

And the pace didn't let up.

She is currently overseeing the development of a new version of The Picture of Dorian Gray under the Picturestart label. The shooting schedule for this project was set at an estimated 45 production days on locations across Europe. It is a bet on updating literary classics for an audience that watches movies mainly on mobile devices and on-demand platforms.

The Los Angeles office now centralizes all of her financial operations. The fiscal year-end close of her latest production delivered a direct return on investment even before its international release, thanks to the pre-sale of territorial rights in Asia and Europe.