Production company

Production company refers to a company responsible for the development and physical production of performing arts, film, radio or a television program. The company may also be directly responsible for the raising of funding for the production or may do so through an intermediary. The production company may be a small company, selling its product to a film studio or presenting it at a theatrical venue, or, in the case of film and television, it may be the studio itself.

Overview

A coproduction is theatrical presentation or a film made by more than one company.

It is common for actors to form their own production companies so that they can have more control over their own careers. Examples include:
* 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, founded by writer-director Spike Lee, has produced all of his films since the 90's and even had a clothing line at one point, although has lately faced decline.
* 1492 Pictures, founded by director Chris Columbus, has produced his films, as well as the Christmas comedies "Christmas with the Kranks" and "Jingle All the Way".
* After Dark Films, horror film production company founded by Courtney Solomon, Produced the films "Captivity, An American Haunting, "Skinwalkers", and distributed the 8 Films to Die For festivals.
* Amblin Entertainment, founded by Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1982.
* American Zoetrope, founded by director Francis Ford Coppola, has produced "The Godfather, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now".
* Apatow Productions, founded by director Judd Apatow, has produced over 15 films in the last 3 years, as well as both Apatow's television series.
* Appian Way Productions, founded by actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
* Aquil Fudge Productions, founded by Aquil Fudge, producing independent films and reality television.
* A Band Apart, was created by a number of famous and acclaimed movie directors, has produced "Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn" and "Kill Bill".
* Bad Robot Productions, founded by writer/director/producer J. J. Abrams and has produced numerous television projects as well as the films "Cloverfield" and the new updated version of "Star Trek".
* Batjac Productions, founded by actor John Wayne, produced many of his films, including "The Alamo".
* Blinding Edge Pictures, founded by writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, has produced Shyamalan's films since the success of "The Sixth Sense".
* Bristol Cities, founded by "Frasier" alums Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin, which is producing the American remake of the popular British series "The Vicar of Dibley", starring Kirstie Alley.
* Broadway Video, founded by comedian Lorne Michaels, has produced "Saturday Night Live" since 1985, and also "Late Night With Conan O'Brien".
* Busboy Productions, founded by comedian Jon Stewart, produces the spin-off of the "The Daily Show, The Colbert Report", as well as an upcoming film writted by Daily Show alum, Rob Corddry
* Carson Productions, founded by talk-show host Johnny Carson, produced his talk show, starting in the 80's, and also the first version of "Late Night With David Letterman".
* Castle Rock Entertainment, founded by director Rob Reiner, has produced films that Reiner has directed, as well as the landmark television series "Seinfeld" and the comedic films of Christopher Guest
* The Curiosity Company, founded by cartoon pioneer Matt Groening, produced "Futurama". Groening's follow-up to long-running television program, "The Simpsons".
* Desilu Productions, founded by actors Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, produced their landmark television program "I Love Lucy", the later spin-off, as well as some of television's most famous programs, including ", The Andy Griffith Show, and ".
* Divide Pictures, founded by American actor Milo Ventimiglia and two of his friends.
* Dream Team Cinema, founded by Montana natïve Martin Rogers.
* Flower Films, founded by actress Drew Barrymore, is one of the most successful companies of this type, producing popular films for Barrymore, as well as the critical hit "Donnie Darko".
* Fortis Films, founded by actress Sandra Bullock, has produced most of her recent films, as well as once popular Latino television comedy "The George Lopez Show".
* Grammnet Productions, founded by actor Kelsey Grammer, produced Grammer's failed sketch comedy show, as well as the popular television programs "Girlfriends" and "Medium".
* Jerry Bruckheimer Films, founded by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, has produced "Top Gun, Crimson Tide, Con Air, National Treasure", the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films.
* Happy Madison, founded by actor Adam Sandler, has produced films for himself, and for his friend, Rob Schneider
* Harpo Productions, founded by media personality Oprah Winfrey, produces her own show, "Dr. Phil" and "The Rachael Ray Show".
* Haxan Films, founded by five graduates known as The "Haxan Five", produced the famous low-budget horror movie "The Blair Witch Project".
* Horizons Communications Group, founded by Rick Roberts, produced the Gracie Award winning The Hunger Heroes
* Icon Productions, founded by actor-director Mel Gibson, has produced several movies and television shows, including Gibson's two recent controversial films.
* ImageMovers, founded by director Robert Zemeckis, produced "What Lies Beneath" and co-produced "Cast Away" with Tom Hanks' company.
* Imagine Entertainment, founded by former child-star Ron Howard, is one of the most powerful production companies in Hollywood.
* Infinitum Nihil, founded by actor Johnny Depp, will produce "Shantaram", featuring the star, as well as Helena Bonham Carter and Emily Watson.
* Jersey Films, founded by hirsute actor-director Danny DeVito, gained fame in the 1990s for supporting smaller pictures like "Pulp Fiction" and "L.A. Confidential", but has recently focused on TV comedies, like "Reno 911!".
* The Kennedy/Marshall Company, owned by Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy, has produced "The Sixth Sense", "A Map of the World" and "The Bourne Identity".
* Lightstorm Entertainment, founded by director James Cameron has produced "The Abyss", "", "True Lies" and "Titanic".
* Lucasfilm, founded by director George Lucas, has produced the "Star Wars" films and the "Indiana Jones" films, and is well-known for licensing its CGI talent and audio expertise to others.
* Malpaso Productions, founded by actor, director, composer and producer Clint Eastwood.
* Mirabai Films, founded by director and producer Mira Nair, has produced "Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala" and "Monsoon Wedding".
* Morgan Creek Productions, founded by James G. Robinson, has produced "Young Guns, The Crush," and "".
* Mutant Enemy Productions, founded by television and film writer/director/producer Joss Whedon and has produced several television series such as the cult favorite "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".
* Natural Wonders Productions, Founded by former actor and current director/writer/producer Austin Newman.
* Panther Pictures, formerly Lassiere Pictures was founded by actor, director, composer and producer Alex Weinberg.
* Pilot Boy Productions, founded by comedian Dave Chappelle, produced his sketch comedy show "Chappelle's Show".
* Plan B Entertainment, founded by actors Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, has produced many of Pitt's recent films, as well as the new release "A Mighty Heart".
* The Playtone Company, founded by actor Tom Hanks, has produced or co-produced many of his movies, most notably the film and soundtrack to Hanks' directorial effort, "That Thing You Do!"
* Renaissance Pictures, founded by actor Bruce Campbell and director Sam Raimi, to produce their film, "The Evil Dead", as well as the two sequels, and the popular television series ' and '.
* Revelations Entertainment, founded by Morgan Freeman, produced his latest film "10 Items or Less" and distributed it online while it was still in theatres.
* Scott Free, founded by director Ridley Scott and his brother director Tony Scott, has produced "Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, Déjà Vu".
* Section Eight Productions founded by actor George Clooney and writer-director Steven Soderbergh, has produced all of their recent films, as well as the films "Far from Heaven" and the American remake of "Insomnia".
* Sidetrack Films, founded by producer Ravi Anne, has produced award winning documentaries such as "Favela Rising" and "Kurt Cobain About a Son".
* Silver Pictures, founded by producer Joel Silver, has produced "The Matrix" series, "Lethal Weapon" series, "Predator".
*Smuggler, founded by producers Brian Carmody and Patrick Milling Smith
* Snoopadelic Films, founded by rapper Snoop Dogg, has produced several related DVD collections and independent horror films.
* Solaris Pictures, founded by filmmaker Sridhar Rangayan, has produced pathbreaking queer films from India like "The Pink Mirror" and "Yours Emotionally".
* T.H.E.M.E. Entertainment, founded by producer Todd Baker.
* Standing Point Films, founded by director Yoni Goldstein.
* Studio Ghibli, headed by director Hayao Miyazaki.
* Troublemaker Studios, founded by director Robert Rodriguez, produced films like "Once Upon a Time in Mexico", Spy Kids, Sin City" & "Grindhouse".
* United Artists - one of the first actor owned production companies founded in 1919 by Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith.
* Ventanarosa, founded by actress Salma Hayek, produced several cable movies and also the television comedy "Ugly Betty".
* WingNut Films, founded by director Peter Jackson and writer Fran Walsh, has produced "Heavenly Creatures", the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, "King Kong".
* Worldwide Pants Incorporated, founded by television host David Letterman, produces the "Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson", and has also produced the television series "Ed" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" as well as the film version of "Strangers with Candy".
* Yari Film Group founded by film producer Bob Yari, produced "Crash" and The Illusionist.
* Zentropa Entertainment is a Danish film company started in 1992 by director Lars von Trier and producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen.
* Kinetic Image Film Group founded by Michael Daley in 1995 and made several national cinema commercials, a TV documentary (Turning on the Taste of America).

See also

* film distributor
* film studio
* theatrical producer
* production team
* List of Hollywood movie studios

External links

* [http://www.productionhub.com/directory/listings.asp?section_id=7&cat_id=139 Television Production Companies]
* [http://www.productionhub.com/directory/listings.asp?section_id=7&cat_id=264 Film Production Companies]
* [http://www.google.com/Top/Arts/Performing_Arts/Theatre/Production/Companies Theatrical Production Companies]