Vulcan Productions

Last updated
Vulcan Productions
Company typePrivate
IndustryMotion picture
Founder Paul Allen and Jody Allen
Headquarters
Key people
Jody Allen (Founder and Interim Chairman)
ProductsMovies, documentaries, television films and specials

Vulcan Productions produced documentary films, television programming and virtual reality experiences that drove awareness around environmental and social issues. The company was founded in 1997 by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his sister Jody Allen. It closed in 2021.

Contents

The company financed and co-produced films with directors such as Martin Scorsese, [1] Clint Eastwood [2] and Robert Redford. [3] Its films and TV series had aired on video on-demand services like Netflix, HBO and Hulu and across networks like The Discovery Channel and National Geographic. [4] Films produced by Vulcan Productions won Peabody Awards [5] and received Academy Award nominations. [6] The company focused on raising awareness on issues like mental health, girl's education, veterans, parenting, wildlife conservation, ocean health, climate change and modern-day slavery.

History

Vulcan Productions began under the name "Clear Blue Sky Productions" [7] and received its first critical success with the feature film Titus (1999). The company continued to produce feature films including Far From Heaven, [8] Where God Left His Shoes, [9] and Hard Candy. [10] With a name change in 2011, the then-Vulcan Productions shifted its measure of success from box office numbers and critical ratings to driving social impact and world change. [11] The company exclusively produced Social impact entertainment with a focus on topics ranging from wildlife and conservation, global health, contemporary social issues, science, technology, history and exploration.

As part of the larger Vulcan Inc. organization, Vulcan Productions’ mission was to “change minds and ignite action through the power of storytelling.”

On May 27, 2020 Vulcan Inc. announced that Vulcan Productions would be shutdown in 2021 citing the "economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis" [12] as well as "the ongoing transition after Paul Allen's passing in 2018." [13] A few weeks after winning top honors at the Sundance Film Festival for Summer of Soul, Vulcan Productions ceased operations. [14]

Films

YearFilmTypeRelease DateDirectorCo-producersStarringDistributorAwards
1997 Inspirations (film) Documentary film 1997 Michael Apted Argo Films
1999 Titus (film) Feature film 25 December 1999 Julie Taymor Overseas Film Group Anthony Hopkins

Jessica Lange

Alan Cumming

Colm Feore

Fox Searchlight Pictures
Me & Isaac Newton Documentary film 1999 Michael Apted Gertrude B. Elion

Ashok Gadgil

Michio Kaku

Maja Matarić

First Look International

Home Vision Entertainment

2001Nova: Cracking the Code of Life Television documentary 17 April 2001Elizabeth Arledge PBS Robert Krulwich (Journalist) PBS
Evolution Television special 2001David Espar "Darwin's Dangerous Idea"

Susan K. Lewis "Darwin's Dangerous Idea"

Joel Olicker "Great Transformations"

Kate Churchill "Extinction!"

Richard Hutton "Extinction!"

Gail Wilumsen "Evolutionary Arms race"

PBS Liam Neeson (Narrator) PBS
2003 Far from Heaven Feature film 10 January 2003 Todd Haynes Focus Features Julianne Moore

Dennis Quaid

Dennis Haysbert

Patricia Clarkson

Focus Features
The Blues (film series) Documentary series 28 September 2003 Martin Scorsese "Feel Like Going Home"

Wim Wenders "The Soul of a Man"

Richard Pearce (director) "The Road to Memphis"

Charles Burnett (director) "Warming by the Devil's Fire"

Marc Levin "Godfathers and Sons"

Mike Figgis "Red, White and Blues"

Clint Eastwood "Piano Blues"

Road Movies Filmproduktion B.B. King

Laurence Fishburne (Narrator)

Ray Charles

PBS
2004 Black Sky: The Race For Space Documentary film 3 October 2004Sandy Guthrie

Jill Shinefield

Scott B

Gail Willumsen

Discovery Channel

Gemini Productions

Antenna Films

Burt Rutan

Paul Allen

James Benson

Discovery Channel
Lightning in a Bottle Documentary film 5 August 2004 Antoine Fuqua Jigsaw Productions Aerosmith

India Arie

John Fogerty

Gregg Allman

Sony Pictures Classics
Strange Days on Planet Earth Television series 2004David Elisco Sea Studios Foundation

National Geographic Society

Edward Norton (Narrator) PBS
2005 Hard Candy (film) Feature film 21 January 2005 David Slade Launchpad Productions Elliot Page [lower-alpha 1]

Patrick Wilson

Sandra Oh

Lionsgate Films
Success at the Core Educational film 2005Richard Hutton Education Development Center Teaching Channel
Rx For Survival Documentary series 2005Mike Beckham (Producer) “Disease Warriors”

Sara Holt (Producer) “Rise of the Superbugs”

Andy Young (Producer) “Deadly Messengers”

Tabitha Jackson (Producer) “Back to the Basics”

Rob Whittlesey (Producer) “How Safe Are We?”

WGBH Educational Foundation Brad Pitt (Narrator) PBS
2007 Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial Documentary film 13 November 2007Gary Johnstone

Joseph McMaster

WGBH Educational Foundation PBS
Where God Left His Shoes Feature film 2007 Salvatore Stabile John Leguizamo

Leonor Varela

David Castro (actor)

IFC Films
2010This Emotional Life Documentary series 4 January 2010Matt Boatright-SimonKunhardt Films

McGee Media

Daniel Gilbert (psychologist) PBS
2013 Girl Rising Documentary film 2013 Richard E. Robbins The Documentary Group

Double Exposure Studios

Narration by Anne Hathaway

Cate Blanchett

Selena Gomez

Liam Neeson

Meryl Streep

Kerry Washington

CNN Films

Netflix

Pandora's Promise Documentary film Robert Stone (director) Robert Stone Productions CNN Films
2014We The Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford To Miss Documentary film 201422 directors including, but not limited to:

Morgan Spurlock

Catherine Hardwicke

Adrian Grenier

Adam McKay

Lee Hirsch

Cinelan Morgan Spurlock

James Schamus

Adrian Grenier

Judah Friedlander

among others

45 different distribution partners Including, but not limited to:

Amazon Video

Netflix

Comcast

Google Play

Time Warner Cable

2015 Body Team 12 Documentary film 2015 David Darg RYOT Films HBO
Racing Extinction Documentary film 18 September 2015 Louie Psihoyos Oceanic Preservation Society

Okeanos

Li Ka Shing Foundation

Insurgent Docs

Elon Musk

Jane Goodall

Leilani Munter

Joel Sartore

Discovery Channel
2016Midsummer in Newtown Documentary film 1 April 2016 Lloyd Kramer Participant Media Jimmy Greene
Naledi: A Baby Elephant's Tale Documentary film 5 June 2016Ben Bowie

Geoffrey Luck

Off the Fence Netflix
The Ivory Game Documentary film November 12, 2016 Richard Ladkani

Kief Davidson

Terra Mater Factual Studios

Malaika Pictures

Appian Way

Elisifa Ngowi

Craig Millar

Andrea Crosta

Hongxiang Huang

Ofir Drori

Ian Craig

Georgina Kamanga

Netflix
Ocean Warriors Television series 4 December 2016 Marc Benjamin

Marc Levin

Sundance Productions

Brick City TV

Sid Chakravarty

Peter Hammerstedt

Animal Planet
2017Unseen Enemy Documentary film 7 April 2017Janet TobiasSierra/Tango Productions

CNN Films

CNN Films

Amazon Video

2018 Ballet Now Documentary film 4 June 2018 Steven Cantor Stick Figure Studios Tiler Peck Hulu
X-Ray FashionVR short29 August 2018Francesco CarrozziniMANNDFrancesco Carrozzini
Chasing the Thunder Documentary film 2 February 2018 Marc Benjamin

Marc Levin

Brick City TVSid Chakravarty

Peter Hammerstedt

Animal Planet
Memphis Belle: The Restoration Documentary film 2018William WylerCreative Differences
2019USS Indianapolis: The Final Chapter Documentary film 8 January 2019Kirk WolfingerLone Wolf Media PBS

Amazon Video

iTunes

Everest VRVR short10 April 2019Jon Griffith

Matthew Dejohn

Alpine Exposures

Legend 3D

Sherpa Tenji

Jon Griffith

Drop in the OceanVR short25 April 2019Philippe Cousteau Jr.Vision3

Conservation International

Philippe Cousteau

Ashlan Cousteau

Guardians of the KingdomVR short26 April 2019Sophie Ansel

Christophe Bailhache

Underwater Earth

Seaview 360

Projects for Good

ITRAMAS

Spinifex

Sylvia Earle

Finau Molisi

The Cold Blue Documentary film 6 June 2019Erik NelsonCreative Differences HBO
Ghost Fleet Documentary film 7 June 2019Shannon Service

Jeffrey Waldron

Seahorse ProductionsPatima Tungpuchayakul

Tun Lin

Chutima "Oi" Sidasathian

Bustar Maitar

TBD
Oliver Sacks: His Own Life Documentary film August 31, 2019 Ric Burns Steeplechase Productions

Motto Pictures

PBS American Masters

Oliver Sacks PBS American Masters [16]

Where God Left His Shoes

Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas

Hard Candy (film)

Coastlines

Far from Heaven

The Safety of Objects

The Luzhin Defence

Titus

Men with Guns

Notes

  1. 1 2 Credited as Ellen Page; Hard Candy was released before Page came out as transgender. [15]

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