MRC | |
Formerly | Media Rights Capital (2006–2013) |
Company type | Private |
Industry | Film Television |
Founded | 2006 |
Founders | Modi Wiczyk Asif Satchu |
Headquarters | 9601 Wilshire Boulevard, , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Modi Wiczyk (co-CEO and co-chairman) Asif Satchu (co-CEO and co-chairman) Scott Tenley (COO) |
Owner | Eldridge Industries (minority) |
Website | www |
Footnotes /references [1] |
MRC II Distribution Company, L.P. [2] , doing business as MRC (formerly Media Rights Capital), is an American film and television studio. Founded by Mordecai (Modi) Wiczyk and Asif Satchu, the company funds and produces film and television programming.
The company's divisions include MRC Film, MRC Non-Fiction, and MRC Television. In 2018, the company merged with Todd Boehly's media assets under Valence Media, with the company as a whole taking on the MRC name in 2020; this included Dick Clark Productions (briefly known as MRC Live & Alternative), audience data firm Luminate (the former Nielsen SoundScan), and the entertainment industry publications Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter . Boehly (through Eldridge Industries) re-acquired most of these assets in August 2022.
Productions by the company have included the Netflix series House of Cards and Ozark, and the films Baby Driver , Knives Out , and Ted .
MRC was founded by Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu in 2006. [3] Its early investors included Guggenheim Partners, AT&T, WPP Group, Goldman Sachs and ABRY Partners. [4] [5] In 2007, it funded filmmakers such as Robert Rodriguez, Ricky Gervais, Walter Salles, Ryan Murphy, Richard Kelly, Bennett Miller and Todd Field. [6] The same year, it entered into an agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures to allow Warner to distribute three of the eight pictures over a $250 million feature production funding. [7] MRC launched a television division of the studio in early 2008. [8]
In 2008, The CW leased its Sunday-night schedule to MRC beginning in the 2008-09 television season. MRC scheduled the reality show In Harm's Way and the dramas Valentine and Easy Money . [9] In November 2008, after all four shows drew poor viewership, The CW announced that it would withdraw from the agreement. [10] The network returned the Sunday timeslots to its affiliates in the 2009–10 season. [11] In 2010, MRC made a bid to buy Focus Features from NBCUniversal but was unable to close the deal. That same year, MRC struck a 5-year, 20-picture distribution deal with Universal Pictures. [12] After acquiring rights to produce a U.S. remake of the BBC miniseries House of Cards , MRC would sell the series to the streaming service Netflix in 2011. [13] [14] [15]
On February 1, 2018, Eldridge Industries, a holding company owned by former Guggenheim Partners president Todd Boehly, announced that it would contribute its media assets — including The Hollywood Reporter , Dick Clark Productions, and Billboard, and merge them with MRC into a new company known as Valence Media. [16] In October 2018, MRC formed a joint venture with United Talent Agency known as Civic Center Media, which seeks to back projects involving its members via MRC. [17] [18]
In December 2019, Valence Media acquired Nielsen Holdings' music data business, with the division being rebranded as MRC Data. [19]
In 2020, Valence Media rebranded as MRC. [20]
On September 23, 2020, it was announced that Penske Media Corporation, owner of The Hollywood Reporter's main competitor Variety , would assume operations of the MRC Media & Info publications under a joint venture with MRC known as PMRC. In turn, MRC will form a second joint venture that will develop content tied to PMRC publications. [21]
In September 2021, former E! president Adam Stotsky became the new president of MRC Live & Alternative, replacing the outgoing Amy Thurlow. At this time, Dick Clark Productions was folded into MRC Live & Alternative and discontinued as a brand. [22]
In August 2022, Eldridge agreed with Wiczyk and Satchu to divide MRC's assets, effectively undoing the 2018 Valence Media merger. Eldridge re-acquired the company's live and alternative division (which resumed business as Dick Clark Productions), as well as MRC's share of the PMRC joint venture, Luminate (the former MRC Data), and investments in studios including A24 and Fulwell 73. The remaining MRC entity, in which Eldridge will retain a minority stake, will retain its scripted film and TV production entity as well as investments in Civic Center Media and T-Street Productions. [23] Wiczyk and Satchu became chairmen of the company in 2023. [24]
SpinMedia (formerly Buzz Media) was an American digital publisher that owned a number of pop culture websites, including Spin , Stereogum , Vibe , and The Frisky . [25] It was founded in 1999 by Anthony Batt , Marc Brown, Kevin Woolery, and Steve Haldane under the name Buzznet, [26] and by 2006, Buzznet had a total of nine employees in the Los Angeles, California, area. [26] The Buzz Media name was created as the company started to acquire more pop-culture and music blogs.
The company acquired Spin Media, publisher of Spin magazine, in July 2012. [27] After shutting down the print version of the magazine, reducing its staff to about 200, and focusing on advertising, it rebranded itself as SpinMedia in March 2013. [28] At that time, Steve Hansen became its chief executive. [28] In April 2013, it acquired Vibe magazine. [29] [30]
In 2014, M/C Partners became the primary owner of SpinMedia after an assignment for benefit of creditors. [31] That year, Buzz Media had also acquired music sites Property of Zack, AbsolutePunk.net, Under The Gun Review, and Punknews.org. [32]
In September 2016, SpinMedia sold Buzznet, Idolator, and PureVolume to startup corporation Hive Media. [33] In December of that year, Eldridge Industries acquired Spin, Vibe, Stereogum, and Death and Taxes via the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group for an undisclosed amount, making Billboard the world's largest music brand in terms of digital traffic and audience share. [34] [35] Celebuzz, The Frisky , and The Superficial were sold to CPX Interactive. [36] [ better source needed ] In January 2020, Spin and Stereogum were sold to Next Management Partners and the site's management, respectively, as part of a larger focus on Vibe and a music data business. [37]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(July 2019) |
Films produced or co-financed by MRC have included:
This section needs additional citations for verification .(July 2019) |
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple languages.
Spin is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012.
The Hollywood Reporter (THR) is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large-format print magazine with a revamped website. As of 2020, the day-to-day operations of the company are handled by Penske Media Corporation through a joint venture with Eldridge Industries.
Dick Clark Productions is an American multinational television production company founded by radio and TV host Dick Clark.
Gregory Berlanti is an American screenwriter, producer and director of film and television. He is known for his work on the television series Dawson's Creek, Brothers & Sisters, Everwood, Political Animals, Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and You, in addition to his contributions to DC Comics on film and television productions, including The CW's Arrowverse, Titans, and the Doom Patrol. In 2000, Berlanti founded the production company Berlanti Productions.
Luminate is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data and Variety Business Intelligence.
The second incarnation of CBS Corporation was an American multinational media company with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and television production. It was formed on December 31, 2005, as the legal successor of the original Viacom, following the spin-off of the second incarnation of Viacom; both CBS Corporation and the second Viacom were controlled by National Amusements, a theater company owned by billionaire Sumner Redstone.
BuzzNet is a photo, journal, and video-sharing social media network that is currently owned by Hive Media. The network was owned by SpinMedia from its inception until September 2016, when it was sold to Hive Media.
The CW Television Network is an American commercial broadcast television network that is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75-percent ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the first letters of the names of its two founding co-owners CBS Corporation and Warner Bros., with CBS Corporation being merged with the second iteration of Viacom to form ViacomCBS and Warner Bros. being owned by Time Warner, later AT&T's WarnerMedia. Nexstar closed its acquisition of a controlling interest in the network on October 3, 2022, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery each retaining a 12.5-percent ownership stake.
Broadcast Data Systems is a service that tracks radio, television and internet airplay of songs. The service, which is a unit of MRC Data, is a contributing factor to North American charts published by co-owned magazine Billboard, including the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100, when combined with sales and streaming data from Soundscan.
Celebuzz is an entertainment website launched in June 2008 that features breaking TV, movie, and entertainment news. Headquartered in Hollywood, CA, Celebuzz is known for featuring exclusive blogs written by A-list celebrities, particularly members of the Kardashian family. Other notable bloggers include Whitney Port, Nick Cannon and Holly Madison.
Billboard is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to the music industry. Its music charts include the Hot 100, the 200, and the Global 200, tracking the most popular albums and songs in various music genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm and operates several television shows.
Penske Media Corporation is an American mass media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including Variety, Rolling Stone, Women's Wear Daily, Deadline Hollywood, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Boy Genius Report, Robb Report, Artforum, ARTNews, and others. PMC's Chairman and CEO since founding is Jay Penske.
Prometheus Global Media was a New York City–based B2B media company. The company was formed in December 2009, when Nielsen Company sold its entertainment and media division to a private equity-backed group led by Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners. Guggenheim acquired Pluribus's stake in the company in January 2013, giving it full ownership under the division of Guggenheim Digital Media.
Thomas Grant Gustin is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his roles as Barry Allen / The Flash on The CW series The Flash (2014–2023) as part of the Arrowverse, and as Sebastian Smythe on the Fox series Glee. Trained in musical theater, his first major credit was as part of the 2010 national tour of West Side Story; he returned to theater in the original Broadway production of Water for Elephants, originating the starring role of Jacob Jankowski.
Todd Boehly is an American businessman and investor. He is the co-founder, chairman, chief executive officer and controlling member of Eldridge Industries, a holding company headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is also the interim CEO of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and co-controlling owner and chairman of Premier League football club Chelsea, and co-owner of Ligue 1 football club RC Strasbourg under BlueCo. As of 2024, Forbes estimates his net worth at US$6.1 billion.
Eldridge Industries LLC is an American holding company headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, with offices in New York City, London, and Beverly Hills. Eldridge makes investments in various industries including insurance, asset management, technology, sports, media, real estate, and the consumer sector.
T-Street is an American film and television production company led by Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman. Under its T-Street Productions division, the company is responsible for the feature-length film Knives Out and the sequel Glass Onion.
Rideback is a film and television production company formed on December 12, 2007 by producer Dan Lin. Its notable films include The Lego Movie franchise.
Berlanti Productions is an American film and television production company founded by screenwriter, producer and filmmaker Greg Berlanti and producer Mickey Liddell.