Relativity Media

Posted on October 5, 2014 by jatuckma

by Jason Tuckman

Photo courtesy of logos.wikia.com. (1)

Relativity Media

Contact Information: (2)

Address: 9242 Beverly Blvd., Suite 300, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Phone Number: 310-724-7700

URL: http://www.relativitymedia.com

Twitter: @Relativity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/relativity

An Overview of Relativity Media:

Focusing on the content creation and distribution of television, film, sports, music, fashion, and digital, Relativity Media was founded in 2004 by CEO Ryan Kavanaugh. (3) Relativity Media seeks to integrate different aspects of its content throughout all of its mediums, providing the best entertainment for its customers. Relativity Media Studios, the largest division of the company, has produced over 200 films such as “Don Jon”, “Out of the Furnace“, “Movie 43“, and “The Pursuit of Happyness“. The company has made more than $17 billion in box office revenue and has earned 60 Oscar nominations. (4)

Key Executives:

CEO: Ryan Kavanaugh

President: Tucker Tooley

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Co-Chief Operating Officer: Happy Walters

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Co-Chief Operating Officer: Gregory Shamo

Photos and Info. Courtesy of http://www.relativitymedia.com/About.aspx (5)

Financials:

According to Ryan Kavanaugh, this year Relativity Media plans to make $1 billion in box office revenue, although the company is privately held and there is no official public documentation of revenue. (6) Kavanaugh believes in tight budgets that don’t necessarily need to be hits to make a profit. (7) This strategy is called the “Monte Carlo” approach, which is mainly used on Wall Street. This approach uses information about a possible movie and analyzes whether or not it will make a profit. Considering actors, budget, genre, and release time, Relativity Media is able to figure out which possible movies will be hits, and which ones will be flops. (8) Therefore, the company is able to use small budgets to make small profits, which add up over time to make Relativity Media successful. Currently, Relativity Media is privately held but is planning on going public in the next year once enough equity is raised. (9)

Current Movies:

Relativity Media has released nine films this year, four of which are still in theaters. The films still in theaters are “The November Man”, “Beyond the Lights”, and “The Best of Me”. “Hector and the Search for Happiness”, an action comedy staring Simon Pegg, was released in select theaters during the month of September. (10)

“Hector and the Search for Happiness”

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Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (11)

Directed by Peter Chelsom, “Hector and the Search for Happiness” tells the story of a psychiatrist who feels guilty that his patients aren’t getting happier, leading him on a quest to understand the true meaning of happiness. (12) The movie was only released to 183 theaters and made $938,954 in revenue. (13) It garnered negative reviews, receiving only 31% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The November Man”

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (14)

Directed by Roger Donaldson, and staring Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, and Olga Kurylenko, “The November Man” is an action thriller about a retired spy who must come out of retirement for a personal mission. It is based off the novel “There are No Spies”, by Bill Granger. (15) So far, it has made $32 million dollars globally in box office revenue. It’s budget is disclosed, and came in sixth for its opening weekend in late August, way behind “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. (16) It received negative reviews, with only 34% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The Best of Me”

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (17)

Based off the Nicholas Sparks novel, “The Best of Me” is a drama/romance film that tells the story of two high school sweethearts that, after 20 years, are drawn back to their hometown after the death of a friend. They rekindle their high school love, but realize that there are problems after being apart for so long. The movie is directed by Michael Hoffman and stars Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, and Luke Bracey. (18) Ranked fifth in its opening weekend, “The Best of Me” has made just under $33 million in global box office revenue, $25 million domestically. (19) It also received an underwhelming 10% on Rotten Tomatoes. In late October, B4U, a Bollywood Film and TV company invested $100 million in Relativity Media to make a version of “The Best of Me” for audiences in India. (20)

“Beyond the Lights”

Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (21)

Watch the trailer here. Courtesy of youtube.com

Relativity Media’s most recent film, “Beyond the Lights” opened on November 14, 2014. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and staring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, and Minnie Driver, “Beyond the Lights” tells the story of a young popstar who falls in love with a cop who is striving to become a prominent politician. Fame tests their relationship as they struggle to find peace in the madness that surrounds their lives. (22) The film has made $6.2 million in box office revenue during its opening weekend, and currently has $12 million in total domestic revenue, with a reported budget of $7 million, and received 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. (23)

On August 12, 2014, Relativity Media hired Matt Alvarez as EVP of Production and President of Relativity Studio’s newly formed multicultural division. Alvarez produced hits such as “Ride Along”, the “Barbershop” franchise, and Relativity’s recent movie, “Beyond the Lights”. He will focus on growing the studio’s slate with more diverse filmmakers. (24)

Recent News:

On October 2nd, Relativity Media announced that One West Bank Group and Dune Capital Management is set to purchase Elliot Management’s stake in Relativity Media, along with Ryan Kavanaugh himself. The purchase is led by Ryan Kavanaugh, One West Bank Group and Dune Capital Management’s founder, Steven Mnuchin, along with some other unnamed private investors. (25) This investment shift may hint at secret preparations for Relativity’s IPO release in the next year. Kavanaugh will still be the largest individual shareholder of the company and no specific financials were released. (26) Steven Mnucin is no stranger to Hollywood. He is known for helping to finance “Gravity” and “Avatar”.

Photo courtesy of blumhouse.com (27)

On November 4th, Relativity acquired the rights to distribute “Lazarus”, a horror film, in the U.S. This movie comes from Jason Blum’s production company, Blumhouse, and is set to be released on February 20th, 2015. The movie stars Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, Evan Peters, and Donald Glover. Blumhouse is known for box office hits such as the “Paranormal Activity” franchise as well as recent success, “Ouija”. “Lazarus” is about a group of medical students who discover a way to bring dead patients back to life. (28)

In Development:

“Not Without Hope”

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Photo courtesy of www.relativitymedia.com (29)

Based on the best selling memoir by Nick Schuyler, “Not Without Hope” tells the true story of four NFL players who go on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico that turns deadly when the ship capsizes, forcing the friends to cling to the the capsized boat while a storm rages around them. (30) This gruesome tale of friendship will star Dwayne Johnson and has recently begun script adaptation by Nicholas Mariani. (31)

“Demon House”

Lee Daniels, Director. Photo courtesy of thereelnetwork.net (32)

Directed by Lee Daniels, this movie will tell the story of Latoya Ammons and her family, whom have been possessed by demonic spirits for the past two years. Turn Left Productions, with owners Jackson Nguyen and Todd Crites will finance, produce, and distribute the film along with Relativity Media and producer Bruce Cohen. (33) This will be an interesting change for Lee Daniels, known for “The Butler”, who is now taking a turn at making a thriller.

Sources:

(1) Relativity Media Logo From 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(2) Relativity Media Contact Information From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(3) Founded From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(4) Relativity Media About From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(5) Relativity Media Executives From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(6) Relativity Media Profitability From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(7) Tight Budgets Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(8) Monte Carlo Approach Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(9) IPO Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(10) 2014 Films From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(11) Hector and the Search for Happiness Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(12) Hector and the Search for Happiness Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(13) Hector and the Search for Happiness Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(14) The November Man Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(15) The November Man Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(16) The November Man Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(17) The Best of Me Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(18) The Best of Me Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(19) The Best of Me Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(20) The Best of Me Bollywood From 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(21) Beyond the Lights Movie Poster From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(22) Beyond the Lights Synopsis From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(23) Beyond the Lights Box Office From 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(24) Matt Alvarez From 12 August 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(25) Relativity Media Purchase From 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(26) IPO Holdings From 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(27) Blumhouse Productions Logo Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(28) Lazarus From 4 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(29) Not Without Hope Book Cover Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(30) Not Without Hope Synopsis Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(31) Not Without Hope Development From 10 October 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(32) Lee Daniels Retrieved 30 November 2014.

(33) Demon House Development From 12 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.

Paramount Pictures

Posted on October 5, 2014 by bjyuran

by Brian Yuran

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Logo [1]

Contact Information: [2]

555 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323)-956-5000

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Paramount

Twitter: @paramountpics

http://www.paramount.com

About Paramount Pictures:

Founded in 1912, Paramount Pictures is the fifth oldest surviving film studio. Paramount specializes in film production, distribution, and digital entertainment. It has built its success on many hit films and franchises, such as Titanic, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, and Transformers. [3] In 1994, Paramount was purchased by Viacom for $8.28 billion. [4]

Key Executives: [5]

Brad Grey: Chairman and CEO

Rob Moore: Vice Chairman

Frederick Huntsberry: COO

Adam Goodman: President, Paramount Film Group

Financials:

Paramount Pictures’ 2013 estimated box office revenue was approximately $970 million. [6] Also, its 2013 market share was 10.8%. As of late, Paramount Pictures’ performance has not been ideal. While it was the most profitable of the major studios in 2011, it is currently last. However, Paramount has a business model to fix its recent slip. It plans on making less films and going for guaranteed profit. In fact, Paramount is only releasing 11 films from now on as opposed to 16 in previous years. The studio believes this new business model will work because its profit margin has been 5.5% or more for the past three years, up from 0.5% in 2008. [7] Through these new tactics, Paramount looks to best competitors Warner Bros., Fox, and The Walt Disney Company.

Right Here, Right Now:

Over the summer, Paramount Pictures released the popular franchise films, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers: Age of Extinction. Paramount’s fall season is slow as it is only releasing Interstellar and Men, Women, & Children.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

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Transformers: Age of Extinction Official Poster [8]

Transformers: Age of Extinction dominated the box office, despite negative reviews. It currently holds an 18% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [9] During its opening weekend, the film grossed $138,345,769 million, giving it the 29th biggest opening of all time. Internationally, the film crossed the $1 billion mark. It has become the highest-grossing film in Chinese film history, generating over $300 million in revenue. [10] Many studios like Paramount have been setting films overseas to appeal to the international market.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Michelangelo [11]

Paramount distributed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a joint Nickelodeon Movies and Platinum Dunes production, in August. The movie focuses on the origin story of the Ninja Turtles and their quest to defeat the evil Shredder. [12] Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and produced by Michael Bay, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was major financial success.

It grossed $93.7 million globally during its opening weekend. Domestically, it had an opening of $65 million in 3,845 theaters. To date, the film has grossed over $400 million at the international box office. [13] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had the fourth biggest box office debut ever during the month of August. As a result, a sequel has been ordered for June 3rd, 2016. [14]

Men, Women, & Children

Adam Sandler in Men, Women, & Children [15]

Directed by Jason Reitman, Men, Women, & Children tells the story of a group of parents and high school students who face the consequences of the power of the Internet. [16] It has only grossed $705,908, which is substantially less than its $16 million budget. It is on track to be a major flop. In its wide release it only earned $306,367. Men, Women, & Children had the fifth worst wide release opening to a movie released on 600 screens. [17] Critical reviews have been negative with a 29% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [18]

The negative buzz around the film is shocking as the topic very much pertains to the present. The internet has become such an integral part of all our lives. Also, the cast features A-list actors, such as Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, and Judy Greer. In fact, Sandler has been a huge box office draw for the past 15 years; his movies have grossed nearly $4 billion at the box office. [19] Even he could not salvage the film. Furthermore, the main issue was that the plot lines between the characters did not intertwine strongly. There was a huge opportunity to make this film great, but it was unfortunately bland and lacking in aesthetic value according to Chief Film Critic Justin Chang of Variety. [20]

Interstellar:

Interstellar Movie Poster [21]

Directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan and starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, Interstellar focuses on a team of individuals who search for a habitable planet that will allow humanity to survive. [22] It is maybe Nolan’s most daring film yet as it combines stunning visuals and a puzzling story with a solid family dynamic. Nolan borrowed many thematic elements from 2001: A Space Odyssey. For instance, he pays homage to the black monolith and computer HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Nowadays, it is rare to see a three hour movie, like Interstellar, but most critics are not complaining. A few have not been in love with the film like Joe McGovern of Entertainment Weekly, who gave the film a B- rating. [23] However, most of the other reviews have been more positive as the film currently holds a 9.0 rating on IMDB. [24]

Paramount is only handling the domestic release of Interstellar, while Warner Bros. takes care of the international distribution. [25] It grossed $61,837,040 domestically in its opening weekend, but a whopping $144,737,040 worldwide, which nearly surpassed its $165 million budget. By its second week in theaters, Interstellar grossed over $300 million ($321.9 million to be exact) globally. [26] Domestically in its second week, it made $29.2 million, for a domestic total of $97.8 million as it fell 39%. Over the weekend, it crossed the $500 million mark worldwide. [27]

In Other News

In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major studio to distribute all its content digitally. Also, Paramount has created a new website that enables people to stream movies right from its site so it can funnel money directly back into corporate headquarters, rather than dealing with websites like Amazon Prime. [28]

In addition, Paramount has been in a tireless legal battle with investors who claim they never received their money back from projects such as Mean Girls and The Manchurian Candidate. The investors are suing to get back $40 million of their investment. The court concluded that Paramount is off the hook and not responsible. [29]

Looking Forward:

Unlike the fall season, Paramount’s winter film slate will be much busier with the releases of highly anticipated films, The Gambler (2014), Top Five, and The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water.

The Gambler (2014) Trailer [30]

The Gambler (2014) is Mark Wahlberg‘s latest film, in which his character, Jim Bennett, borrows money from a gangster and puts his life up as collateral. It is a remake of the 1974 film of the same name. [31]

Top Five Trailer [32]

Top Five is a comedy film written and directed by Chris Rock. It has a planned release date of December 12th, 2014. It currently holds a stellar 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [33]

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water Trailer [34]

The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water is planned to be one of Paramount’s biggest hits of the winter, as it will attract young fans and older fans who grew up viewing the television show.

Paramount’s future appears promising with the other releases of Selma, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, and Project Almanac, which will be presented in a found footage style. [35] Selma is expected to generate much Oscar talk.

Sources:

[1] Paramount Logo, Paramount.com, RT: 11/10/14

[2] Paramount Contact Information, Paramount.com, RT: 11/12/14

[3] Film Franchises, Paramount.com, RT: 11/12/14

[4] “Viacom To Announce Deal To Purchase Paramount”, The New York Times, 9/12/93, RT: 11/12/14

[5] Key Executives, Paramount.com, RT: 11/10/14

[6] Paramount Revenue, Boxofficemojo.com, RT: 11/08/14

[7] New Business Model, The New York Times, 12/22/13, RT: 11/09/14

[8] Transformers: Age of Extinction Poster, IMDB, RT: 11/08/14

[9] Transformers: Age of Extinction Review, Rotten Tomatoes, RT: 11/11/14

[10] Transformers: Age of Extinction in China, Deadline.com, 8/3/14, RT: 11/12/14

[11] Michelangelo Photo, Screenrant.com, RT: 11/07/14

[12] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, IMDB, RT: 11/09/14

[13] “Ninja Turtles Cracks $400 Million”, Variety.com, 11/02/14, RT: 11/10/14

[14] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sequel Announced, Variety.com, 8/10/14, RT: 11/11/14

[15] “Adam Sandler Leads Sexually Charged Dramedy”, The New York Post, 9/30/14, RT: 11/10/14

[16] Men, Women, & Children Summary, Time.com, RT: 11/10/14

[17] Men, Women, & Children Flop, Thewrap.com, RT: 11/11/14

[18] Men, Women, & Children Rating, Rotten Tomatoes, RT: 11/12/14

[19] Adam Sandler Box Office, The New York Times, 9/30/14, RT: 11/09/14

[20] Justin Chang, Variety.com, 09/06/14, RT: 11/10/14

[21] Interstellar Photo, Hollywoodreporter.com, RT: 11/11/14

[22] Interstellar Info, RogerEbert.com, RT: 11/16/14

[23] Joe McGovern, Entertainment Weekly, 11/19/14, RT: 11/19/14

[24] Interstellar Rating, IMDB, RT: 11/19/14

[25] Interstellar Distribution, Variety.com, 11/16/14, RT: 11/19/14

[26] Interstellar Box Office, Boxofficemojo.com, RT: 11/20/14

[27] Interstellar’s Splash, Deadline.com, RT: 11/21/14

[28] Paramount Streaming Service, Theverge.com, RT: 11/06/14

[29] “Paramount Pictures, Movie Investors in Mean Fight”, The Wall Street Journal, 10/26/14, RT: 11/18/14

[30] The Gambler (2014) Trailer, Youtube.com, RT: 11/18/14

[31] The Gambler (2014), IMDB, RT: 11/18/14

[32] Top Five Trailer, Youtube.com, RT: 11/18/14

[33] Top Five Rating, Rotten Tomatoes, RT: 11/18/14

[34] The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water Trailer, Youtube.com, RT: 11/17/14

[35] Paramount Future Releases, Deadline.com, RT: 11/10/14

Lionsgate Entertainment

Posted on October 5, 2014 by htfergus

by Naomi Pinkus

Lionsgate Company Logo [1]

Contact Information:

Address: 2700 Colorado Ave Ste 200
Santa Monica, CA, 90404 United States

Phone Number: (310) 449-9200

Website: http://www.lionsgate.com

About Lionsgate:

Lionsgate Entertainment was founded in 1997 by financier Frank Giestra. In 2000 Giestra stepped down as CEO, and the current CEO, John Feltheimer, took charge along with the current Vice Chairman Michael Burns [2]. For a while, Lionsgate was seen as a small studio known for their Tyler Perry comedies and horror flicks such as Saw [3]. Then, in 2012, The Hunger Games came to theaters, and become one of the most successful film franchises in history. Since then, Lionsgate bought Summit Entertainment (Twilight series) and has been speeding up to the major film studios in record time [3]. This particular wiki will focus on Lionsgate’s motion picture production line of business, as it is also involved in television programming, home entertainment, distribution, and new channel platforms [2].

Key Executives:

John Feltheimer, Chief Executive Officer [4]

Michael Burns, Vice Chairman [5]

Since starting in 2000, Feltheimer and Burns have grown Lionsgate from an $80 million company to a nearly $4 billion one today. Lionsgate’s revenue has increased more than 15 times over [4].

Financials:

Lionsgate reported as of September 30th (when the quester ended) their revenue has increased by 11% to $552.9 million. They also had an adjusted EBITDA of $59.0 million. They also had an adjusted net income of $33.0 million or $0.24 adjusted basic net income per share. Additionally, they had a net income of $20.8 million or $0.15 basic net income per share, which is up from $0.00 basic net income per share last quarter [6].

Big Releases:

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1:

In this portion of the story, Katniss is in District 13 as the face of the rebellion, while trying to save Peeta from the Capitol [8].

The third movie in the Hunger Game’s franchise which made over $1.5 billion in the box office before this new release [7]. The Hunger Games is by far Lionsgate’s most well-known and lucrative project. This third film came out November 21st, and has spent its two weeks of release being number one in the box office [9]. With a budget of $125 million, it has already made $225 million in the domestic market and $480 in the international market [9]. This franchise is also responsible for the Jennifer Lawrence’s rise to one of the top A-List stars in Hollywood.

John Wick is the story of an ex-hitman who comes out of retirement to hunt the gangsters who took everything from him [10].

John Wick:

With the reintroduction of Keanu Reeves, John Wick did surprisingly well as number 2 in the box office opening weekend. With a budget of $20 billion, Lionsgate gained $42 million domestically and $17 million internationally [11].

Smaller Film Releases:

Addicted is a thriller that encompasses a story about a gallerist engaging in an affair, which jeopardizes her family and career [12].

Jessabelle is the story of a girl who returns to her hometown after a car crash, where she’s met with a dark spirit who won’t let her go [14].

Addicted came out on October 10, 2014 and made $17 million. It was in approximately 1,000 theaters for only about 7 weeks [13].

Jessabelle is a horror film that came out on November 7th, 2014. As of now, there is no information on the budget, earnings, or number of theaters of this film [15].

Dear White People is a story about four black people struggling with race at a university [16].

MV5BMTQ4NTkxOTEyMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTI1NzcwMzE@-1._V1_SY317_CR0,0,214,317_AL_

The Homesman is the story of a man and woman who must transport 3 insane women across the country [18].

Dear White People was released on October 17th and has made about $4 million domestically (it was not released in the international market) [17].

The Homesman came out on November 21st. The film had an estimated budget of $16 millions and has only made $200,000 in the box office thus far [19].

Upcoming Releases:

Mortdecai:

Starring Johnny Depp, Gwenyth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, and Olivia Munn, Mortdecai is sure to be a success. It is set to be released on January 23rd. The story is an action-comedy who’s premise is an art dealer is given a job to hunt down an art thief and faces an adventure across the world [20]. CEO Feltheimer compares this film to The Pink Panther and considers Depp’s character very “franchisable” [21]. The movie’s release was moved from early February so as to reduce the competition: now it is pinned up against Jennifer Lopez’s thriller The Boy Next Door [22].

Insurgent:

Perhaps the biggest grossing project next to The Hunger Games is the Divergent franchise. Insurgent, the second film of the trilogy, sets to be released to theaters on March 20th [23]. Divergent, the first film, made about $288 million worldwide last spring [24]. This film is estimated to be even more successful because the lead, Shailene Woodley, has escalated in fame since Divergent’s release through the film Fault in Our Stars [25]. Also interesting is the fact that Lionsgate has released a trailer that is a dream of the lead Tris (Woodley)- which has been commented on by news outlets as a risky way to promote the film, especially since they leave out the romance element of the film [25]. Insurgent will also be released in 3D.

The Age of Adeline:

Starring Blake Lively, The Age of Adeline tells a story about a woman who cannot age. It is set to be released on April 24th [26]. This is the first big movie Lively will lead in, so it’s a potentially big opportunity to draw fans in [27].

Spare Parts:

Spare parts is the story of four under-privledged hispanic boys starting a robotics club. It is set to hit theaters on January 16th and is starring George Lopez and Jamie Lee Curtis [28]. This film was a move by Lionsgate to reach out to and widen their Hispanic market. The Hispanic market is the fastest growing demographic in America, comprising 19% of U.S. box office revenue while representing 17.5% of the population [29].

Current Business Ventures:

Lionsgate has been extremely busy in the last few months expanding their company. The way they are doing this is by partnering up with many major companies to add projects to their plate and widen their distribution for the films they already had.

On September 3rd, Lionsgate announced that joined with Entertainment One, they would be renewing their multi-year film agreement in Canada, Australia, and Spain. This renewal will continue to distribute their major movies across the world, giving their company more recognition and money [30].

The last few months have been heavily focused on advertising and marketing The Hunger Games. On October 8th, Lionsgate partnered with Doritos, Mazda, and Whole Food’s, all of which sponsored a new app called “Our Leader, the Mockingjay” [31]. On October 20th, Lionsgate sent out a press release with the partnership between them and Google, where they created a five episode YouTube series about characters in Panem (the setting of The Hunger Games) [32]. Then on November 7th it was announced that Lionsgate would be partnering with Imagine Nations to produce The Hunger Games as a theater production in the UK [33].

As of November 13th, Lionsgate has partnered with CBS Films on up to 12 wide-release films. In this agreement CBS finds and produces the films while Lionsgate deals with distribution. This will allow each company to benefit from each other’s strengths [34].

There are many other examples of Lionsgate using any film success they’ve had to branch out into new media channels. It seems as though they are going to continue moving full speed ahead on their business ventures.

Sources:

[1] Lionsgate Company Logo, Deadline.com, RT 2/5/13

[2] Lionsgate Company Overview, lionsgate.com, RT 12/1/14

[3] Lionsgate Fighting the System, businessinsider.com, RT 1/24/14

[4] CEO Jon Feltheimer, Lionsgate.com, RT 8/17/13

[5] Vice Chairman Michael Burns, Lionsgate.com, RT 8/17/13

[6] Financial Report, lionsgate.com, RT 11/30/14

[7] Google and Lionsgate Team Up, lionsgate.com, RT 10/20/14

[8] Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Imbd.com, RT 11/21/14

[9] Hunger Hames: Mockingjay Part 1, boxofficemojo.com, RT 11/30/14

[10] John Wick, imbd.com, RT 11/30/14

[11] John Wick, boxofficemojo.com, RT 11/30/14

[12] Addicted, imbd.com, RT 11/30/14

[13] Addicted, boxofficemojo.com, RT 11/30/14

[14] Jessabelle, imdb.com, RT 11/7/2014

[15] Jessabelle, boxofficemojo.com, RT 11/30/2014

[16] Dear White People, imdb.com, RT 11/30/14

[17] Dear White People, boxofficemojo.com, RT 11/30/14

[18] The Homesman, imdb.com, RT 11/30/14

[19] The Homesman, boxofficemojo.com, RT 11/30/14

[20] Mortdecai, lionsgate.com, RT 11/30/14

[21] Johnny Depp’s New Franchise, thewrap.com, RT 11/30/14

[22] Mortdecai to Hit Theaters Early, hollywoodreporter.com, RT 11/30/14

[23] Insurgent, lionsgate.com, RT 11/30/14

[24] Divergent, boxofficemojo.com, RT 11/30/14

[25] Insurgent Trailer, forbes.com, RT 11/30/14

[26] Age of Adeline, lionsgate.com, RT 11/30/14

[27] Blake Lively, usatoday.com, RT 11/30/14

[28] Spare Parts, lionsgate.com, RT 11/30/14

[29] George Lopez, variety.com, RT 11/30/14

[30] Entertainment One, lionsgate.com, RT 9/3/14

[31] Our Leader, The Mockingjay, lionsgate.com, RT 10/8/14

[32] Google, lionsgate.com, RT 10/20/14

[33] Theater Production, lionsgate.com, RT 11/7/14

[34] CBS Films, lionsgate.com, RT 11/13/14

CBS Films

Posted on October 5, 2014 by rkraiche

 by Rebecca Raichek

11800 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90025

Company Overview

CBS Films is a film company that is owned by CBS Corporation and produces, distributes, and acquires feature films. Created in 2007, CBS Films is a small production company who release about four to six films every year that consist of various different genres [1]. CBS Films are always on the lookout for new quality films regardless of genre, and generally focus on the production of smaller films since they are more agile and adapt to the market place says Vice President of Communications Grey Munford [2]. CBS Films looks to make good movies that are able to find an audience. Showtime and CBS help with the financing of the films, and the showcasing and syndication as well. Because CBS is good at putting premium content out, CBS films are able to reach their intended audience. They gain viewers through less of a traditional promotional and advertising way, but are still equally as successful as the big studios [2].

Key Executives

Terry Press: President

Terry Press source: cbsfilms.com/about

Reid Sullivan: Chief Financial Officer

Reid Sullivan source: cbsfilms.com/about

Scott Shooman: Executive Vice President Acquisitions and Co-Productions

Scott Shooman source: cbsfilms.com/about

Steven Friedlander: Executive Vice President Theatrical Distributions

Steven Friedlander source: cbsfilms.com/about

Financials

Since CBS Films was established in 2007, they have released 17 movies that have earned a total gross income of $321,882,427 [3]. The top earning movie was Last Vegas with $63,914,167, followed by The Woman in Black with $54,333,290. In the first quarter of 2014, the Entertainment sector of CBS Corporation which includes CBS Films earned $457 million which was a decrease for the first quarter in 2013 which was $480 million [4]. In the third quarter of 2014 which is the most recent, the Entertainment sector of CBS corporation earned $335 million which was a decrease from $431 million in 2013 [4].

Upcoming/Current Projects

Currently, CBS Films has one film in theaters and one that is coming out in February. In July 2014 CBS Films acquired the U.S rights to the British film Pride after it debuted at the Cannes film festival. Pride is a film about the true story of a gay and lesbian activist group in London supporting the national union of mineworkers strike. It stars Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Paddy Considine, and is directed by Matthew Warchus. The film was distributed by Pathe and the acquisition deal was made by Scott Shooman who negotiated with Cameron McCracken and Pierre du Plessis [5]. Pride was a small film with a limited release of only 124 theaters in the U.S and has a total gross of $1,446,634 [6]. Critics gave the film great reviews and was given 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes [7]. To advertise the film, CBS Films relied heavily on the use of social media and personal interactions through the audiences via Twitter. CBS Films retweeted audience reviews of Pride on their page instead of self-promoting the movie themselves. According to Vice President of Communications Grey Munford, “ the best thing you can do is retweet the good things other people are saying. People trust it more with reviews coming from other people.” He also stressed that “Pride was a social first movie- in the digital space social media is most important,” [2]. Pride will be available on Blue-Ray on December 23rd, 2014.

Promotional poster for Pride source: geekedoutnation.com

Another upcoming project for CBS Films is the release of The DUFF in February 2015. The trailer for The DUFF had it’s world release during the premiere of The Hunger Games as part of a strategy by CBS to target the demographic of Women Under 25 [2]. According to Munford, the trailer was strategically released during The Hunger Games because it was the single biggest movie released between November and February that would reach the target demographic [2]. The DUFF is about a high school girl who finds out she is the
“DUFF” of her friend group- the designated ugly fat friend, and she desperately tries to change her image. This film has also used social media to advertise, and actors Bella Thorne and Robbie Amell have tweeted a link to the trailer encouraging their fans and followers to watch it and see the movie when it is released.

Promotional poster for The DUFF source: collider.com

Starting in 2015, Lionsgate Entertainment will take over CBS Film’s distribution operations as a multiyear agreement. The deal also includes Lionsgate taking control over all international sales for CBS films. CBS will still produce and acquire their own films, but Lionsgate will have total control of distribution both in theaters and in home entertainment [8]. This deal comes after CBS Films has made a move to become a more significant studio in acquiring films, especially after they acquired Inside Llewyn Davis, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and most recently Pride [8].

Another upcoming project for CBS Films is the production of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark which will be an adaptation of the books written by Alvin Schwartz. The films will be adapted by John August, and will be produced by Sean Daniel, Jason Brown, and Elizabeth Grave [9].

source: deadline.com

CBS Films is also adapting the Broadway musical 13 to film which will be written by Bert V. Royal, and produced by Laurence Mark [10].

Social Media

Because CBS Films is a smaller film company, they rely heavily on social media in order to advertise and promote their films. They have a Facebook account where they constantly post about their current and upcoming projects and provide behind the scenes pictures for the 5,700 people who like the page. Vice President of Communications for CBS Films Grey Munford, explained how social media has helped their films successfully compete with big budget movies at the box office. Their film The Woman In Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe, opened up within 2-3 million dollars of Fox’s big budget film Chronicle. [2]. The film used social media and built an online fan base to successfully advertise and also emphasized on the stardom of Daniel Radcliffe to persuade his current fans to see the movie.

source: gettypress.co.uk

CBS Films also used Radcliffe as an advertising tool to promote their Romantic- Comedy What If which he starred in as well. The film had a social media campaign through the new app We Heart It which is an image-sharing social network, and gained 22,000 followers [11].

source: gophoto.us

References

[1]. About CBS Films, cbsfilms.com/about, RT 11/27/14

[2]. G.Munford, Personal Communication, October 29 2014.

[3]. CBS Films All Time Box Office Results, boxofficemojo.com, RT 11/27/14

[4].CBS Corporation Investor Relations, investors.cbscorporation.com, RT 11/28/14

[5].“Pride Acquired by CBS Films”, variety.com, RT 11/27/14

[6].Pride (2014), boxofficemojo.com, RT 11/27/14

[7] Rotten Tomatoes, rottentomatoes.com, RT 11/29/14

[8]. “Lionsgate Takes Over CBS Films’ Distribution & Global Sales, deadline.com, RT 11/28/14

[9].“John August To Pen ‘Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark’ For CBS Films, deadline.com, RT 11/28/14

[10].“CBS Films Bringing Musical ’13’ to Big Screen, hollywoodreporter.com, RT 11/28/14

[11].“Young-adult movie campaigns mine social media” usatoday.com, RT 11/28/14

Additional References

Buenavista/Disney Pictures

Posted on October 5, 2014 by iclynch

by Izzy Lynch

Photo Courtesy of [1] www.waltdisneystudios.com

Contact

Address: 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA. 91506

Phone: (818) 560-1000

Twitter: @DisneyPictures

History and Properties

Snow White Original Vintage Film Poster. Photo Courtesy of www.animationartstudio.com

The Walt Disney Studios is the world-renowned film division of the film-turned-lifestyle corporation, The Walt Disney Company (NASDAQ: DIS) [2]. Founded in 1923 under the name The Disney Brothers Studios by brothers Walter E. Disney and Roy O. Disney, the company gained recognition for Walt’s impressive art in second dimension animation and the rich character portrayals [3]. The company has become the most successful animation brand in the world, crafting iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse, and producing timeless features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Mary Poppins (1964), Lion King (1994) and many more. Since the studios’ inception, the company has grown to host multiple lucrative businesses, including resorts, theme parks, and merchandise, all utilizing the characters created through the company’s television and film productions. The studios have expanded their reach to include The Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, The Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios (2006), Lucasfilm Limited LLC (2012), Marvel Studios (2009), Touchstone Pictures, Disneynature, and Disneytoon Studios. Films produced by these subsidiaries are distributed through The Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, formerly known as Buena Vista Pictures [3].

CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, Robert A. Iger. Photo Courtesy of www.waltdisneystudios.com

CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, Robert A. Iger. Photo Courtesy of [4] www.waltdisneystudios.com

Management

As of 2005, Robert A. Iger has headed The Walt Disney Company, serving as both Chief Executive Officer and Chairman [4]. Iger reinstated the company’s relationship with the previously affiliated Pixar Animation Studios in 2006, which led to the hiring of Pixar Chief Executive Officer John Lasseter and Pixar President Edwin Catmull to head the then floundering Disney Animation sector of the studios. Since incorporating the two as Chief Creative Officer and President of the Walt Disney Animation Studios respectively in 2008, the company has seen an incredible improvement in the quality of content, producing blockbuster hits including Wreck It Ralph (2012), Frozen (2013), and Big Hero 6 (2014) [5].

Financial Information

The Walt Disney Company, which became a publicly traded entity in 1940 [6], released its Q4 and 2014 financial reports on November 6th, 2014 to reveal record-breaking numbers for the fourth year in a row. Along with impressive numbers from the overall company, Studio Entertainment revenues soared 22% from last year, earning nearly $7.3 billion out of the nearly $49 billion company revenue total, garnering the largest increase in revenue of the Company’s other business ventures [7].

The Walt Disney Company’s 52 Week Stock Price Chart. Photo Courtesy of Businessweek.com

Recently, the company experienced an impressive increase in their current trading price with the release of their eighty-eight second Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser. Trading prices for the company rose to a share price of $92.96 on Friday, November 28th [8], which has proven to be not only a 52-week high, but also an all time high for the company [9]. While stock prices represent the entire Walt Disney Company, it is important to note that the characters from the film productions are an integral part of what keeps the company relevant and popular, which has a significant impact on the stock price.

Current Projects

The Walt Disney Studios operates their production of films in the format of larger tent-pole franchises supporting the lower budget features. The company tends to produce films that fulfill the requirements of the four quadrants of moviegoers: both male and female, over and under 25 years of age.

After Disney’s overwhelming domestic and international success of 2013’s animated hit Frozen, the company has continued to produce high quality and exceptionally profitable films throughout its current slate [10], which includes both live action and animated features. Towards the closing of a strong summer for the company, with releases such as Maleficent and Planes: Fire and Rescue, Marvel Studios released the tent-pole live action film Guardians of the Galaxy [10], which has garnered the title of being the top grossing film of 2014 with a total earning of $331.1 million at the global box office; a considerable achievement for its $170 million budget [11]. Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Bradley Cooper, the film explores the uniting of a motley crew attempting to save the galaxy at the hands of an evil villain [12]. The film premiered on August 1st, 2014, and was highly praised by critics and audiences alike, scoring a 90% critic approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes [13].

Big Hero 6 Promotional Poster. Photo Courtesy of www.marvel.wikia.com

Guardians of the Galaxy served as the ideal primer for the November 7th release of Big Hero 6, a collaboration of the Walt Disney Animation Studios and Marvel Studios. Big Hero 6, with its $165 million production budget [14], incorporated characters from Marvel’s 5,000-character bank into the Animation Studios’ computer generated imagery format [15]. The result was a success; the film garnering a $50 million domestic box office in its opening weekend, as well as gaining the top spot of the weekend box office ahead of highly anticipated films, such as Warner Brothers’ Interstellar [16]. The film has netted $224.1 million in the worldwide box office to date [16].

Future Projects

The Walt Disney Studios have many high profile projects planned for release through 2019, having announced multiple films from each of its accompanying brands. Many of these films include live-action reboots of past Disney classics, continuations of prior franchises, or new franchise launches.

The most highly anticipated upcoming releases include the reboots of the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by the talented J.J. Abrams, utilizes the Lucasfilm-constructed universe to continue the saga and is scheduled for release in December, 2015. The film, which takes place in a time after Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), starring Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and others from the first installment of the series, has generated great interest. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger has announced that his contract has been extended from terminating in March 2015 to June 2018 to oversee the release of two of the three upcoming Star Wars films [17].

Walt Disney Studios has also announced the continuation of the wildly popular Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, with a new film scheduled to be released in the summer of 2017. The film will be titled Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales [18].

Marvel plans to continue the producing widely profitable Avengers, Thor, Captain America, and Guardian of the Galaxy franchises, scheduling to release sequels to the films through 2018. Marvel has multiple other first-appearance films set to premier as well [19].

Pixar Animation Studios has announced the production of Toy Story 4, which came as a shock to many after the seemingly neat conclusion of the franchise with the release of Toy Story 3 (2010) [20]. Pixar has also announced plans to revive The Incredibles and Finding Nemo films with sequels, including the anticipated release of the film Finding Dory in 2016 [21]. Pixar is anticipating the release of their next film, Inside Out, a story told through a child’s emotions, in June of 2015 [21].

Sources

[1] “The Walt Disney Studios >> Walt Disney Studios Home” The Walt Disney Studios Retrieved 28 November 2014

[2] “DIS-NASDAQ.com” NASDAQ.com Retrieved 30 November 2014

[3] “Disney History” The Walt Disney Company Retrieved 29 November 2014

[4] “Rober A. Iger – The Walt Disney Company” The Walt Disney Company Retrieved 29 November 2014

[5] “Big Hero 6 Proves it: Pixar’s Gurus Have Brought the Magic back to Disney” Wired.com Retrieved 29 November 2014

[6] “Chronology of The Walt Disney Company” Chronology of The Walt Disney Company Retrieved 26 November 2014

[7] “Disney Fiscal Report 2014” The Walt Disney Company Retrieved 22 November 2014

[8] “DIS: Stock Information” Businessweek.com Retrieved 28 November November 2014

[9] “‘Star Wars’ Trailer Awakens Walt Disney Stock” TheGuardian.com Retrieved 30 November 2014

[10] “The Walt Disney Studios Current Slate The Walt Disney Studios Retrieved 28 November 2014

[11] “2014 Top Grossing Films” BoxOfficeMojo.com Retrieved 1 December 2014

[12] “Guardians of the Galaxy – IMDB” IMDB.com Retrieved 1 December 2014

[13] “Guardians of the Galaxy Review – Rotten Tomatoes” RottenTomatoes.com Retrieved 28 November 2014

[14] “Big Hero 6 Box Office” BoxOfficeMojo.com Retrieved 30 November 2014

[15] “Disney Buys Marvel Entertainment” TheGuardian.com Retrieved 26 November 2014

[16] “Nov. 7th 2014 Weekend Results” BoxOfficeMojo.com Retrieved 30 November 2014

[17] “Bob Iger to Remain Disney Chief through 2018” Variety.com Retrieved 26 November 2014

[18] “‘Pirates of the Caribbean 5’ Set for Summer 2017” The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved 23 November 2014

[19] “Marvel Studios Announcements” The Slate Retrieved 27 November 2014

[20] “Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 4’ Set to Play in Theaters in 2017” Variety.com 07 November 2014

[21] “Pixar Animation Studios Official Slate” Pixar Retrieved 30 November

Pandora Radio

Posted on October 5, 2014 by htfergus

by Ally Thibault

[8]

Music has always been a uniting force across the entirety of the human race. It brings people together, projects ideas and opinions across generations, and encapsulates emotions that simply cannot be preserved otherwise. It is a timeless source of comfort and entertainment. While traditional radio has always been a reliable outlet to access music, citizens of the digital age tend to crave more than just what is given to them. People want to hear the music they like. Seeing this trend in listener niche preferences, Pandora Radio founder Tim Westergren channeled his passion and knowledge of music and created one of the most successful personalized online radio platforms to date.

Pandora Radio is an online radio station and application that allows users to search songs, artists, and albums and creates customized stations featuring music similar to the choice of the user. The creative and analytical muscle behind Pandora comes from the Music Genome Project [3], which is known as “the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken”. The project has collected hundreds of details about virtually every song ever recorded, which allows Pandora to sort songs into all kinds of diverse categories. The main purpose of Pandora is not only to provide a steady stream of music to listeners, but also to introduce them to new and current music akin to their already established tastes. Their overall aims are summed up most succinctly in their mission statement: “To play only music you’ll love”. [1]

[9]

Pandora Media, Inc. was originally founded in January 2000 in Oakland, California, where it is now headquartered. Founder Tim Westergren developed the Music Genome Project with the intention of creating playlists tailored to the interests of music listeners. He initially considered licensing the music recommendation service to other major companies, but this proved to flop in terms of generated profit, receiving only a $20,000 fee from Barnes & Noble.com for further development. After pitching the idea to countless venture capitalists, he finally settled on the idea of an internet radio website powered by the genome. In the early years following its launch in 2005, Pandora encountered multiple close brushes with bankruptcy as the company experimented with different business models and faced steep increases in music royalty fees. It started quite modestly, used initially by friends and family of Westergren and his colleagues. Since then Pandora has caught fire — in January of 2012, Pandora surpassed the milestone of 125 million registered users. [2]

[10]

Now commandeered by CEO Brian McAndrews, Pandora’s business model has improved in sustainability: centered around generating revenue primarily through online advertisements and, on a lesser scale, subscription fees, and paying royalties to the artists whose music it features. Their third quarter earnings results yielded an increase of $0.07 per share with an overall quarterly revenue of $180 million (positive surprise of +1.02%), with analysts predicting a continued increase on both fronts into the fourth quarter. [4] Over the course of the months following March of 2014, Pandora’s market share increased from 9.11% to 9.13%. In addition, their listener hours have grown 28% year over year in May 2014. Overall, Pandora’s profitability has improved despite royalty price hikes as they have fine-tuned their ad-targeting strategies. [5]

As the online radio industry has seen a surge in popularity over the past couple of years, many competing companies like Spotify have entered the market space to take a gander at the boundless range of music-loving consumers. As a result, Pandora has been pressed into making creative changes and additions to their market appeal strategy in order to distinguish themselves from their competition. The ability to provide their customers with something different and enticing is crucial in maintaining their relevance in the internet radio sphere. With this is mind, Pandora initiated a series of live concerts available for free exclusively for their listeners this past September. They partnered with Lexus to sponsor the pop-up concerts, which took place in Southern California. The performing artists included popular, current acts like MAGIC!, Kongos, and Nico & Vinz. The strategy of distributing the invitations to the concerts was intended to reward Pandora listeners for their loyalty. Pandora determined which users had created unique stations specifically for the artists who would be performing and extended invitations to those who showed a particularly strong interest in the musicians. This allowed Pandora listeners to truly connect with the artists they love, based on how they interacted with them through the online radio platform. Tommy Page, Head of Music Partnerships at Pandora, explained that the concert series demonstrated their “ability to leverage [their] data to create personalized experiences with the fans, as well as…the inroads [they’ve] made with the music industry”. This live concert experience option was unique to Pandora listeners and part of the initiative to differentiate them from their competitors. [6]

Pandora’s “thumbs up” button also brought artists to life for listeners in other ways. On September 5th, a few lucky listeners who clicked the button during a song by classically trained violinist Lindsey Stirling were suddenly prompted by an invitation to video chat with the artist herself. If they accepted, they were treated to a private conversation and performance from Ms. Stirling from her studio in LA. Since then, Pandora’s #ThumbMoments campaign has brought musicians to life for many of their listeners. These “thumb gifts” will continue to reward listeners for choosing Pandora by granting them access to totally unique experiences that can’t be found anywhere else. Pandora’s Chief Marketing Officer Simon Fleming-Wood explained that the experience aims to hyperbolize that feeling you get when the “perfect song” comes on your Pandora station, and the result is truly emotional. [7]

This fall, Pandora has made great strides in branching out to bring artists closer to listeners. They have begun to focus more of their marketing muscle towards interactive experiences with the music they feature in an attempt to set themselves apart from their competition. Pandora continues to evolve as the industry changes and is certainly a company to keep an eye on in the months to come.

Sources

[1] About Pandora Media. (n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://www.pandora.com/about

[2] Clifford, S. (2007, October 1). Pandora’s Long Strange Trip. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://www.inc.com/magazine/20071001/pandoras-long-strange-trip_pagen_2.html

[3] Pegoraro, R. (2014, May 24). Pandora’s “Music Genome Project” explores the cold hard facts of how we interact with music. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://boingboing.net/2014/05/24/pandoras-music-genome-proj.html

[4] Earnings & Estimates Summary – PANDORA MEDIA INC (P). (2014, November 28). Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/earnings/earnings.asp?ticker=P

[5] Team, T. (2014, July 22). Pandora Earnings Preview: Growing Market Share and Improving Monetization in Focus. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/07/22/pandora-earnings-preview-growing-market-share-and-improving-monetization-in-focus/

[6] Castillo, M. (2014, September 17). How Pandora Mined Data to Create Lexus-Backed Concert Series. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/pandora-mines-data-create-lexus-backed-concert-series-160177

[7] Newman, A. (2014, September 21). A Thumbs-Up Brings Favorite Artists to Life For Pandora Listeners. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/22/business/media/a-thumbs-up-brings-musicians-to-life-for-pandora-listeners-.html?_r=0

8] Pandora Radio Logo Banner. Digital image. SoulBridging. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://soulbridging.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/pandora-banner.jpg>.

9] Sprague, Jonathan. Tim Westergren. Digital image. My Ford Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.myfordmag.com/faces/tim-westergren-sync>.

10] McDermid, Brendan. Brian McAndrews. Digital image. Reuters. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20130911&t=2&i=793057292&w=580&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=CBRE98A1PNM00>.