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Dreamworks Animation

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DreamWorks_Animation_SKG_logo_with_fishing_boy_svg

DreamWorks Animation SKG logo                                                 Source: operation build tv

 Dreamworks Animation SKG

Contact

1000 Flower Street Glendale, CA 91201

Phone: (818) 695-5000

Twitter: twitter.com/dwanimation

Homepage: http://www.dreamworks.com/home/

Investors’ page: http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=185803&p=irol-irhome

Key Executives

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Jefferey Katzenberg, CEO and CED                     Source: Forbes.com

Fazal F. Merchant, CFO

Fazal F. Merchant, CFO                   Source: Hollywood Reporter

 

Ann Daly, President

Ann Daly, President Source: Hollywood Reporter

Background Information

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Dreamworks Animation SKG headquarters                    Source: bizjournals.com

Dreamworks Animation is an animation producing company that has been around since 2004. They are well known to the world having produced numerous films including ‘Shrek,’ ‘Wallace and Gromit,’ ‘Chicken Run,’ ‘How to Train your Dragon,’ ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ and ‘Madagascar.’

History

The-deadly-trio

From the left, founders of Dreamworks; Jefferey Katzenberg, Steven Speilberg, and David Geffen                                          Source: thegraphicslate.com

On October 12, 1994, three experienced hollywood entertainment veterans gathered up and founded Dreamworks SKG targetting to create a new Hollywood major film company. Mr. Katzenberg, a former Disney executive, recruited his own animation staff from Disney, while Spielberg brought in some of his animation artists from Amblimation, located at London.

In 2004, with Jefferey Katzenberg, Dreamworks’ animation department departed from its parent company Dreamworks/Public Data Images. They made an individual company that distributes and produces their own animations and named it Dreamworks Animation. Since their foundation in 2004, Dreamworks Animation has won 3 Academy Awards, 1 Golden Globe Award and has been nominated for both Academy awards and Golden Globe awards countless times.

Current Plan(2016)

  • MOVIES

Starting this quarter, Dreamworks Animation SKG changed their plans from producing 3 movies a year to producing only 2 movies a year. Although they have produced only one movie last year, “Home“; this year they are planning to launch 2 movies; ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ and ‘Trolls‘.

  1.  KUNG FU PANDA 3

Kung Fu Panda 3, one of Dreamworks Animation’s most successful animated film after Shrek, has hit the film market with great impact and has already achieved success world wide.

Avoiding to launch their movie at the same date with the new Star Wars movie, Kung Fu Panda 3 pushed back their launch date to January 29th. Collaborating an advertisement for Super Bowl with Wix before the release turned out to be a big success to have the public aware of the movie.

Though their stock prices have dropped by 6 dollars per stock, Dreamworks Animation did not seem to be worried at all. By earning 48 million dollars at the first week of the release, Kung Fu Panda kept their effort at the Box Office with great consistency.

However, due to Deadpool’s amazing success at the Box Office, Kung Fu Panda 3’s winning streak had to stop at the third week of their release. Though Kung Fu Panda 3’s weekly gross immediately reduced after Deadpool and Zootopia’s monopoly, the ‘Panda‘ still had an alternative and unreplacable plan.

Thanks to the Chinese giants who distributed and exhibited the ‘Panda’ movie at China, Dreamworks Animation could not only succeed on having a great start on 2016, but they also could recover their stock prices. Due to the success, Dreamworks could announce their last quarterly reports for 2015 safely with 55 cents per share: which was 39 cents higher than expected to be.

     2.   TROLLS 

Trolls is the last movie that Dreamworks Animation will release this year. Trolls will be open to the public in November, with some star voices that the audience might recognize. For Dreamworks Animation to continue their favorable situation, and compete with Disney and Pixar, Trolls must also achieve success.

  • NEW MEDIA

       VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER

Not just movies, but Dreamworks Animation has reached their range to Television Series all over the world. Realizing that producing profit-unpredictable feature films might not make a jackpot, Dreamworks Animation switched their target to a rather non-risky platform such as SVODS since 2013. After buying Classic Media’s classic TV animation characters for $155 million, Dreamworks Animation has announced that they will be producing and distributing Noddy, the classic 90s-00s animation at France and at the United Kingdom.

Netflix is one of the most frequently accessed media platform that 69-million people use regardless of their age. Dreamworks Animation has announced a partnership with Netflix last January. Netflix are now going to be a global home of various Dreamworks -Animation produced featured films including ‘The Adventures of Puss in Boots,’ and ‘Dinotrux.’ Plus, the two video giants will be launching ‘Trollhunters,’ and ‘Voltron: Legendary Defender’, a remake of a legendary Japanese animation.

Awesomeness TV is also one of Dreamworks Animation’s main source of income. Though giving Verizon 24.5% of Awesomeness TV’s stake, Dreamworks still remains as the main owner having over 50% of the stakes. It costed about 110 million dollars to buy the Awesomeness TV, but it is now making 70 million dollars of extra revenue every year; which is exceeding the profit of any other source of income that Dreamworks Animation has.

How important are these new media that Dreamworks started to concentrate on?

dreamworks dd

Source: Variety.com

As seen above, Dreamworks Animation’s revenue has exceedingly increased in 2015. Compared to 2012, 2013 and 2014 was not a good year for Dreamworks Animation because their revenue from feature films reduced and the profit from their newly-trying items weren’t too strong to shine. However, in 2015, even though ‘Home’ was the only featured film that they produced, their revenue from TV series and media made Dreamworks Animation leap in the market.

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Source: Variety.com

Like above, Dreamworks Animation is having fun with the new media that they have recently started investing on. Although feature films are not doing so well as they did in the past, their strategy concentrating on subscription video-on-demand are crucial to their growth.

  • INTERNATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
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Dreamworks Animation land on Korea as a channel                           Source: Worldscreen.com

Not just China, but now they are targetting the whole world. Dreamworks Animation has put effort on producing spin-offs for each countries. They concentrated ‘Kung Fu Panda’ spin-offs in China and ‘How to train your dragon’ spinoffs in Korea; which have made a huge amount of profit and awareness of the company in countries.

On April 20th, Dreamworks Animation and Korea Telecom made an agreement to launch a ‘DREAMWORKS CHANNEL’ in South Korea. After having a bunch of success in Asia, Dreamworks Animation decided to launch their own channel in South Korea; which is the third independent channel that they have created in Asia. Starting in May, the channel will be officially distributed via ‘OLLEH TV.’

Conclusion

 In a nutshell, Dreamworks Animation seem to having been adjusting to the market trend for a past few years, but they have now fixed their goal using new media as their medium. Though it might be risky to put most of their eggs in Netflix, investors and the public will have to look forward to what the company is up to in the following years.

Citation

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on by 
by Devon Parker
1_dreamworks_animation_logo

[1] The Dreamworks Animation Company Logo

 History

Dreamworks SKG is a motion picture company that was originally founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. However it was not until the fall of 2004 that Dreamworks Animation SKG got its start as a publicly traded company. Katzenberg then moved to become the Chief Executive Officer of Dreamworks Animation. It is now considered a separate company than Dreamworks SKG, producing exclusively high-end animated feature films [2].

Key Executives

CEO

[3] Jeffrey Katzenberg: CEO. Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

President

[4] Ann Daly: President. Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks animation

VP

[5] Lew Coleman: CFO & Vice Chairmen. Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

 

Financials 

As the third quarter financial results were finalized and publicly shared at the end of October the company acknowledged their successes. The company reported total revenue for the quarter of $180.9 million, which in comparison to the 2013 third quarter report of $154.5 million was a big accomplishment. “The third quarter of 2014 was strong for DreamWorks Animation, with both quarterly revenue and earnings per share up 17% in a year-over-year comparison,” shared Katzenberg. The CEO attributed this success to the overwhelming success that How to Train Your Dragon 2 brought the company. At the worldwide box office How to Train your Dragon 2 earned over $615 million at the worldwide box office making it the highest-grossing film of 2014. The 2014 fourth quarter results when finalized are expected to be determined by the most recent release of Penguins of Madagascar, which premiered in theaters on November 26, 2014, and the at home release of How to Train your Dragon 2 [6].

In Theaters 

penguins

[7] Courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

Dreamworks Animation’s most recent and only release over the past three months was this past Wednesday, November 26th. Penguins of Madagascar, a spin off of the Madagascar franchise that released in 2005. The group of witty penguins, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, John Malkovich, and Peter Stormare are on a spy mission in which they must join forces in order to prevent an evil villain from taking over the world [7]. The goal of this animation feature was to draw in the past fans of the franchise as well as attract the family holiday audience around the Thanksgiving release. The animation feature had an okay opening week finishing off second in the box office behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. The weekend Box Office Mojo shows its success over just the holiday weekend grossing $25.6 million. [8]. The box office also shows its success over the course of the first five days, with a domestic gross of $36 million and a foreign gross of $65 million, giving the worldwide total of $98.6 million. Unfortunately the gross income of Penguins of Madagascar’s opening did not compare to that of Madagascar‘s opening three day weekend of $60 million, therefore falling short of Dreamworks Animation’s ultimate expectations [9].

Recent Success

[10] How to Train Your Dragon 2 Trailer

How to Train Your Dragon 2 made its last surge in theaters both domestically and globally over Labor Day weekend of 2014. Hiccup, voiced by Jay Baruchel and Toothless’ journey continues. In their adventure to an ice cave that leads to their discovery of new wild dragons the two find themselves trying to keep the peace [11]. It officially crossed the $600,000,000 million mark, “A record-breaking opening in China coupled with phenomenal success in territories around the world have catapulted Dragon 2 to become the highest grossing animated film of the year and one of the top ten grossing films of the year in any genre.” On top of the first two movies success Dreamworks Animation publicly announced that there will a third How to Train Your Dragon 3 to be released in June of 2017. The film will have the same writer, director and producer Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold. As well as some of the same cast, including Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera as Astrid and Cate Blanchett as Valka. [12]

The How to Train Your Dragon franchise has contributed tremendously to the success of the company in the past few years. How to Train Your Dragon 2, single handedly contributed to the majority of success for Dreamworks Animation’s financial third quarter of 2014. “Films generated sales of $142.4 million and segment gross profit of $64.3 million to the third quarter, with “How to Train Your Dragon 2″ contributing $74.2 million in revenue as it continues to play worldwide. [13]” As the year comes to an end Dreamworks Animation can still expect financial benefits from the DVD release around the holidays.

Upcoming Releases

Home Pic

[14] Courtesy of News.Mic

Dreamworks Animation Studios will be releasing a new animation feature currently set for March 27, 2015. A story about an alien race Boov, that invades Earth, while relocating the humans one very “resourceful” girl by the name of Tip teams up with a Boov alien. The two take on the adventure of intergalactic battle and learning what’s really at stake. Tip will be voiced by Rihanna, while her new alien acquaintance Oh will be voiced by Jim Parsons and the leader of Boov, Captain Smek will be voiced by Steve Martin  [15].

The anticipated feature film is one different from any other. Tip, the heroine of Home, marks one of the first black female 3D animated character that any Hollywood studio has ever had. [16] The film was originally to be released during the Thanksgiving holiday slot however it was strategically switched with the release of Penguins of Madagascar. It was thought by the management of Dreamworks Animation that the Madagascar franchise would fare better during the holiday competition while Home would be more successful on its own. “We will continue to be as flexible as necessary when it comes to our release dates,” said Dawn Taubin, chief marketing officer at DreamWorks Animation also adding, “We’re confident that this date switch gives both of our upcoming releases the largest opportunity for success…” [17].

[18] Home trailer

Additions to Netflix

Dreamworks Animation new Netflix series All Hail King Julien will premiere five twenty-two minute episodes on December 19, 2014. The story line takes place before Madagascar however still star the well known cast of Julien, Mort and Maurice, voiced by Danny Jacobs, Andy Ritcher, and Kevin Richardson as well as a new line up characters. All Hail King Julien will have the lemurs taking on the adventures of Madagascar in a very comedic way drawing in a wide viewer audience [19].

All Hail Pic

[20] Courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

The new show joins Dreamworks Turbo FAST, as the studios television line up continues to grow. It is their hope the by the end of 2016 there will be another 10 new animated series on Netflix. Margie Cohn, the head of television for DreamWorks Animation explains that “All Hail King Julien is really a showcase for our talented artists to bring the Netflix audience the great storytelling, compelling characters and fantastic design that is the hallmark of DreamWorks Animation.” [21]

Sources

[1] Dreamworks Animation Logo, auocoms.com/dreamworks-animation-logo, RT: 11/15/14

[2] “Our History”, www.dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 11/15/14

[3] Jeffrey Katzenberg, www.dreamworksanimation.com, RT: 11/12/14

[4] Ann Daly, www.dreamworksanimation.com RT: 11/12/14

[5] Lew Coleman, www.forbes.com, RT: 11/12/14

[6] Dreamworks Finance, ir.dreamworksanimation.com/investor-relations/financial-information/default.aspx, RT: 11/30/14

[7] Penguins of Madagascar, www.dreamworksanimation.com, RT: 11/15/14

[8] Boxoffice Weekend Results, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/1/14

[9] Boxoffice Mojo Weekend Report, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/1/14

[10] How to Train Your Dragon 2 Trailer, youtube.com, RT: 11/15/14

[11] How to Train Your Dragon 2 Summary, IMDB.com, RT: 11/18/14

[12] “How to Train Your Dragon 2 Crosses $600,000,000″, PRNewswire.com, RT: 9/17/14

[13] “‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Lifts Dreamworks Animation Earning”, Variety.com, RT: 11/20/14

[14] Home Picture, News.mic.com, RT: 11/29/14

[15] Home Summary, IMDB.com, RT: 11/29/14

[16] “Dreamworks Latest Movie…”, News.mic.com, RT: 11/29/14

[17] “‘Home,’ ‘Penguins of Madagascar’ Swap Release Dates, Variety.com, RT: 11/28/14

[18] Home Trailer, Youtube.com, RT: 11/29/14

[19] “All Hail King Julien”, IMDB.com, 11/30/14

[20] “‘All Hail King Julien’ picture”, madagascar.dreamworks.com, RT: 11/30/14

[21] “The Wildest Party Ever Hits the Jungle when the Netflix Original Series  ‘All Hail King Julien’ Debuts Dec. 19″, dreamworksanimation.com, RT: 11/30/14

DreamWorks Studios

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By Kevin Sir

Courtesy of wholemovieinfo.com [a]

DreamWorks Studios
100 Universal City Plaza Dr., Bldg. 5121
Universal City, CA 91608
P: (818) 733-9300
http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/

Key Executives

spielberg_steven_website

Steven Spielberg (Principal Partner) [b]

snider_stacey_website

Stacey Snider (Principal Partner / Co-Chairman / CEO) [c]

small_jeff_website

Jeff Small (President / Chief Operating Officer) [d]

bario_holly_website

Holly Bario (President of Production) [e]

Company Overview

In 2007, DreamWorks introduced Stacey Snider, who was a former Chairman of Universal Studios, as the current Co-Chair and CEO of DreamWorks. In 2008, a $1.5 billion dollar deal was made with an Indian investment firm, Reliance ADA Group enabling DreamWorks’ films to be distributed and promoted by The Walt Disney Studios. [1] [2]

Brief History

Formerly identified as DW II Distribution Company, LLC, DreamWorks Studios is now known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks Pictures, and/or DreamWorks. The emergence of DreamWorks took place on October 12, 1994 when Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen decided to establish Hollywood a new studio. The “SKG” appearing on the bottom of the logo for both DreamWorks and DreamWorks Animation (DWA) was created based off of these founders’ last names. In 2004, DWA separated from DreamWorks to form two companies. The license for the “DreamWorks” name and logo are licensed through DWA. Viacom, who was the parent company of Paramount Pictures on December 11, 2005, bought DreamWorks, however in 2008, DreamWorks gained back its independence. [1] [2]

Financials

MV5BMTQ3ODY4NzYzOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjI3OTE4MDE@._V1_SX214_AL_

Need For Speed Poster,
Courtesy of IMDb [f]

Contrary to DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks Studio’s financials are unattainable since the company still remains as a privately held company. However, monumental financial information about DreamWorks can be attained through deeper research. As mentioned in the Company Overview, the agreements made with both Viacom and Reliance ADA Group add up to be about $3 billion dollars and this has saved DreamWorks’ debt from the previous years’ loss. Also, the information and performance from past films can roughly estimate how the company is doing in terms of revenue. DreamWorks’ most recent film, “Need For Speed” released in March 14, 2014 has successfully made profit overall.  To look at it closely, the domestic gross profit for “Need For Speed,” which is roughly $42 million dollars did not even nearly meet its production budget of $66 million dollars. However, the film was a success internationally considering it made $143 million dollars. “Need For Speed” was successful in making a total of $120 million dollars, and indeed, it was a much needed profit due to DreamWorks’ failure to make profit with its past films.

need-for-speed-trailer-starring-aaron-paul-looks-like-the-sixth-season-of-breaking-bad

Aaron Paul pictured, Courtesy of Business Insider [g]

There are several reasons for the success of “Need For Speed.” First, it was originally a very popular game that debuted back in 1994, which could have drawn the video gamer audience. Also, the film starred Aaron Paul, who plays Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad won 10 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, and the show’s buzz has turned Jesse Pinkman into a household name. For these reasons, this enabled the film to draw in a wider audience.

Need for Speed debuted in 1994, and over the course of the next two decades, the game would evolve under several studios such as Black Box and Criterion Games. The series has been a critical and commercial hit with gamers. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Right Here, Right Now

After researching and looking at the patterns, the DreamWorks Studio has dramatically decreased the amount of movie being released since the year 2012. In fact, in 2012 and 2013, only two movies were released each year, and following its pattern, DreamWorks is planning on releasing only two movies in 2014 as well. [7]

The Prey Poster,
Courtesy of IMDb [h]

On January 15th, 2014, after attaining the rights from Brio Films, Studio Canal and Cohen Media Group, DreamWorks Studios plans to remake a French film called “La Proie” from 2011; the remake will be called “The Prey” Originally directed by Eric Valette, La Proie has an attention grabbing plot which centers around a crook who needs to escape out of jail to save his family from his former cellmate and confidante who is a serial killer. With its remake, the film has an advantage of potentially attracting French people who has already seen the movie and want to watch an American remake version. In addition, the international gross profit could even exceed the domestic’s. [8]

 

marc-platt-dreamworks

Pictured Producer Marc Platt (“The Girl on the Train”)
Courtesy of Variety [i]

On March 24, 2014, DreamWorks Studios obtained the rights from Paula Hawkins, the author of “The Girl on the Train” for Marc Platt to produce as a R-rated movie. The novel centers around a young woman who gets involved in a murder investigation as a witness. From this news, DreamWorks Studios is on a path of producing mainly thrillers in its upcoming years. [9]

“Eleanor & Park” Courtesy of p.gr-assets.com [j]

On April 2, 2014, DreamWorks Studios attained the rights from Rainbow Rowell to make her novel, “Eleanor & Park,” into a movie. The movie takes a place in year 1986 in high school in Omaha with two 16 year olds: Eleanor, an insecure girl, and Park, a half-Korean boy who attempt to find themselves. [10]

“Made In Sweden” Courtesy of cdn-s3.thewrap.com [k]

On April 7, 2014,  DreamWorks Studios announced that Mark Sourian will produce a crime thriller from the Swedish novel called “Made in Sweden” by Anders Roslund and Stefan Thunberg. Along with the authors, Niclas Salomonsson will executive produce.The novel is about a bank robbery from Sweden’s history and a story about a band of brothers who were involved in it. The audience should be prepared for the upcoming works of DreamWorks Studios that are filled heavily with small budgeted chilling thriller movies. [11] 

Coming Up

bollywood-manish-dayal

Manish Dayal Pictured, Courtesy of http://i1.cdnds.net/ [l]

DreamWorks will be releasing a new film on August 8th, 2014 called “The Hundred-Foot Journey.” Due to the fact that this movie is still in the early development stages, a trailer is not available yet. “The Hundred-Foot Journey” centers around an Indian family who moves to France, and then opens up a restaurant across the street from a Michelin-starred French restaurant. Hassan Kadam, who is played by Manish Dayal, is a phenomenal culinary cook and after being displaced from their native India, the Kadam family moves to a village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val located in the south of France. After opening up an Indian restaurant called the ‘Maison Mumbai,’ Madame Mallory, who is played by Helen Mirren, decides to protest against the new Indian restaurant. The rivalry between the restaurants come to an end as Madame Mallory admits and recognizes Hassan’s gift as a chef and takes him under her wing.

MV5BNzI1Mjg5MjAyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjc2NDA0MDE@._V1_SY317_CR131,0,214,317_AL_

Oprah (Left)
Helen Mirren (Right)
Courtesy of IMDb [m]

DreamWorks is focused on improving profits due to its loss from the past few years. The budget for their upcoming movie “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is approximately $25 million dollars. Of course, this budget is by no means small; however, as compared to DreamWorks’ film previous budgets in the past, it is evident to acknowledge that DreamWorks is cutting budgets and focusing more on making a profit. Also, what is interesting about “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is that Oprah Winfrey is one of the producers. It is quite safe to conclude that having Oprah as a producer is one of the strategies that DreamWorks plans on employing in hopes of attracting wider audiences. Indeed, the “Oprah Effect.” In hopes of making a profit with DreamWorks’ new small budget strategy, this is a clever and strategic approach because Oprah can “suddenly turn a small, unprofitable business into a multimillion-dollar company.” In this case, hopefully these types of results are seen with this movie. [12] [13]

Sources:

[1] DreamWorks Studios – History, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 4/16/14

[2] DreamWorks Studios – FAQ, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 4/16/14

[3] 3 Reasons ‘Need for Speed’ Could Be the Next ‘Fast & Furious’, fool.com, Leo Sun, 2/17/14, RT: 4/16/14

[4] Aaron Paul Facts: 17 Things You (Probably) Don’t Know About the ‘Need for Speed’ Star, news.moviefone.com, Jonny Black, 3/14/14, RT: 4/16/14

[5] EA and DreamWorks Lift the Curtain on Need for Speed the Movie, investor.ea.com, 6/10/14, RT: 4/16/14

[6] Box Office Mojo – Need For Speed, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/16/14

[7] Movie Insider – DreamWorks Studios, movieinsider.com, RT: 4/16/14

[8] DreamWorks To Remake French Thriller ‘The Prey’, dreamworksstudios.com, Mike Fleming Jr., 1/15/14, RT: 4/16/14

[9] DreamWorks Acquires Novel ‘The Girl on the Train’ for Marc Platt, dreamworksstudios.com, Justin Kroll, 3/24/14, RT: 4/16/14

[10] ‘Eleanor & Park’: DreamWorks picks up film rights to Rainbow Rowell novel, dreamworksstudios.com, Anthony Breznican, 4/2/14, RT: 4/16/14

[11] DreamWorks Studios Options Crime Thriller Book “Made in Sweden”, dreamworksstudios.com, 4/7/14, RT: 4/16/14

[12] DreamWorks Studios – The Hundred-Foot Journey, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 4/16/14

[13] Investopedia – Oprah Effect, investopedia.com, RT: 4/16/14

Multimedia Sources

[a] DreamWorks Studios Logo, wholemovieinfo.com, RT: 4/16/14

[b] Steven Spielberg Photo & Info, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 4/16/14

[c] Stacey Snider Photo & Info, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 4/16/14

[d] Jeff Small Photo & Info, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 4/16/14

[e] Holly Bario Photo & Info, dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 4/16/14

[f] Need For Speed Poster – IMDb, IMDb.com, RT: 4/16/14

[g] Photo of Aaron Paul, static4.businessinsider.com, RT: 4/16/14

[h] The Prey Poster -IMDb, IMDb.com, RT: 4/16/14

[i] Photo of Marc Platt, variety.com, RT: 4/16/14

[j] Photo of Eleanor and Park, p.gr-assets.com, RT: 4/16/14

[k] Photo of ‘Made in Sweden’, cdn-s3.thewrap.com, RT: 4/16/14

[l] Photo of Manish Dayal, cdnds.net, RT: 4/16/14

[m] Photo of Oprah and Helen, IMDb.com, RT: 4/16/14

Zynga

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Zynga2-300x280

Zynga, Inc. 
699 Eighth St 
San Francisco, CA 94103

Phone Number: (855) 449-9642
Fax Number: (302) 636-5454
Website: http://www.zynga.com 

Zynga, Inc. was founded with the mission of “connecting the world through games” It is a leading provider of social game services for the web and mobile worlds, and it boasts franchises such as FarmVille, Words With Friends, and Zynga Poker. As of September 30, 2013, the company had 133 million monthly active users enjoying its games. Zynga games are available on Facebook, Zynga.com, Apple iOS, and Google Android. [1]

Zynga was founded in 2007 in San Francisco, California by Mark Pincus, Eric Schiermeyer, Michael Luxton, Justin Waldron, Kyle Stewart, Scott Dale, Steve Schoettler, and Andrew Trader. Mark Pincus’ American bulldog Zinga serves as the inspiration behind the name and logo of the company. [2]

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As of July 1, 2013, Don Mattrick is the current CEO as well as the member of its board of directors, after serving as President of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. Also on the board of directors are L. John Doerr, who also serves on the board of Directors for Google, Inc.; William “Bing” Gordon, who has a background in venture capitalism; Reid Hoffman, who served as Chairman of the Board of LinkedIn Corporation; Jeffrey Katzenberg, who also serves as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc; Stanley J. Meresman, who has directed several private and public companies, Sunil Paul, who also has a background in venture capitalism; and Ellen Siminoff, President and CEO of Shmoop University, Inc. Board members contribute to the company with fresh and diverse experiences, having been appointed as recently as April of 2013. [2]

Mattrick

Zynga also has an impressive leadership team that works on projects for social good. For example, since 2009, Zynga has raised over $15 million dollars for non-profits by connecting their over 1 million players with fifty different organizations. In 2013, Zynga partnered with NewSchools Venture Fund to improve the quality and radius of learning games and mobile applications by creating an education technology accelerator. [3]

zynga-newschools

On October 24, 2013, Zynga announced its Third Quarter Financial Results for the quarter that ended on September 30. Zynga saw revenue of $203 million, which was down 36% year-over-year. It also saw bookings of $152 million, down 40% year-over-year. The company experienced a net loss of $68 thousand dollars, and, before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization, saw earnings of $7 million. In response, CEO Don Mattrick seemed confident:

Our teams are working hard to compete more aggressively on the web, move to mobile and develop new hits, and I am happy with the early progress we have made…I am confident that Zynga is rewiring itself in a meaningful way that will strengthen the core of our business and put us back on track to achieve significant long term growth and profits.

Mattrick seemed confident, despite the fact that his companies “rewiring,” or restructuring, cost them $17 million dollars in office closures and acquisitions impairments. [4]

Zynga did take some hits this past year. Their results also showed a general decrease in usership from the third quarter of 2012 to the third quarter in 2013. Daily active users decreased 49% to 30 million users, monthly active users decreased 57% to 133 million, monthly unique users decreased 45% to 97 million, and monthly unique players decreased 46% to 1.6 million. On the bright side, average daily bookings per average daily active user increased 17% to $0.055. [4]

During the third quarter of 2013 alone, Zynga launched Fairy Tale Twist, Ninja Kingdom, and Hit it Rich on web platforms. [5]

fairy-tale-twist hit-it-rich-zynga-cegamers-featured

For mobile platforms, in the third quarter of 2013, it launched 1 Word (KiK Messenger App) and CastleVille Legends. New Scramble with Friends, Baseball Slam (3P), and CityVille KRE-O are also new hits that Zynga released. As of the end of the third quarter of 2013, Zynga had 3 of the top 10 games on Facebook, the ever-popular FarmVille 2, Zynga Poker, and Words With Friends. These results are based on the daily active user count reported by Facebook Application Programming Interface. [5]

farmvillewords-with-friends-logo

Zynga is a company publically traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As of November 20, the stocks are priced at $4.11 a share [6], and have been impressively strong lately, due to themes/events of the past month that drew momentum behind the company. Under Don Mattrick, the new CEO, Zynga has shifted its focus. Originally, the company wrestled with the idea of real money games to create a loyal and ever-growing user base, as well as a chunky revenue stream, but after licensing problems, they ditched the idea. Instead, Zynga is focusing its attention on the mobile gaming market in order to decrease their dependence on the social market [7]. For example, Zynga originally earned 90% of their bookings from Facebook, but that has decreased to 76%. This can be partially attributed to Facebook charging a 30% revenue share agreement.  Perhaps if online gambling becomes legal, Zynga may decide to reshift their focus once again.

charts.dll

In November of 2013, Zynga won a high profile lawsuit against Mattel’s Scrabble. Scrabble sued Zynga for using the name “Scramble with Friends,” which they claimed was too similar to its own trademark. [8]

Scramble-With-Friends-Androidscrabble-logo-yahoo

High Court Justice Peter Smith dismissed the claim that the name was too similar, but motioned that Zynga change the way it displayed the name. More specifically, of one the “M”s in “Scramble” is displayed in a corkscrew style, which the judge ruled “gives the impression that the word is Scrabble when one looks at it quickly and has the propensity to confuse.” Once the logo is changed, Zynga is good to go, and will continue distributing the game in the United Kingdom. [8]

Zynga has caught the eyes of technology buffs, stock market observers, mobile app designers, and game players alike. Within the past year, the company has reported revenue losses and the loss of two top executives. However, with new CEO Don Mattrick, the company is exploring new and innovative ways to continue the success it has seen even in such infancy. Projected revenue for the final quarter of 2103 is between $175 million and $185 million, with net loss estimated between $21 billion and $31 million. The future of the company looks bright, but only time will tell.

Sources

[1] Zynga background information

[2] Zynga’s key players

[3] Zynga leadership team

[4] Zynga Third Quarter Financial Results

[5] New Zynga games

[6] Zynga stock information

[7] Zynga’s new mobile strategy

[8] Scramble with Friends vs. Scrabble

DreamWorks Studios

Posted on by 
By Kelsey Schwartzbach

DreamWorks Studios

http://www.dreamworksstudios.com

100 Universal City Plaza Dr., Bldg. 5121 Universal City, CA 91608

818-733-9300 [1]

Dreamworks

DreamWorks Studios [2]

Key Executives:

Steven Spielberg, Principal Partner

Steven Spielberg, Principal Partner [3][4]

Stacey Snider, Principal Partner, Co-Founder, and CEO

Stacey Snider, Principal Partner, Co-Founder, and CEO [5][6]

Jeff Small, CEO

Jeff Small, CEO [7][8]

Holly Bario, President of Production

Holly Bario, President of Production [9][10]

A Brief History:

In 1994 Steven Spielberg, along with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, founded DreamWorks Studios. Their first full feature film was “The Peacemaker,” released in September of 1997, which starred two hollywood big shots: George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. In 1998 DreamWorks put out, arguably, one of its most successful movies, “Saving Private Ryan,” which was co-production with Paramount. That film did well at the Academy Awards, winning 5 Oscars out of 11 nominations. 1999-2001 were extremely successful years for DreamWorks, they released “American Beauty,” “Gladiator,” (a co-production with Universal Studios) which was the winner of The Academy Awards Best Picture that year, “Almost Famous,” (a co-production with Sony) “Meet the Parents,” (a co-production with Universal) “The Contender,” “Castaway,” (a co-production with 20th Century Fox) and “A Beautiful Mind.” DreamWorks Studios continues to produce excellent and award winning films, such as “War Horse,” “The Help,” and “Lincoln.” [11]

Financials:

Unfortunately, DreamWorks Studios financials are unavailable, but we are able to look at how DreamWorks’ past films have done in the box office to get an idea of how they are doing. DreamWorks most recent film, “The Fifth Estate” did not do well at the box office, and, in turn, DreamWorks lost a fair amount of money. The film cost $28 million to make, and only made $3,240,547 in America. Internationally the film made $2,900,000, making the total profit earned only $6,145,547, meaning DreamWorks Studios lost about $21,854,453, which is a significant amount of money. In addition, DreamWorks is releasing the movie “Delivery Man” on November 22nd, meaning a chance for more income. [12] [13]

Right Here, Right Now

So far, DreamWorks has only released one film in 2013, and that was “The Fifth Estate.”

Poster for The Fifth Estate

Poster for The Fifth Estate [15]

A trailer for the film can be seen here. “The Fifth Estate” is a film, based on real events, about WikiLeaks, its founder, Julian Assange, and what happened when WikiLeaks went public. Initially, the film looked like it was going to be a large success, they had a lot of star power, including Benedict Cumberbatch, and an excellent director, which should have drawn a lot of people to the movie. [14]

In addition to Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Fifth Estate” included other successful actors, such as Peter Capaldi, Daniel Bruhl, Laura Linney, and Anthony Mackie. The director of the film was Bill Condon, who directed several successful films, such as “Dreamgirls,” and two of the “Twilight” Saga movies. All of the talent in this movie makes it seem as though it would do well in the box office, but, as stated earlier, this film did not do well in the box office, losing over $20 million on a film is never a studio’s goal. [12] [14] [16]

On Rotten Tomatoes the movie only received an approval rating of 39%, while the average user gave the film a 5.4/10. In addition, Rotten Tomatoes commented on the failure of the movie, stating it was just a platform to show off Cumberbatch’s excellent acting. [17]

Coming soon to a theatre near you

DreamWorks has one other film coming out in 2013, “Delivery Man,” which will premiere this weekend, November 22nd, 2013. A trailer can be seen here. [13]

Delivery Man poster

Poster for Delivery Man  [18]

The film stars Vince Vaughn as a lazy delivery man who finds out he accidentally fathered 533 kids from a sperm donation he made some twenty years earlier. 142 children end up filing a lawsuit to find out who their father is. The movie follows Vaughn’s character as he struggles with idea of revealing himself to some of his kids. [13]

The film also stars Chris Pratt and Cobie Smulders, who should draw people in to see the movie. “Delivery Man” is one of the most anticipated movies to come out for the rest of 2013, although the release date was not thought out well. The film is being released the same day as “Catching Fire,” the sequel to the extremely popular “The Hunger Games.” DreamWorks shouldn’t expect the largest numbers for the opening weekend because most audiences will drawn to see “Catching Fire.” The percentage of viewers who want to see this movie on Rotten Tomatoes is 95%. DreamWorks should expect this movie to come in second after “Catching Fire” after the first opening weekend. [13][19][20]

The first film that DreamWorks will release is “Need for Speed,” coming out on March 14th, 2014. [21]

Need for Speed Poster

Poster for Need for Speed [22]

The film is based on the popular video game of the same name. It tells the story of a cross-counrty race which starts out as a revenge, but then later turns into redemption. [21]

The film has an exceptional cast to it, starring Aaron Paul, Michael Keaton, Dakota Johnson, Imogen Poots, and popular rapper, Kid Cudi. DreamWorks can expect many Breaking Bad fans to rush to this movie, seeing as Aaron Paul, viewer’s favorite, will star in this movie. In addition, many fans of the acclaimed video game will come to see the movie as well. Many movies based on video games do not do well in the box office, but the star power of the cast will do well to attract many to see this film. [21][23]

In the News

The Bully Pulpit

The Bully Pulpit [25]

On October 30th, 2013 DreamWorks Studios gained the film rights to The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism, written by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The book, and movie, will tell the story of Roosevelt and Taft’s friendship turned bitter rivalry. The book is highly anticipated and Goodwin has already won a Pulitzer Prize before for her work. The Bully Pulpit will be a collaborative effort between Goodwin and Spielberg, something that has been done before; both worked together on the award-winning film, “Lincoln,” which was partly based on Doris’ book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. [24]

The production of “The Hundred-Foot Journey” begun on October 9th, 2013. The film is

The Hundred-Foot Journey

The Hundred-Foot Journey [27]

based off of Richard C. Morais’ novel of the same name. It will star academy award winner Helen Mirren, is produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Juliet Blake. The film  is set to be release on August 8th, 2014. [26]

Sources:

[1] http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/42/42800.html [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

 [2] http://www.spectorentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Dreamworks.jpg [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[3] http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTY1NjAzNzE1MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNTk0ODc0._V1._SX267_SY400_.jpg [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[4] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/about/executives/steven-spielberg [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[5] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/stacey-snider-268656 [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[6] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/about/executives/stacey-snider [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[7] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/files/imagecache/news_image/small_jeff_website.jpg[Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[8] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/about/executives/jeff-small [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[9] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2011/12/Holly_Bario_WIE_40_a_p.jpg [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[10] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/about/executives/holly-bario [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[11] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/about/history [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[12] http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=fifthestate.htm [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[13] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/films/delivery-man [Ret: 16 Nov. 2013]

[14] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/films/the-fifth-estate [Ret: 17 Nov. 2013]

[15] http://collider.com/the-fifth-estate-featurette/ [Ret: 17 Nov. 2013]

[16] http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0174374/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr1 [Ret: 17 Nov. 2013]

[17] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fifth_estate/ [Ret: 17 Nov. 2013]

[18] http://www.comingsoon.net/gallery/90015/hr_Delivery_Man_7.jpg [Ret: 18 Nov. 2013]

[19] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2387559/ [Ret: 18 Nov. 2013]

[20] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/delivery_man/ [Ret: 18 Nov. 2013]

[21] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/films/need-for-speed [Ret: 19 Nov. 2013]

[22] http://displaypict.com/need-for-speed-movie-2014-wallpapers.html [Ret: 19 Nov. 2013]

[23] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2369135/ [Ret: 19 Nov. 2013]

[24] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/news/dreamworks-studios-acquires-the-film-rights-to-pulitzer-prize-winning-author-doris-kearns-goodw [Ret: 19 Nov. 2013]

[25] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2013/10/the_bully_pulpit.jpg [Ret: 19 Nov. 2013]

[26] http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/news/production-has-begun-on-the-feature-film-adaptation-of-the-hundred-foot-journey-starring-academ [Ret: 19 Nov. 2013]

[27] http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DMqA566VB6w/UdHdGWs4hVI/AAAAAAAAF1A/Fk46RvzNzd4/s600/the-hundred-foot-journey-book-cover-395×600.jpg [Ret: 19 Nov. 2013]

 

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on by 
By Cori Rosen

Photo Courtesy of collider.com [1]

1500 – A Seasport Blvd

Redwood City, CA

(650) 562-9000

www.dreamworksanimation.com

A BRIEF HISTORY

DreamWorks Studios was founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, and David Geffen in 1994. Katzenberg started DreamWorks SKG after he dashed from Disney following power struggles with Michael Eisner, former CEO of The Walt Disney Company. DreamWorks SKG built a new business division, DreamWorks Animation in 2000. Then in the autumn of 2004, Dreamworks Studios spun-off its animation division into DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., a publicly traded company. [2] [3]

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Dreamworks Animation is a boast-worthy creative company that churns out high-quality entertainment. Dreamworks Animation has theatrically released a whopping twenty-seven animated feature films, including blockbuster favorites Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and this summer’s Turbo. Although the entertainment factory is widely known for its feature CGI animated films, the company also creates television specials and series as well as live entertainment properties. [4]

[5]

KEY EXECUTIVES

Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation [6]

After co-finding DreamWorks SKG, Katzenberg was at the helm of DreamWorks Animation when it became an IPO. Under his leadership, DreamWorks Animation has blossomed into the world’s largest animation studio in the world and received nine Academy Award nominations and two Best Animated Feature wins. [6]

Lew Coleman, President and Chief Financial Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [7]

Previously President and Director of the Company, Coleman took on his current position in 2007. Coleman recently oversaw the formation of a joint venture that established a prominent China-focused entertainment company between DreamWorks Animation with China Media Capital, Shanghai Alliance Investment, Ltd., and Shanghai Media Group. [7]

Heather O’Connor, Chief Accounting Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [8]

O’Connor previously served as Director of SEC Reporting for DreamWorks Animation and also worked within the Accounting and Financial Planning & Analysis departments at DreamWorks LLC. [8]

Andrew Chang, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [9]

Prior to his current position, Chang held positions as head technology lawyer and head of litigation starting in October 2004 when the Company became publicly-traded. [9]

Ann Daly, Chief Operating Officer

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorksAnimation.com [10]

Daly has worked as Chief Operating Officer since the company’s IPO in 2004. Previously, she served as head of the animated division of DreamWorks SKG since 1997. [10]

QUICK FINANCIALS

DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s total revenue for its third quarter, which came to a close on Sept. 30th, was $154.5 million with a net income of $10.1 million, and earning per share a total of $.012 on a fully diluted basis. A contribution of $120.7 million and gross profit of $55.4 million derives from the feature film segment of the company’s revenue. The films Turbo, The Croods, Rise of the Guardians, and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted were released in the third quarter. Television series and segment specials contributed a revenue of $18.2 million and turned a gross profit of $4.2 million. AwesomenessTV, an online channel operator that Dreamworks recently acquired, contributed revenue of $3.6 million. The consumer products segment contributed $18.2 million in revenue and $4.2 million in gross profit. [11] [12]

Photo Courtesy of SeekingAlpha.com [13]

IN THE NEWS

netflix

Photo Courtesy of Zolmax.com [15]

• Netflix
Netflix announced a multi-year deal with Dreamworks for 300 hours of original television programming inspired by characters from the animation company’s franchises, such as Shrek, The Croods, and its upcoming feature flicks. Characters from Classic Media, which Dreamworks purchased a year ago, are also a part of this deal. Therefore, shows may develop that star familiar faces like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Lassie, and She-Ra. [14]

Photo Courtesy of Techcrunch.com [17]

•The Second Screen
M-Go, an online movie storefront, is a joint venture between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor. Similar to Walmart’s Vudu and Apple’s iTunes, M-Go focuses on transactional movie sales and rentals. It already has deals with five major Hollywood studios, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, to sell and rent movies to users. In effort to get M-Go on more devices, M-Go announced on September 4th that the M-Go app will be available on 2012 and 2013 LG Smart TVs.  [16]

Photo Courtesy of Dailymail.co.uk [19]

• The More Characters The Merrier
DreamWorks Animation recently acquired the library of Chapman Entertainment, a U.K.-based children’s television company. DreamWorks snagged its television portfolio, which includes popular titles like “Fifi and the Flowertots,” “Roary the Racing Car,” “Raa Raa the Noise Lion,” and “Little Charley Bear”. This acquisition directly follows DreamWorks Animation’s purchase of Classic Media in July 2012. [18]

Photo Courtesy of zap2it.com [21]

•Dragons Dominates its Demographic
The second season of Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk premiered on Cartoon Network on Sept. 19th. The first season of the cartoon, based on the Academy Award-nominated film How to Train Your Dragon, ranked number one in its timeslot among boys ages 2-14 versus all other TV networks. [20]

Photo Courtesy of cdn.funcheap.com [24]


• Turbo Races for Profit
Turbo just released on home video November 12th. Turbo underperformed at the box office, failing to rise to the success of last summer’s Madagascar 3. Rise of the Guardians also tanked in theaters, causing DreamWorks to take an $87 million write down. However, Rise of the Guardians later brought in $42.4 million through pay TV deals. Hopefully Turbo will see similiar results and reel in $46 million in consumer products necessary to make Turbo a lucrative endeavor. Wall Street analysts have commended DreamWorks ability to turn a mediocre box office performer into a hit on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital HD. [22] [23]

Photo Courtesy of Variety.com [26]

• Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting
Oriental DreamWorks–a co-venture between DreamWorks Animation (45% equity stake), China Media Capital, Shanhai Alliance Investment, and Shanghai Media Group (combined 55% equity stake between the three)–is in the process of developing four feature films. Kung Fu Panda 3 in addition to one other co-produced U.S.-Chinese animated flick and two-live action projects in Chinese are currently slated for development. [25]

COMING SOON

• Mr. Peabody & Sherman

 [28]

Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which features the voices of Ty Burrell and Max Charles, is set for release on March 7th, 2014. The Rob Minkoff directed film–coined as a big screen adaption of the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon–follows Mr. Peabody and his adopted boy Sherman as they hurtle back in time to repair history and ultimately save the future. [27]

Rocky & Bullwinkle

Photo Courtesy of http://media2.firstshowing.net [30]

• And They’re Back! DreamWorks Animation plans to give audiences a shot of nostalgia with a new short film Rocky & Bullwinkle, arriving in 2014. Directed by Gary Trousdale, the updated version of the original short will feature the voices of June Foray as Rocket “Rocky J. Squirrell and Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) as Bullwinkle J. Moose. [29]

Photo Courtesy of entertainmentwallpaper.com [32]

• How to Train Your Dragon 2
Riding on the success of 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon–a half-billion dollar player at the global box office and Oscar nominee–, DreamWorks Animation will release its sequel on June 13th, 2014. How to Train Your Dragon 2 reunites the voices of the first film, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, Gerald Butler, and Jonah Hill. [31]

SOURCES

[1] Collider.com – Dreamworks Animation Logo

[2] DreamWorksStudios.com – DreamWorks Animation History

[3] Forbes.com – DreamWorks Animation’s Complicated Legacy

[4] DreamWorksAnimation.com – About the Company

[5] Youtube.com – Behind the Scenes of DreamWorks Animation

[6] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Bio

[7] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Lew Coleman’s Bio 

[8] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Heather O’Connor’s Bio

[9] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Andrew Chang’s Bio

[10] DreamWorksAnimation.com – Ann Daly’s Bio

[11] MarketWatch.com – Third Quarter Financial Report

[12] Tbvision.com – TV Sales aid DreamWorks Animation Revenue

[13] SeekingAlpha.com – DreamWorks Animation Skg Inc StockCharts

[14] Zolmax.com – Netflix Deal with DreamWorks Animation 

[15] Zolmax.com – Netflix Photo

[16] TechCrunch.com – M-Go now on LG TVs

[17] TechCrunch.com – M-Go Photo

[18] Variety.com – Chapman Entertainment

[19] Dailymail.co.uk – Chapman Entertainment Photo

[20] BroadwayWorld.com – Cartoon Network

[21] Zap2it.com – DreamWorks Dragons Photo

[22] BizJournals.com – Turbo on Home Video 

[23] Reuters.com – Turbo failed to Match Predecessor

[24] Cdn.funcheap.com – Turbo Photo

[25] Variety.com – Oriental DreamWorks

[26] Variety.com – Oriental DreamWorks Photo

[27] Screenrant.com – Mr. Peabody & Sherman 

[28] Youtube.com – Mr. Peabody & Sherman Trailer

[29] Rocky & Bullwinkle Short – FirstShowing.net

[30] Firstshowing.net – Rocky & Bullwinkle Photo

[31] Deadline.com – How to Train Your Dragon 2 

[32] Entertainmentwallpaper.com – How to Train Your Dragon 2 Photo

 

DreamWorks SKG Studios

Posted on by 
By Jacob Warren

 

DreamWorks Studios Official Logo

DreamWorks SKG Studios Logo [1]

Dreamworks location

DreamWorks Studios Entrance [2]

  • 100 Universal City Plaza Dr.
  • Universal City, CA 91608
  • Website: www.dreamworksstudios.com
  • Phone: 818-733-9300
  • Twitter: @DW_Studios

Key Executives

Founder & CEO

Steven Spielberg [3]                     Founder & Principal Partner

Co-Chairman & CEO

Stacey Snider [4]                                                            Co-Chairman & CEO

President & COO

Jeff Small [5]                                              President & COO

Brief History

DreamWorks Studios was founded in 1994 by filmmaker Steven Spielberg, animation specialist Jeffrey Katzenberg and recording industry expert David Geffen. The three

DreamWorks Logo [6]

DreamWorks Logo [6]

founders initially planned to create DreamWorks as a diversified media firm, however they quickly realized that this was the wrong approach and transformed DreamWorks into a television and film developing, producing and distributing powerhouse. The partners sold DreamWorks to Viacom in 2005 and the majority of DreamWorks Studios’ films are now marketed and distributed by Walt Disney Studios. [6] [7]

Company Overview

Company Sign [21]

Company Sign [7.5]

DreamWorks Studios is a mini-major motion picture company led by Steven Spielberg in partnership with the Reliance ADA group. DreamWorks develops and produces films and television programming with a goal of releasing or producing a minimum of five to six films each year. Since its inception, DreamWorks Studios has produced and developed over 75 motion pictures including three consecutive Academy Award Best Pictures in 1999, 2000 and 2001.  With distribution outlets in North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Russia, DreamWorks’ success in the film industry prompted the company to split into two separate entities in 2004, DreamWorks Studios and DreamWorks Animation. [8]

Financials

Unlike DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks Studios has remained a privately held company and is not required to release financial statements to the public. However, significant financial information about the company is available through research. Initially funded by the three founders who each contributed $33 million, DreamWorks was also initially capitalized by an investment of $500 million from Microsoft co-Founder, Paul Allen. Despite earning Academy Awards for Best Picture in 1999, 2000 and 2001, nu-

Reliance ADA Media Logo [22]

Reliance ADA Media Logo [8.5]

merous box office flops resulted in a $400+ million debt for the film company, which nearly declared bankruptcy twice. In February 2006 DreamWorks and Viacom agreed to terms that awarded Viacom control of DreamWorks Studios for an approximate $1.5 billion. Viacom assumed DreamWorks’ debt, however Viacom’s film distribution company, Paramount Pictures, also acquired DreamWorks’ film library that was valued at $900 million. [9] In 2008, DreamWorks ended its distribution deal with Paramount Pictures and inked another $1.5 billion deal with one of India’s largest media companies, Reliance ADA Group, which now owns 50% of the DreamWorks Studios. JP Morgan executives Clark Hallren and Alan Levine guided Reliance Media’s formulation of a business plan for DreamWorks Studios.  [10]

Early Filmography

Although considered a mini-major film company, DreamWorks competes with major film studios. In 1997, DreamWorks released its first film, The Peacemaker.  After several smaller films, DreamWorks made a significant impact in 1998 with the release of Saving

Battlefield scene from 'The Pacific' [23]

Battlefield scene from ‘The Pacific’ [10.5]

Private Ryan, featuring Tom Hanks. Grossing just under $500 million, the film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. DreamWorks Studios’ success was just beginning. During the next three years DreamWorks Studios films won Best Picture for American Beauty (1999), Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001), bringing in over $1 billion and 14 Academy Awards. DreamWorks Studios also enjoyed success in television with the HBO 10-part mini series, ‘The Pacific’ (2010). The series was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards, winning eight. [6]

Right Here. Right Now.

Radical Changes

Despite its film and television success, by 2012 DreamWorks Studios was losing tens of millions of dollars a year. In 2013, the founders began streamlining operations to focus on improving profits. Although DreamWorks has its history as a Hollywood film

'Lincoln' DreamWorks film co-financed by 20th Century Fox [24]

‘Lincoln’ DreamWorks film co-financed with 20th Century Fox [10.6]

company, the studio began slashing budgets and transitioning to more of an independent film company. Beginning by reducing annual films in production from six to two, they tightened film schedules from 60-days to 40-days as well as keeping film budgets under $30 million. DreamWorks now utilizes co-financing on almost all of its films to reduce its financial risk and has slashed its work force from 120 employees to a lean 80. [11]

2013 Film Releases 

'The Fifth Estate' film released in 2013. [25]

‘The Fifth Estate’ film released in 2013. [11.5]

With DreamWorks’ new business plan they now have the flexibility to release three or four films a year. This year, DreamWorks produced and released three new films. The first, ‘The Fifth Estate’, released on October 18, 2013, chronicles the demise of the company WikiLeaks.  The film “reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century’s most fiercely debated organization.” Although a popular and compelling story, the film has yet to earn a fraction of its $28 million budget, only earning $3 million domestically to date. [12] [13]

The second film being released this Friday, November 22, 2013 is the comedy ‘Delivery Man’ featuring Vince Vaughn. This heavily marketed film presents the story of underachiever David Wozniak, whose uneventful life gets turned upside down when he finds out that he unintentionally fathered 533 children via sperm donations that he made in his youth. [14] [15]

The final film that DreamWorks has finished production on this year is the action-packed ‘Need For Speed’. A spinoff of the popular video game series set to release March 14,

'Need For Speed' action scene (2014). [26]

‘Need For Speed’ action scene (2014). [15.5]

2014, this film is DreamWorks’ attempt to grab a piece of the racing genre popularized by Universal Studios’ ‘The Fast and The Furious’ which has released six movies and is the most successful racing movie series ever. [16] [17]

2013 Acquisitions 

Along with slashing budgets and modifying business plans, DreamWorks Studios has focused on purchasing rights to popular literary works. Early in 2013, they obtained the rights to Richard C. Morais’s best-selling novel, ‘The One-Hundred Foot Journey’.  The film went into production on October 9, 2013 and is scheduled for release on August 8, 2014.  Also in October 2013, DreamWorks Studios acquired an untitled pitch from screenwriting

Goodwin's best seller 'The Bully Pulpit' [27]

Goodwin’s best seller ‘The Bully Pulpit’ [18.5]

brothers Phil and Scott Rosenberg. “Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources describe the film as a ‘modern-day-mission movie’ with a supernatural twist. [18]”  Industry experts are waiting to see if DreamWorks will put the pitch into production. The most recent purchase occurred on October 30, 2013 when DreamWorks acquired the film rights to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin’s recently released book, The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. Goodwin and DreamWorks successfully collaborated on the 2012 film ‘Lincoln’ which grossed over $275 million. [19] [20]

 

 

Sources:

[1] Broadwayworld.com: DreamWorks logo image

[2] Communitybranding.com: DreamWorks entrance image

[3] DreamWorks: Steven Spielberg image/bio

[4] DreamWorks: Stacey Snider image/bio

[5] DreamWorks: Jeff Small image/bio

[6] DreamWorks: Film history/image

[7] LA Times: DreamWorks & Walt Disney Studios deal

[7.5] ABClocal.go.com: Company sign image

[8] Google Articles: DreamWorks & Reliance Media deal

[8.5] Variety: Reliance ADA Group image

[9] Hollywood.com: Paramount buys DreamWorks

[10] Reuters: Reliance ADA Group deal

[10.5] Skymovies.com: ‘The Pacific’ scene image

[10.6] Gcmag.org: ‘Lincoln’ film image

[11] Hollywood Reporter: DreamWorks new business plan 

[11.5] Benedictcumberpatch.co: ‘The Fifth Estate’ image

[12] DreamWorks: ‘Fifth Estate’ snapshot

[13] Contactmusic.com: WikiLeaks reaction to film

[14] DreamWorks: ‘Delivery Man’ snapshot

[15] Rotten Tomatoes: ‘Delivery Man’ Analysis

[15.5] Collider.com: ‘Need For Speed’ image

[16] DreamWorks: ‘Need For Speed’ snapshot

[17] IMDb: ‘Need For Speed’ Info

[18] Variety: Rosenberg script acquired 

[18.5] Hollywood Reporter: Doris Goodwin’s best-seller image

[19] Movie Insider: Recent DreamWorks Acquisitions

[20] DreamWorks: Acquisition of best-seller

(Total Sources: 27)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DreamWorks Animation SKG Studios

Posted on by 
Ricky Laubenstein

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION SKG

dream

A Brief History

Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen founded DreamWorks SKG in 1994. The “S”, “K”, and “G” comes from the first letter of the last names of the founders. The combination of Spielberg and Katzenberg’s directing prowess, with Geffen’s unmatched musical soundtrack production, turned the company into an instant powerhouse. Their focus was to create and distribute animated feature films. They made partnerships with Microsoft and special effects company PDI in the mid 90’s to increase production quality. The company was eventually sold to Paramount but has created nearly thirty films since it was founded.

Corporate Figures

Jeffrey Katzenberg- Chief Executive Officer and Director

jeffrey

Despite co-founding the company, Jeffrey has only served as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors since 2004.  He has a long history of success including being chairman of the board of The Walt Disney Studios for ten years from 1984 to 1994. There he produced several smash hits including Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King.

Lew Coleman- President and acting Chief Financial Officer

Lew

Coleman has a rich financial back round working at Wells Fargo Bank for thirteen years and then another ten years at Bank of America where he served as Chairman and Head of Capital Markets. In 2001, he was blessed with the opportunity to be in the Northrop Grumman Board of Directors. By 2004, he became the director of DreamWorks and after a year was promoted to President of DreamWorks Animation.

Ann Daly- Chief Operating Officer

Ann

Ann’s experience is un-surmounted with fourteen years of work in The Walt Disney Company. There she developed strategies for the marketing, sales, and distribution for the home video division.  She was quickly appointed president of Buena Vista Home Video. She then moved to be the head of the animation division of DreamWorks SKG in 1997 where she focused more on the production side of things.  After several successful years she was promoted to chief operating officer in 2004.

Anne Globe- Chief Marketing Officer

anne globe

After graduating at Syracuse University, Globe got her start marketing at The Walt Disney Studios. With her wide set of skills and passion it was not long until she moved to be Director of National Promotions for Universal Pictures and Universal Studios Hollywood. Shortly after she was promoted to Vice President of Promotions at MCA/Universal. In 1996, Globe became a part of the DreamWorks team developing promotional campaigns for DreamWorks Animation feature films and creating consumer products. Anne Globe is mostly known for her strategic partnerships and long lasting relations with Hewlett Packard and Intel.

Financial Report

DreamWorks Animation SKG released their financial statement for the fourth quarter (2012) and compared them to the last four years.  There was a steady rise in equity starting at one billion in 2008 to 1.3 billion in 2011, however it platued at 1.3 again in 2012.  Yet total revenues and total assets did increase from the previous year, which will instill investor confidence.

Recent Projects

The Croods

croods

“The Croods” takes place in pre-historic time and is about a family who lost their cave and no longer has a home. The movie, recently released on March 22 2013, follows their adventure of discovery through an unknown world. Starring Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, and Ryan Reynolds it is a story that the whole family will enjoy. It was the number one ranked movie the opening weekend making a whopping $43 million. It grossed more over seas with a total of $204 million in foreign countries and $125 million domestically adding up to a worldwide gross of nearly $330 million. The marketing strategy was certainly geared towards kids with a partnership with Nickelodeon.  The movie was featured under Nickelodeon’s “Nicksclusives” and they consistently aired the movie trailer on the channel in between episodes.

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/VeG3Zmk08UU” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

Rise of the Guardians

rise

“Rise of the Guardians” is another kid-oriented animated feature film that involves the holiday heroes we all know and love combining forces to stop evil and preserve imagination for the world. It was released last November 21st .Starring Hugh Jackman and Alec Baldwin the movie debut at a number four ranking the opening week grossing at nearly $23 million. It seems to be a re-occurring pattern for DreamWorks as foreign sales nearly doubled domestic sales with over $200 million with a total gross of over $300 million worldwide.  An essential element to the movie as a whole was the consumer products that went with it.  Having action figures of characters in the movie is a highly effective way of marketing and keeps it relevant to the kids. DreamWorks also made a unique business move with the release of the DVD around Easter time. Since the Easter bunny was one of the main characters in the story, the DVD came with two hopping eggs. It may seem miniscule, but even little things like eggs make the DVD more memorable and attractive for consumers.

 

action figure

-Rise of the Guardians action figures

Puss in Boots

puss

“Puss in Boots” was released back on October 28, 2011 and is based off the supporting character in the “Shrek” movies. The story takes place long before Puss met Shrek and involves him saving his town with the help of Kitty Softpaws and Humpty Dumpty. The movie grossed $34 million opening weekend with a number one ranking. Domestic sales barely broke over production costs with nearly $150 million but almost tripled that with foreign sales at over $405 million. The marketing strategy fit well with the on your feet action in Puss in Boots. DreamWorks developed a series of games that involved different elements of the movie. You can be Puss and climb up the beanstalk in the game “Beanstalk Boost” or participate in a dance competition in the game “Dancing Boots”. You can even take a shot at directing with the game “Dance Fight Mix Master” where you pick different clips of the movie to mesh together and make them funny. Having interactive games gives kids a different perspective on the movie and creates an emotional attachment to the characters. With a spin-off movie like this it not only elaborates the “Shrek” series but also further promotes DVD sales and the movie “Shrek: The Final Chapter”. Now when consumers watch the classic “Shrek” tales there is so much more behind the character Puss in Boots because they now know his story.

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Znuq-daWfLE” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

DreamWorks Animation SKG for the Future

DreamWorks Animation SKG has a long history of creative ingenuity.  They have seemed to dominate the animated feature film genre for quite some time now. The company has shown no signs of stopping and will continue to grow and develop new stories as well ass continue their spin-offs to keep their classics relevant.

Work Cited

[1] Company Information, Movies, Corporate figure heads and pictures http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/company

[2] Company Press http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/dreamworks-animation-skg-inc/index.html

[3] Company Timeline http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/97/DreamWorks-SKG.html

[4] Company Insight http://www.closinglogos.com/page/DreamWorks+Pictures

[5] Company box office numbers http://www.boxofficemojo.com/

[6] Company Future

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/24929/what-does-the-future-hold-for-dreamworks-animation

 

 

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on by 
by Alex Wenner

dreamworks_animation_logo_1

1000 Flower St.
Glendale, CA, 91201, United States
(818) 695-5000
dreamworksanimation.com

Origins:

DreamWorks’ Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen on the cover of Time Magazine, March 27, 1995. Coutesy of malibucomplete.com

Co-founded in 1994 by entertainment veterans Stephen Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, DreamWorks Animation SKG has released a total of twenty-six animated feature films that have grossed over $10 billion worldwide (as of 2012). In 1995, DreamWorks embarked on a co-production venture with Pacific Data Images. This new unit was created to produce computer-animated motion pictures, beginning with 1998’s Antz. In 2005, Viacom purchased the live-action division of DreamWorks, only to end this partnership in 2008. Reliance Entertainment now acts as its parents company. 20th Century Fox took over international marketing and distribution for SKG in 2012, and the SKG studio now handles its own domestic distribution. In addition to feature films, DreamWorks produces television programming and other family entertainment. [1] [2]

Key Executives:

Spielberg, Courtesy of static-I3.org

Jeffery Katzenberg, Courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

Jeffrey Katzenberg – CEO and Director: Directed Disney‘s animation unit to successes like The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994) before co-founding DreamWorks Animation in ’94. Heavily involved in early SKG animation hits.

Lew Coleman – President and CFO: Spent 37 years in the banking industry before joining SKG in 2007.

Stephen Spielberg– Principal Partner: One of Hollywood’s most recognizable names and

Lew Coleman, Courtesy of dreamworksanimation.com

talents, Steven Spielberg co-founded the studio. From 1997 to 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , all Spielberg films were released through DreamWorks live-action division. [3] [4]

Financials: [5]

Revenue: $749 million (2012)

Operating Income: -$65 million (2012)

Animation Portfolio:
DreamWorks has enjoyed considerable success, both commercial and critical, with its large library of animated films. SKG’s films boast a $430 million gross average, an astounding number second to only Pixar. Four of DreamWorks films rank amongst the fifty highest-grossing films of all time, and the studio can lay claim to sixteen of the fifty highest-grossing animated features of all time. Though the studio has a history of traditionally-animated films (The Road to El Dorado, Sinbad), SKG has confirmed that all future films will be computer-animated. [6]

Chicken Run (2000)

Courtesy of impawards.com

 

Co-financed and distributed by DreamWorks for Aardman Animation, the stop-motion animated Chicken Run marked one of the company’s first forays into animated motion pictures. It was a decisive success, grossing nearly $228 million worldwide with a $42 million budget.

 

 

 

Shrek (2001)

DreamWorks found solid gold with the release of Shrek, a box-office smash-hit that

Courtesy of traileraddict.com

catapulted the studio to the forefront of film animation alongside studios like Pixar and Disney. The green ogre grossed $485 million worldwide and earned the Academy’s first award for Best Animated Feature. The computer animation used in Shrek was different from the traditional animation methods used in previous DreamWorks features, and the film’s release marked a subtle change in direction for the studio; now it would focus its efforts almost entirely on computer animation. Its sequel, Shrek 2, would go on to shatter box-office records in 2004 ($920 million worldwide gross).

Madagascar (2005)

Courtesy of impawards.com

 

Following the computer-animated tradition of Shrek, Madagascar continued the string of massive success for SKG, taking in $530 million worldwide in ’05.

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

impawards.com

Jack Black stars in this computer animated comedy that marked DreamWorks biggest opening for a non-sequel, and the highest grossing animated feature of the year ($632 million worldwide).

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Expected to launch a new franchise, Guardians (featuring a re-envisioning of classic characters Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, etc.)  was considered a flop despite being well-received critically and grossing over $300 million worldwide. It also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. [7]

Courtesy of yodale.org

Recent Activity:

February 26, 2013 – DreamWorks Animation reported a quarterly loss of nearly $83 million, mainly due to the disappointing performance of Rise of the Guardians (which still brought in over $300 million to an estimated $145 million budget, excluding marketing costs). CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg attributes Guardians lackluster performance to poor marketing. Another film in production, Me & My Shadow, was sent back into development, accruing more losses for the studio. As a result of the studios reset setbacks, SKG announced a series of layoffs that will see around 350 employees lose their jobs by the end of the year. This resulted in a small drop in SKG stock.[8]

March 13, 2013 – Despite watching its stock price drop in the wake of its 4th quarter earnings report, DreamWorks Animation SKG stock experienced an 8% rise after an analyst predicted the studio’s new release, The Croods, will exceed box office expectations. As of April 7th, The Croods has earned over $330 million worldwide in two and a half weeks. [9] [10]

March 20, 2013 – DreamWorks Animation releases the theatrical trailer for its upcoming summer 2013 animated feature, Turbo. Starring voice talent such as Ryan Reynolds, Snoop Dogg, Paul Giamatti and Luis Guzman, the film chronicles a snail’s dream of becoming a racing legend, and will be distributed by 20th Century Fox. [11]

Upcoming Projects- Even with the recent theatrical release of The Croods and the summer release of Turbo, DreamWorks Animation SKG has a full slate of movies set for production. Two sequels to SKG’s acclaimed How to Train Your Dragon (2010) are set for release in 2014 and 2016. In fall 2013, SKG plans to release Mr. Peabody & Sherman, a Rocky & Bullwinkle spin-off. With five planned releases including new films from the Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda franchises, 2015 figures to be a huge year for Animation SKG. [12] 

Sources:

[1]  http://animation.about.com/od/industryprofiles/p/dreamworks.htm

[2] http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/company

[3] http://quotes.wsj.com/DWA/company-people

[4] http://www.forbes.com/companies/dreamworks-animation/

[5] http://quotes.wsj.com/DWA?mod=DNH_S_cq

[6] http://animation.about.com/od/industryprofiles/p/dreamworks.htm

[7] http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/series/DreamworksAnimation.php

[8]  http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/dreamworks-reports-82-7-million-loss/

[9] http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-animation-stock-surges-8-428424

[10] http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=croods.htm

[11] http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/watch-dreamworks-animations-speedy-theatrical-trailer-for-turbo/

[12] http://screenrant.com/dreamworks-animation-lineup-2013-2016/all/1/

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on by 
by Alex Benis

DreamWorks Animation SKG

Location

1000 Flower Street, Glendale, California 91201

(818) 695-5000 ; www.dreamworksanimation.com

Key Executives

  • Jeffrey Katzenberg (Chief Executive Officer/Director/Co-Founder) [pictured below]

2

  • Lew Coleman (President/Chief Financial Officer)
  • Ann Daly (Chief Operating Officer)
  • Anne Globe (Chief Marketing Officer)
  • Heather O’Connor (Chief Accounting Officer)
  • Michael R. Francis (Chief Global Brand Officer)
  • Andrew Chang (General Counsel/Corporate Secretary)
  • Rich Sullivan (Deputy Chief Financial Officer)

About

3

DreamWorks Animation SKG is an animation studio located in Glendale, California that produces animated films, television series and live entertainment for audiences worldwide.  With a staff totaling more than 2,100 employees facilitating production, DreamWorks creates and distributes on average roughly three feature-length films for theatrical release in addition to many other smaller-scale projects.  Boasting the rank of being the fourteenth best place to work according to Fortune Magazine, the animation studio is the one of the most versatile in the world and is the birthplace of stories that wrestle with the imagination.

Historical Background

18

DreamWorks SKG was jointly founded on October 12, 1994 by the triumvirate made up of: director & producer Steven Spielberg, music executive David Geffen and former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg.  With its formation, artists from Spielberg’s previous unsuccessful animation studio, Amblimation, were attracted for employment.  In 1995, the young animation studio signed a co-production deal with Pacific Data Images, forming the subsidiary PDI, LLC which split the ownership 60/40 favoring PDI.  The new business partition would go on produce its first-ever feature film: Antz.  In 1997, DreamWorks partnered with British stop-animation studio Aardman Animation to co-produce Chicken Run.  At the turn of the century, DreamWorks SKG created the business division DreamWorks Animation and halted the use of hand-drawn animation following the production of Shrek (which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film).  In 2004, the studio became the first to produce two computer-generated animated feature films in a single year with the theatrical release of Shrek 2 and Shark Tale.  The same year, DreamWorks Animation was further divided into DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. managed by Katzenberg under the terms that 12 new films be distributed by the end of 2010’s fiscal fourth quarter.

Financials

For 2012, the animation studio raked in an impressive $749.8 million – topping its previous year’s revenue by $42 million dollars which can be credited to the release of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.  Additionally, DreamWorks ended 2012 with $82.7 million in revenue with their total assets reaching $1.945 billion and a total equity of $1.346 million.  Their fiscal fourth quarter results are as follows:

4.1

From June to September, DreamWorks increased their annual revenue from $162.8 million to $186.3 million.  Following the month of October, profitability increased much more rapidly – with the most likely cause being related to the marketing of their newest movie at the time: Rise of the Guardians.  By December 31st, the studio’s revenue stream for the quarter was capped off at $264.66 million, slightly over a third of their annual earnings.  Overall, DreamWorks incurred a $36.4 million loss over the course of the entire year in comparison to their overall revenue of the previous year.

In The News

19

Dreamworks’ fourth quarter holiday release, Rise of the Guardians, proved successful at the box office: being largely responsible for just over one-third of the animation studio’s overall revenue for that year.  Centering around an evil spirit named Pitch, the character archetypes of imagination (The Sandman, The Tooth Fairy, Santa Clause, etc.) are given no choice but to join forces in order to defeat a looming enemy that threatens childrens’ beliefs.  Starring heavyweights Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman and Jude Law, the film was described by one critic as being “one for the kids, [but] fun enough to put a smile on parents’ faces.”  Domestically, Rise of the Guardians grossed $103 million, which was surprisingly only 34% of its $303.5 million worldwide gross.  In the weeks that followed its release, the film was rewarded with a 74% fresh tomato overall.

17

Released just last week on March 22, DreamWorks Animations’ The Croods grossed a total $72.8 million its opening weekend.  When a prehistoric family’s home is destroyed, they are forced to embark on a journey across an unfamiliar land in search of a new home.  Written-and-directed by Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch, The Lion King) and Kirk de Micco, the feature film boasts a talented cast starring Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone and actor Clark Duke, who is best-known from roles in the ABC series GREEK and the acclaimed superhero movie Kick-Ass.  The film is currently the highest-grossing film at the box office –  concluding the weekend at $43.6 million.  The Croods also holds a 67% fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com and a 7.5/10 on imdb.com.  After just two weeks at the box office, Dreamworks first animated feature film of 2013 has grossed $227 million in total and is currently the number one ranked movie worldwide.  So far, The Croods is in position to exceed studio’s 2012 revenue profitability – with two other feature-length theatrical releases later this year.

Upcoming Animations

July 19, 2013: Turbo

5

Following the story of a snail who gains superior speed after a freak-accident, Turbo aspires to escape his slow-paced world to compete in the Indy500.  Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamotti and Ken Jeong are all attached to the project set to be the studio’s primary summer release.

November 1, 2013: Mr. Peabody & Sherman

6

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is DreamWorks’ adaptation of the well-known Rocky and Bullwinkle side-cartoon about an exceptionally smart dog who owns a human as a pet.  When they travel back in time, they are tested when they realize they could potentially unravel the fabric of their universe.  The feature film is set to be directed by Rob Minkoff (The Lion King) and will star Ty Burrel (Modern Family) and Max Charles (The Amazing Spiderman) voicing Mr. Peabody and Sherman, respectively.

March 14, 2014: Me and My Shadow

7

Lesser-known than DreamWorks’ two previously-mentioned feature films, Me and My Shadow follows the story of a seemingly boring man’s shadow that craves for a more exciting lifestyle.

Other Projects Currently In Production

June 20, 2014: How To Train Your Dragon 2

8

November 26, 2014: Happy Smekday!

9

March 27, 2015: The Penguins of Madagascar

10

June 5, 2015: Trolls (working title)

13

November 6, 2015: B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations

14

[Seth Rogan supposedly attached]

December 19, 2015: Mumbai Musical (working title)

16

[Kevin Lima (Tarzan, Enchanted) will be directing with music composed by A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire)]

March 18, 2016: Kung Fu Panda 3

11

June 18, 2016: How To Train Your Dragon 3

12

Sources

[1] http://dreamworksanimation.com

[2] http://ycharts.com/companies/DWA/revenues

[3] http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=dwa

[4] http://ir.dreamworksanimation.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=743403

[5] http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/best-companies/2012/snapshots/14.html

[6] http://screenrant.com/dreamworks-animation-lineup-2013-2016/all/1/

[7] http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the-croods/

[8] http://www.imdb.com

[9] http://boxofficemojo.com