CBS Films

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Jessica Breslow

By Jessica Breslow

Courtesy of CBS Films [a]

CBS Films
11800 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: (310) 575-7000
www.cbsfilms.com

Brief History

CBS Films, operating as a subsidiary of CBS Corporations, was founded only 7 years ago in 2007. Despite being new on the block in a tough industry, CBS Films has successfully made noise in several markets with releases like, “Las Vegas,” “The Woman in Black,” and “The Back Up Plan.” They plan to continue making noise by releasing approximately 4-6 films a year by self-distributing in the US while their partners oversee global distribution. CBS Film’s commitment to managing the development, financing, production, and marketing of low budget, experimental, and quality motion pictures of various genres is what makes them unique as a middle ground in the industry. [1] [2] [3]

Key Executives

Wolfgang Hammer (Co-President) [b]

Terry Press (Co-President) [c]

Steven Friedlander
(Executive Vice President, Theatrical Distribution) [d]

Reid Sullivan
(Chief Financial Officer) [e]

Rik Toulon
(Executive Vice President & General Counsel) [f]

Maria Faillace
(Executive Vice President, Production) [g]

For more information about the Key Executives, click here [1].

Financials

CBS Films is not a publicly traded company; therefore, there is no financial information available. However, according to Box Office Mojo, one can understand that CBS Films has the potential to be competitive among the major film companies in the future if it continues its current pattern.

CBS Films – Rankings
Courtesy of Box Office Mojo [h]

The studio got off to a rough start with its first project, “Extraordinary Measures.” The film had a production budget of $31 million dollars, and unfortunately led the company to a major loss since the film’s worldwide total gross was only $15,134,293. Fortunately, the studio’s second film “The Back Up Plan,” was a huge success, and produced a worldwide total gross of $77,477,007. With a $35 million dollar production budget, “The Back Up Plan,” was not only able to recoup the film’s production budget, but also was able to recoup “Extraordinary Measures” major loss all while still making the company roughly $26 million in profit.

“Las Vegas” Total Lifetime Grosses
Courtesy of Box Office Mojo [i]

To date, every film that CBS Films has distributed has made some profit besides “Extraordinary Measures.” In fact, the company’s most successful film to date “Las Vegas” proves that CBS Films is moving forward. “Las Vegas” had a production budget of $28 million dollars, and earned a worldwide total gross of $134,402,450 (see photo right). These observations allow one to assume that the company is comfortable financially. [4] [5] [6]

News

Clif Prowse (R), Derek Lee (L)
Courtesy of www.images.moviepilot-cdn.com [j]

CBS Film’s “Afflicted,” which was released on April 4, 2014, is currently playing in limited theaters and is available on demand at iTunes, Amazon, VUDU, Google Play, Time Warner, and XBOX in addition to other Video On Demand services. As of April 11, 2014, “Afflicted” is being shown in 34 theaters, which is down ten theaters from its original release date. According to Box Office Mojo, as of April 13, 2014, the film has earned a domestic total of $121,179. The Canadian Film Lottery and the hundred thousand dollars Co-Directors Derek Lee and Cliff Prowse devoted their time to raising funded “Afflicted.” To save on production costs further, the Co-Directors starred as themselves in the movie out of necessity, and they complied their friends, families, and relatives to be the actors as a pay-free route to ensure their budget was kept low.

Derek Lee (L), Clif Prowse (R)
Courtesy of www.laimyours.com [k]

Remarkably, Derek and Cliff have been friends since they were 15 and pimpled-faced. They started this found-footage horror film project in 2011 after working on 4 shorts together. The idea for the film was the result of what they thought would best display their skillsets. Originally, they envisioned creating an action film; however, they lacked the funding to do so with quality. As a plan B, the duo created what evolved into the vampire point of view documentary in theaters today. With only four filmmakers and a small crew of ten, scenes were shot guerilla style in Paris, Italy, and Spain using a Cannon 5D Mark II and a Go Pro. The Director of Photography was equipped with only a single lighting pack due to budget; therefore, natural lighting was forcibly essential. Budget, however, did allow for Visual Effects Company Imagine Engine to be brought on as a producer to ensure the scenes requiring special effects were brought to life. These scenes demanded an abundance of patience and luck to achieve a realistic effect since the scenes lacked certain resources that typically would have been needed.

Derek Lee as Derek Lee
Courtesy of www.images.moviepilot-cdn.com [l]

After years of hard work and obstacles, “Afflicted” was screened to distributors. A low seven figures and additional money for improving production later, CBS Films attained a deal with the duo to polish and complete the film. With CBS Film’s support, the film became commercial and competitive after a month of reshooting. “Afflicted” started to gain real momentum after being well received at the Toronto International Film Festival and Austin’s Fantastic Fest. In Toronto, “Afflicted” was awarded “Best Canadian First Feature Film,” and in Austin, the movie was awarded “Best Picture (Horror),” “Best Screenplay (Horror)”, and “Best Director (Horror).” In addition, according to IndieWire, “Afflicted” is on the Top 10 indies to watch On Demand for April. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Derek Lee as Derek Lee
Courtesy of CBS Films [m]

Brief Synopsis: Derek and Cliff, two best friends, set out to travel the world for a year, but to their surprise the trip goes terribly wrong after Derek spends a night with a beautiful woman. After Derek’s encounter with this woman, his body goes though inhuman and uncontrollable changes. Cliff was originally documenting the entire trip for his travel blog, but the footage ends up capturing how the trip takes a dark turn instead. [12]

Watch Afflicted Trailer [n] (YouTube)

CBS Films is keeping an eye on the films that receive major buzz from festivals; there is talk that CBS Films might have plans to continue pursuing deals like this in the future if it “Afflicted” proves to be a beneficial investment. The power of this buzz serves as free advertising and generates a strong word of mouth presence that is typically not the easiest achieve. [8]

Coming Soon

“The F Word” recently retitled “What If” will hit US theaters in August 2014. In September, “What If” made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. Two and a half million dollars later, CBS Films attained the US rights for this project. “What If” will be released on August 1^st in NY and LA theaters, and will be accompanied by Disney’s “Guardians Of The Galaxy” and James Brown’s “Get Up On It.” CBS Films plans to expand markets for “What If” following the first weekend. [13]

Zoe Kazan (L), Daniel Radcliffe (R)
Courtesy of CBS Films [o]

Director:
Michael Dowse

Writer:
Elan Mastai

Stars:
Daniel Radcliffe
Zoe Kazan
Adam Driver
Mackenzie Davis
Megan Park
Oona Chaplin

Producers:
David Gross
Jesse Shapira
Jeff Arkuss
Macdara Kelleher
Andre Rouleau

[14]

Sources:

[1] CBS Films – About, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

[2] Company Overview – Bloomberg Businessweek, investing.businessweek.com, RT: 4/13/14

[3] LA Times – Prime time for CBS movie bet?, articles.latimes.com, Claudia Eller & Amy Kaufman,1/11/10, RT: 4/13/14

[4] Box Office Mojo – “Extraordinary Measures”, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[5] Box Office Mojo – “The Back Up Plan”, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[6] Box Office Mojo – “Las Vegas”, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[7] The Horror: Afflicted LA Premiere At Hollywood Horrorfest, laimyours.com, Jonatha Bilski, 3/31/14, RT: 4/13/14

[8] Fantastic Fest: CBS Films May Have a Sleeper Hit in Low-Budget Horror Movie ‘Afflicted’, thewrap.com, Jeff Sneider, 9/20/13, RT: 4/13/14

[9] The Hollywood Reporter – Afflicted: Film Review, hollywoodreporter.com, Frank Scheck, 4/3/2014, RT: 4/13/14

[10] The 10 Indies to Watch on VOD This April: ‘Joe,’ ‘Blue Ruin,’ ‘Filth’ and More, indiewire.com, 4/2/14, RT: 4/13/14

[11] IMDb Page for Film “Afflicted”, IMDb.com, RT: 4/13/14

[12] CBS Films – Afflicted, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

[13] Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘The F Word’ Re-titled ‘What If,’ Set for Aug. 1 Release, variety.com, Dave McNary, 3/14/14, RT: 4/13/14

[14] CBS Films – What If, cbsfims.com, RT: 4/13/14

Multimedia Sources:

[a] CBS Film’s Logo, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

[b] Photo of Wolfgang Hammer, 5dinstitute.org, RT: 4/13/14

[c] Photo of Terry Press, hollywoodreporter.com, RT: 4/13/14

[d] Photo of Steven Friedlander, pokerpages.com, RT: 4/13/14

[e] Photo of Reid Sullivan, cbsexpress.com, RT: 4/13/14

[f] Photo of Rik Toulon, cbsexpress.com, RT: 4/13/14

[g] Photo of Maria Faillace, hollywoodreporter.com, RT: 4/13/14

[h] CBS Films – Rankings, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[i] “Las Vegas” Total Lifetime Grosses, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 4/13/14

[j] Photo 1 of Co-Directors, images.moviepilot-cdn.com, RT: 4/13/14

[k] Photo 2 of Co-Directors, laimyours.com, RT: 4/13/14

[l] Photo 1 of Derek Lee, images.moviepilot-cdn.com, RT: 4/13/14

[m] Photo 2 of Derek Lee, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

[n] Afflicted Trailer, youtube.com, RT: 4/13/14

[o] Photo of Zoe and Daniel, cbsfilms.com, RT: 4/13/14

Clear Channel Communications

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Sarah Arlotto

by Sarah Arlotto

Clear Channel Communications’ logo- courtesy of clearchannel.com

Company Information

http://www.clearchannel.com

Address: 200 East Basse Road, San Antonio, Texas, 78209

Telephone: (210) 822-2828

A Brief History and Overview

Clear Channel Communications, Inc. was founded in 1972 with the purchase of its first FM radio station in San Antonio, Texas. After expanding throughout Texas, and then globally, Clear Channel has become one of the world’s largest media and entertainment companies. Besides Clear Channel’s Media & Entertainment sector, it also has an outdoor advertising division called Clear Channel Outdoor. Clear Channel Outdoor has over one million displays in over 30 countries. Clear Channel aims to be America’s only radio company that offers local presence with national reach and to develop innovative and dynamic campaigns for advertisers.[1]

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment

With 850 radio stations broadcast to over 150 markets, Clear Channel reaches over 243 million listeners every month and has a greater reach than any other radio or television outlet in the United States. They deliver a variety of content including music, news, talk, sports, and comedy, on a number of platforms such as AM/FM stations, in-vehicle satellite radio, HD radio, and online radio. Clear Channel also offers a digital music service called iHeartRadio. It is free and can be accessed through online internet streaming and through a mobile app. iHeartRadio gives listeners access to over 1,500 live radio stations and the opportunity to create customized stations based on their artist and song and genre preferences. Clear Channel also offers live music events such as their annual iHeartRadio Music Festival.[1]

What Is iHeartRadio? [13]

Key Executives

Bob Pittman [2]

Bob Pittman is Clear Channel Communications’ Chief Executive Officer.[2]

Tom Casey [2]

Tom Casey is Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Clear Channel Communications.[2]

Wendy Goldberg [2]

Wendy Goldberg serves as Chief Communications Officer and Senior Vice President for Clear Channel Communications. She oversees and executes strategic communications for all of the Clear Channel Brands.[2]

Robert H. Walls, Jr. [2]

Robert H. Walls, Jr. is General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Clear Channel Communications. He oversees the legal and government affairs departments within the company.[2]

John Hogan [2]

John Hogan is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel’s Media and Entertainment Division. He oversees the development and organization of Clear Channel’s radio stations.[2]

John Skyes [2]

John Skyes is the President of Entertainment Enterprises for Clear Channel. He helps to develop new business for Clear Channel Communications. He is also on the board of many organizations including Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.[2]

Financials

Clear Channel Communications is a privately traded company. Shares of their parent company, CC Media Holdings, Inc. are traded under the ticker symbol CCMO. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. is traded separately under the ticket symbol CCO.[3]

CCMO’s revenues have been increasing slowly since December 31, 2009. The recorded revenues for December 31, 2012 were $6,246.9 million. Operating expenses have also been on a steady increase. Since December 31, 2009 CCMO has also been experiencing a net loss of income every year. The net income recorded for December 31, 2012 was $424.5 million. This loss of income can be explained by rising operating expenses and only a very small increase in revenues.[4]

In the News

January: On January 7^thClear Channel Media and Entertainment updated their iHeartRadio app. They added a “Perfect For” feature that will allow users to choose a playlist based on their current mood or activity. They have also added an alarm clock and a sleep timer feature to the application, making it so iHeartRadio can be the first thing that listeners hear when they wake up in the morning and the last thing they hear before they fall asleep at night.[5]

Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio app “Perfect For” feature [15]

Clear Channel also announced that iHeartRadio will be made compatible in Chrysler Group and General Motors Company vehicles. The new made-for-driving application will be called “iHeartAuto” and will make it easier and safer for users to listen to their favorite radio stations and artists straight from their car.[6]

February: On February 11^th Clear Channel Media and Entertainment released their findings from recent research study that concluded that by reallocating a small amount of money to radio advertising can help companies increase their brand’s reach. These findings are explained by the notion that radio reaches an audience that is more receptive and open to marketing ideas and suggestions.[7] On February 13^th Clear Channel announced that they have a new partnership with Robbins Entertainment, a music label. As part of the deal, Clear Channel will be sharing all of its radio revenues as well as its digital broadcast revenues with the artists under the Robbins Entertainment label. Clear Channel has closed similar deals over the past few months with other record labels.[8]

March: On March 11^th Clear Channel unveiled an “Add-Ins” feature to their iHeartRadio app. This feature will allow listeners to insert local news, weather, and traffic to their custom stations. This innovation will allow Clear Channel to grow as a national radio provider while still localizing and personalizing their services.[9] On March 15^th Clear Channel announced their partnership with Target to promote Justin Timberlake’s new album: “The 20/20 Experience.” Together, Target and Clear Channel will host an iHeartRadio album release party on March 18^th. 120 lucky winners will be flown to Los Angeles for the event.[10]

“The 20/20 Experience” album release party [16]

On March 28^th Clear Channel announced that their annual iHeartRadio Music Festival will be held at the MGM Grand in Vegas for its third year. Part of the festival includes the Macy’s iHeartRadio “Rising Star Campaign” where 25 new artists compete for a spot in the festival alongside big names in the industry. Clear Channel also puts on a “Road to Vegas” campaign to promote the event, where hundreds of listeners will be awards trips to the concert. The event will take place September 21 and 22, 2013.[11]

Voting page for Macy’s Rising Star Campaign [13]

April: On April 1^st Clear Channel Media and Entertainment announced a partnership with Big Machine Label Group. Together the two companies will release The Band Perry’s second album, called PIONEER. The idea of the campaign is to increase audience awareness through an on-air Artist Integration Program to introduce the new album to listeners. The campaign will also include on-air interviews with the artists and a live performance.[12]