{"id":27168,"date":"2016-02-18T13:26:32","date_gmt":"2016-02-18T18:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bejone03.expressions.syr.edu\/trf235\/?p=27168"},"modified":"2016-04-25T22:19:01","modified_gmt":"2016-04-26T02:19:01","slug":"amblin-partners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bejone03.expressions.syr.edu\/trf235\/2016\/02\/18\/amblin-partners\/","title":{"rendered":"Amblin Partners"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"courtesy<\/a>

image sourced from AmblinPartners.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

by Paul Honnick<\/h1>\n
\n

Amblin Partners<\/span><\/h1>\n

100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608<\/span><\/h1>\n

amblinpartners.com<\/a><\/h1>\n
\n

Key Executives at Amblin Partners<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"Michael<\/a>

Michael Wright – CEO<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Steven<\/a>

Steven Spielberg – Chairman<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Holly<\/a>

Holly Bario – President of Production<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Jeff<\/a>

Jeff Small – President and Co-CEO<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Kristie<\/a>

Kristie Macosko – Executive<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Images\u00a0sourced from\u00a0AmblinPartners.com<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Amblin Partners: A New Company Led by a Hollywood Legend<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amblin Partners, is a new film, television, and digital content creation company that develops and produces films using the Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Pictures, and Participant brands to leverage their power and board awareness to tell stories that appeal to a wide range of audiences. The partnership was officially formed on December, 15, 2015, by Steven Spielberg of DreamWorks Studios, Jeff Skoll of Participant Media, Anil Ambani of Reliance Group, and Darren Throop of Entertainment One (eOne). [1]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Legendary director Steven Spielberg is the chairman of Amblin Partners, having invested $50 million of his own money into the venture. This is the first time Spielberg has invested his own funds into his brands since founding DreamWorks more than two decades ago, in 1994. [2]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Tech billionaire Jeff Skoll, former eBay executive and founder of Participant Media, made the single largest reported contribution, investing $200 million in the partnership. [2]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Reliance Group of India was a previous equity partner of DreamWorks Pictures and is continuing its seven-year relationship with Spielberg. [2]<\/u><\/a> [5]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

The fourth partner, Entertainment One (eOne) of Canada, initially discussed a $50 million investment, however, the final contribution was not disclosed. [2]<\/u><\/a> eOne handles the direct distribution of Amblin Partners films in multiple territories outside of the U.S., including Australia, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the Benelux. [1]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

The partnership also secured a $500 million line of credit through half a dozen lenders arranged by J.P. Morgan Chase and Comerica Bank. J.P. Morgan Chase has financed DreamWorks Studios since its inception in 1994. [1]<\/u><\/a> [2]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Amblin Partners is led by CEO Michael Wright, and President and Co-CEO Jeff Small, who previously served as CEO and COO of DreamWorks respectively. Wright joined DreamWorks Pictures in 2014 and signed a four-year contract extension in February. [8]<\/u><\/a> Small, who has been with DreamWorks for the past nine years, was originally named COO when the partnership was formed in December, but was quickly promoted to President and Co-CEO in February. Small also signed a contract extension. [9]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg and Skoll said that the partnership will produce films appealing to adults through the DreamWorks label, while focusing more on family entertainment through the Amblin label, and Participant will focus on projects with socially relevant themes and messages. While the partnership will release some Participant branded films, Participant Media will remain a separate company and continue making documentaries and some scripted films on its own. [1]<\/u><\/a> [4]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Amblin Partners also struck a multi-year deal with Universal Pictures to market and distribute their films produced domestically and in select international territories. Under this agreement, Universal Pictures and Focus Features will handle four to seven films per year, the first film being \u201cThe Girl on the Train,\u201d scheduled to be released in October 2016. [3]<\/u><\/a> The Universal deal also represents a chance for director Steven Spielberg to continue doing business with the company\u00a0where he\u00a0launched his Hollywood career and defined the modern blockbuster with such films as \u201cE.T.\u201d and \u201cJurassic Park.\u201d [3]<\/u><\/a> [7]<\/u><\/a> Spielberg has also maintained offices on the Universal Studios lot throughout his career. However, the deal with Universal is strictly for marketing and distribution. Universal did not invest in Amblin Partners, and reportedly charges a commission of more than 7% per film under the terms of the deal. [3]<\/u><\/a> [4]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Amblin Partners\u2019 distribution deal with Universal effectively ends Spielberg\u2019s and DreamWorks Pictures\u2019 previous partnership with Disney, which is set to expire in August. However, under the legacy deal, Disney will distribute two Amblin Partners productions, \u201cThe BFG,\u201d and \u201cThe Light Between Oceans.\u201d [1]<\/u><\/a> [6]<\/u><\/a> At the conclusion of the partnership, Disney will retain the library of films produced by Spielberg during his tenure with Disney, including the upcoming \u201cThe BFG.\u201d [2]<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

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Upcoming Films<\/strong><\/p>\n