Label | |
Industry | Entertainment |
Predecessor |
DW Studios, LLC DreamWorks Distribution |
Founded | October 12, 1994 |
Founders |
Steven Spielberg Jeffrey Katzenberg David Geffen |
Headquarters | Universal City, California, U.S. |
Area served
|
Worldwide |
Products | Motion pictures |
Owner | Amblin Partners |
Number of employees
|
80 (2012) |
Website | dreamworkspictures |
DreamWorks Pictures (also known as DreamWorks SKG or DreamWorks Studios, commonly referred to as DreamWorks, trading as Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC) is an American film production label of Amblin Partners. It was formerly distributing its own and third-party films by itself. It has produced or distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses of more than $100 million each. As of October 2016, DreamWorks' films are marketed and distributed by Universal Pictures.
DreamWorks began in 1994 as an attempt by media moguls Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen (together, SKG) to create a new Hollywood studio of which they owned 72%. Currently, DreamWorks operates out of offices at Universal Studios.
In December 2005, the founders agreed to sell the studio to Viacom, parent of Paramount Pictures. The sale was completed in February 2006. (This version is now named DW Studios, LLC.)
In 2008, DreamWorks announced its intention to end its partnership with Paramount and signed a $1.5 billion deal to produce films with India's Reliance ADA Group. Reliance provided $325M of equity to fund recreating DreamWorks SKG into DreamWorks Studios, an independent entity. Clark Hallren, former Managing Director of the Entertainment Industries group of J. P. Morgan Securities, and Alan J. Levine of J. P. Morgan Entertainment Advisors, led the Reliance team in restructuring the company. The following year, DreamWorks entered into a distribution agreement with Walt Disney Studios, wherein Disney would distribute DreamWorks films through Touchstone Pictures; the deal continued until 2016. After the formation of Amblin Partners in 2015, the studio entered into a distribution agreement with Universal Pictures.
DreamWorks' animation arm was spun off in 2004 into DreamWorks Animation SKG (DWA), which currently owns the DreamWorks trademarks, and as of August 2016 is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal. Spielberg's company continues to use the DreamWorks trademarks under license from Universal Studios.