Echo Bridge Entertainment was an American independent distribution company. It acquired and distributed feature films, scripted and non-scripted series, documentaries, and children's programming for home video, digital and television in the United States and throughout the world. Since its acquisition of Alliance Atlantis International Distribution and recent distribution partnerships with Miramax[1] and ABC Disney/Buena Vista, Echo Bridge Entertainment had a combined portfolio of over 11,000 titles, including Degrassi: The Next Generation (a co-production with DHX Media's Epitome Pictures), until DHX Media acquired the family library in November 2014.
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| Company type | Video, digital, television distribution |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Alliance Atlantis (television distribution assets) |
| Founded | 1995 (as Platinum Disc Corporation) 2005 (as Echo Bridge Home Entertainment) |
| Defunct | 2021 |
| Fate | Folded into SP Distribution |
| Successor | SP Distribution WildBrain |
| Headquarters | La Crosse, Wisconsin (home entertainment) White Plains, New York (international sales) Needham, Massachusetts (headquarters) Beverly Hills, California (acquisitions) |
Area served | International |
Key people | Michael Rosenblatt, CEO; Nathan Hart, President (home entertainment); Emilia Nuccio, President (international) |
| Parent | Steven Paul |
| Subsidiaries | Alliance Atlantis International Distribution PM Entertainment |
| Website | www |
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| 1968 | FilmFair London is founded |
|---|---|
| 1971 | DIC Audiovisuel is founded |
| 1972 | Strawberry Shortcake brand is first developed |
| 1974 | CPLG is founded |
| 1976 | CINAR and Colossal Pictures are founded |
| 1982 | DIC Enterprises is founded |
| 1984 | Ragdoll Productions is founded |
| 1987 | DIC Audiovisuel closes |
| 1988 | Studio B Productions is founded |
| 1992 | Epitome Pictures is founded |
| 1993 | DIC Enterprises becomes DIC Entertainment |
| 1994 | Wild Brain is founded‚ and Red Rover Studios is founded, DIC Entertainment brands as The Incredible World of DIC |
| 1995 | Platinum Disc Corporation is founded |
| 1996 | CINAR buys FilmFair's library |
| 1997 | Decode Entertainment is founded |
| 1999 | Wild Brain acquires Colossal Pictures' employee base |
| 2002 | Nerd Corps Entertainment is founded |
| 2004 | Halifax Film Company is founded, CINAR rebrands as Cookie Jar Group |
| 2005 | Platinum Disc Corporation merge as Echo Bridge Home Entertainment |
| 2006 | Decode and Halifax Film merge as DHX Media, DIC acquires CPLG, and Ragdoll Worldwide is formed with BBC Worldwide |
| 2007 | DHX Media buys Studio B Productions and Wild Brain becomes Wildbrain Entertainment |
| 2008 | Cookie Jar Group absorbs DIC and House of Cool absorbs Red Rover Studios |
| 2010 | DHX Media buys Wildbrain Entertainment‚ and Peanuts Worldwide is founded |
| 2011 | Decode Entertainment and Red Rover Studios closes |
| 2012 | DHX Media buys Cookie Jar Group |
| 2013 | DHX Media acquires Ragdoll Worldwide’s back catalogue |
| 2014 | DHX Media buys Epitome Pictures, Nerd Corps, and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's family content library, as well as Family, the English version of Disney Junior, the French version of Disney Junior and Disney XD; Cookie Jar Group is absorbed |
| 2016 | The WildBrain multi-channel network launches and Studio B and Nerd Corps merge as DHX Studios |
| 2017 | Wildbrain Entertainment closes; DHX Media buys Peanuts Worldwide and Strawberry Shortcake |
| 2018 | Halifax Film becomes Island of Misfits |
| 2019 | DHX Media rebrands as WildBrain, Epitome Pictures closes, and the WildBrain MCN becomes WildBrain Spark |
| 2020 | CPLG becomes WildBrain CPLG |
| 2021 | Echo Bridge folds into SP Distribution |
| 2023 | WildBrain acquires House of Cool |
| 2024 | WildBrain Spark merged into its parent company as WildBrain London |
History
editEcho Bridge Home Entertainment, a division of Echo Bridge Entertainment, was founded in 1995 as Platinum Disc Corporation, initially distributed DVDs of low-budget and public domain films. It was named and had its logo inspired from the real Echo Bridge in Massachusetts. In February 2004, Echo Bridge Entertainment was founded at the American Film Market, with the acquisition of the libraries of CineTel Films and PM Entertainment.[2][3] In September 2004, Echo Bridge announced that it would acquire the Green Communications library. [4] In July 2005, Platinum Disc Corporation and Echo Bridge Entertainment merged to form Echo Bridge Home Entertainment.[5] In April 2008, Echo Bridge acquired the international operations, including television distribution rights to Alliance Atlantis library from Goldman Sachs, with the exception of the CSI franchise, which was retained by CBS.[6] In 2011, Echo Bridge Entertainment and Miramax made a distribution deal in which Echo Bridge would release 251 films from the Miramax catalog, with the other 550 going to Lionsgate and StudioCanal as Miramax had a similar distribution deal with them.[7] [8] On March 17, 2014, after Echo Bridge lost the distribution rights to the Miramax titles, the Miramax releases all went out of print and any mention of them was removed from their website. Lionsgate later expanded their deal with Miramax to include the 251 films previously released by Echo Bridge until 2020, when Paramount Home Entertainment (which parent company acquired a 49% stake of Miramax in 2019) extended their own deal with Miramax to include those 251 films. In 2014, Echo Bridge sold its family library to DHX Media (now known as WildBrain).[9]
In January 2017, filmmaker and producer Steven Paul purchased the non-family assets of Echo Bridge, which in turn renamed as Echo Bridge Acquisition Corp, later becoming dormant and then folded into SP Distribution in 2021, with the distribution rights to the Echo Bridge/PM/Alliance Atlantis library in turn acquired by the New York City-based distributor and streaming service FilmRise for digital distribution.[10]
Filmography
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Echo Bridge And Miramax Enter Into Distribution Partnership". Miramax. February 17, 2011. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ "AFM set to her an echo". Variety. February 11, 2004. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Echo Bridge to launch at AFM, armed with PM library and 94 CineTel titles". Screen Daily. February 12, 2004. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Echo Bridge buys Green Communications library". Screen Daily. September 29, 2004. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Echo Bridge Entertainment Merges With Leading Home Entertainment Distributor, Platinum Disc Corporation". Echo Bridge Entertainment. July 5, 2005. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- ^ "Echo Bridge to acquire Alliance Atlantis International Distribution". April 7, 2008. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- ^ "Miramax, Echo Bridge team for DVD distrib". Variety. February 17, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Echo Bridge takes on Miramax DVD titles". Deadline Hollywood. February 17, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ DHX Media acquires library of children's and family TV content
- ^ "Producer Steven Paul Buys Distributor Echo Bridge".