Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory
Private
Industry Entertainment
Founded 2003
Headquarters Los Angeles, California
Key people
 Richard Foos, CEO (Founder)
Bob Emmer, COO (Founder)
Garson Foos, President (Founder)
Products Home video, music
Subsidiaries Timeless Media Group
Scream Factory
Website www.shoutfactory.com

Shout Factory (stylized as Shout! Factory) is a home video and music company founded in 2003. Their video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music, and comedy specials. Shout Factory also owns and operates Timeless Media Group, Biograph Records, Majordomo Records, HighTone Records, and Video Time Machine.

History

Shout Factory was founded in 2003 by Bob Emmer, Garson Foos and Richard Foos, three principles from Rhino Records. After selling Rhino to Warner Bros, the three set out to launch a new retro pop culture label. Their first releases included blues and jazz CDs from the Biograph label, a Fats Domino CD and DVD and several documentaries (Superstar: The Life And Times Of Andy Warhol, What Happened To Kerouac?). With the release of Freaks & Geeks in 2004, Shout hit its stride and shifted towards a reputable and celebrated TV on DVD company. That same year, they released a brand-new CD with actor William Shatner (produced by Ben Folds) and started releasing classic SCTV box sets.

In 2005, Shout Factory obtained the rights to Herb Alpert's catalog, launching the Herb Alpert Signature Series of CDs. These included The Lonely Bull, South of the Border, Lost Treasures, Whipped Cream & Other Delights and others. They also got the rights to talk show host Dick Cavett's library and started releasing theme sets focused on rock icons, Ray Charles (including all his visits to the show), John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and others. They also jumped into children's animation with a deal with DiC Entertainment. C.O.P.S. The Animated Series and Heathcliff And The Catillac Cats were the first releases from that deal. On the sports side, they entered into a licensing deal with Major League Baseball, releasing themed and World Series DVDs through 2010.

In 2006, Shout got the rights to Cartoon Network staple Home Movies and released each season set, and ultimately a complete series box. Other pop culture releases ensued, including a pair of The Electric Company multi-disc sets, the re-envisioned Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped, a series of Elvira's Movie Macabre DVDs and the first of what would be three covers CDs with Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs, called Under The Covers Vol. 1. Still earning a reputation for classic TV, Shout acquired the rights to America's Funniest Home Videos, That Girl, Punky Brewster and The Weird Al Show, all of which debuted in 2006.

By 2007, classic TV on DVD was a major focus, with season sets of McHale's Navy, Ironside, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and themed and actor-specific editions of Inside the Actor's Studio. Meanwhile, they also started releasing Mickey Hart's catalogs.

In 2008, Shout bought the Hightone Records catalog and added artists like Tom Russell, Joe Ely, and Rosie Flores to its brand. At the same time, they were ramping up their place as a children's animation destination and continuing with a TV on DVD schedule. They took over the Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD series and released a 20th Anniversary set and have continues to put out box sets of episodes never before released on DVD.

It was 2009 that Shout reached another milestone when it struck a deal with children's TV producers Hasbro, releasing the original Transformers and G.I. Joe animated series box sets. That same year, they released their first My Little Pony DVD, My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Collection. Shout continues to release several Hasbro properties, including the series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

In 2012, Shout started releasing titles by both Saban (Power Rangers, Mutant Turtles) and Marvel (Super Hero Squad Show, Marvel Knights). At the end of 2012 that Shout also launched a sub-label called Scream Factory. Horror films, new and old, were licensed from major studios like MGM, Fox and Universal.

Now in its 11th year, Shout continues to release complete-series sets of classic TV - both Bob Newhart: The Complete Series and Hill Street Blues: The Complete Series - have been announced for 2014. They join complete releases such as All In The Family, Route 66 and Barney Miller.[1] On May 8, 2014, Shout announced[2] their acquisition of the rights to WKRP in Cincinnati,[3] with the intention of restoring all four seasons of the show "complete" with their original musical scores.[4] The release would be a monumental event for fans of the show since the original DVD release in 2007 had been mired in squabbles regarding music rights.[5]

On June 9, 2014, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the My Little Pony series and will release My Little Pony - The Complete Series on DVD on September 30, 2014.[6] The 4-disc set will contain all 65 episodes of the series.

In October 2014, Shout acquired Westchester Films, an independent film company whose library includes the films of John Cassavetes, Elia Kazan, and Orson Welles, as well as some early United Artists films that were previously owned by the films' producers.

Licensing deals

Shout Factory has agreements with, among others, Marvel Entertainment, Hasbro Studios, Nickelodeon/Paramount Home Entertainment, Classic Media, Universal Pictures, MGM, and Saban Capital Group. Releases under these agreements have included the complete Joss Whedon/John Cassaday series of Astonishing X-Men, plus Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers and Iron Man: Extremis on DVD and Blu-ray;[7] the original Transformers, G.I. Joe, Jem and My Little Pony cartoons, Power Rangers, and VR Troopers.[8]

In mid-2012 Shout Factory announced a horror sub-label called Scream Factory, specializing in classic and cult horror films such as Halloween II, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, They Live, The Howling, Lifeforce, Deadly Eyes, and others being released to DVD and Blu-ray.[9]

Related companies

In 2012, Shout Factory acquired Oregon-based home entertainment company Timeless Media Group, adding programs like the following to its ever-expanding catalog: The Red Skelton Show, Peter Gunn, The Gene Autry Show, The Virginian, Wagon Train, Laramie and The Roy Rogers Show among others.[10]

Shout Factory also acquired blues/roots label HighTone Records and continues to oversee its back catalog.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About Shout". Shout! Factory. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  2. ↑ "Twitter / Shout! Factory: Yep! DVD Plans for WKRP in". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  3. ↑ "WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  4. ↑ "WKRP in Cincinnati DVD news: DVD Plans for WKRP in Cincinnati - The Complete Series". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  5. ↑ "WKRP in Cincinnati DVD news: Exclusive: More on the music replacement and comments by Fox/Wilson". TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  6. ↑ 'The Complete Series' of the Original '80s Cartoon!
  7. ↑ "Shout! Factory To Release More Marvel Animated Titles". Geeksofdoom.com. 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  8. ↑ "Shout! Factory, Saban Sign Home Entertainment Distribution Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. 2012-12-03. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  9. ↑ "Scream Factory". Shout! Factory. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  10. ↑ "Site News DVD news: Press Release announcing Shout! Factory acquires Timeless Media Group". TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  11. ↑ "DownBeat Magazine". Downbeat.com. 2008-02-04. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  12. ↑ "Majordomo Records". Majordomo Records. 2009-02-03. Retrieved 2014-05-17.

External links