Swank Motion Pictures
Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. is an international non-theatrical motion picture distributor and licensor. Founded in 1937, it is a business privately owned and operated by the Swank family. Swank Motion Pictures is one of the world's largest non-theatrical distributors of motion pictures for public performance. Headquartered in St. Louis, Swank also maintains a sales office in Paris.
Swank represents major Hollywood and independent movie studios to distribute movies licensed for public performance to non-theatrical venues.
Studios Represented
- Walt Disney Pictures
- Warner Bros.
- Sony Pictures
- Universal Studios
- DreamWorks Pictures
- New Line Cinema
- Lionsgate
- MGM
- Touchstone Pictures
- Hollywood Pictures
- Columbia Pictures
- Tri Star Pictures
- The Weinstein Company
- Focus Features
- Miramax Films
- Relativity Media
- Summit Entertainment
- Warner Independent Pictures
- Fine Line Features
- HBO
- Hallmark Hall of Fame
- United Artists
- National Geographic
- Image Entertainment
- Magnolia Pictures
- Millennium Entertainment
- Cohen Media
- Monterey Media
- A24 Films
- CBS Films
- eOne Entertainment
- And other independent studios
Public Performance Licensing
Swank Motion Pictures provides both public performance licensing rights and licensed movies to numerous non-theatrical markets.
- Public performance: any performance, display, exhibition, showing, etc. of a copyrighted piece of work that occurs outside of a home.
- Non-theatrical: any venue, other than a theater, that is outside of the home.
Non-theatrical Venues
- U.S. colleges and universities
- Worldwide cruise lines
- Parks and Recreation Facilities
- K-12 schools
- Libraries
- Correctional facilities
- Museums
- Film Societies
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Churches, synagogues and other faith-based organizations
- Businesses
- Tradeshows and conventions
- Healthcare facilities
- American military hospitals
- Motor coaches
- Amtrak trains
- Clubs
- Camps and other outdoor venues
History
Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. was founded in 1937 by Mr. P. Ray Swank and began operations in St. Louis as a "portable projection service." This period predated such familiar entertainment standards as color film, 35mm slides, audiotape and television. The company's projection service consisted of providing short entertainment films and slides, the motion picture projector, sound system and lantern slide projector. These services, along with the equipment operators, were provided at locations requested by customers, where they were conducting meetings. These local organizations, civic groups, schools and churches relied on Swank to "set up and run the show" for their entertainment. Over the years the needs for equipment and the actual movie have separated and, in turn, so did the company. The two divisions became known as Swank Motion Pictures and Swank Audio Visuals. Swank Motion Pictures provided the licensed movie content while Swank Audio Visuals provided the audiovisual equipment. The audiovisual division gradually migrated to working primarily with hotels as an in-house audiovisual service. Swank Audio Visuals was sold by the Swank family in the 2000s. Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. continues to distribute licensed motion pictures to non-theatrical markets both domestically and internationally.
Divisions of Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.
Swank Motion Pictures
On-Board Movies
Swank HealthCare
Movie Licensing USA
Residence Life Cinema
Digital Campus
Motorcoach Movies
Swank Films Distribution France
Swank Filmverleih, Germany