2929 Entertainment, LLC. is an American integrated media and entertainment company co-founded by billionaire entrepreneurs
Todd Wagner and
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, and media proprietor whose net worth is an estimated $4.8 billion, according to ''Forbes'', and ranked No. 177 on the 2020 ''Forbes'' 400 list ...
. 2929 maintains companies and interests across several industries including entertainment development and packaging, film and television production and distribution, digital and broadcast syndication, theatrical exhibition, and home entertainment.
2929 Entertainment has offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Dallas. Wagner and Cuban co-own 2929 with Sky Hansen serving as Managing Director.
History
2929 Entertainment made several strategic acquisitions to assure that releases could be made available to any audience across a variety of platforms simultaneously. Wagner says that "ready availability of such infrastructure would be an operating advantage to both the circuit and the production company." Some titles would even see DVD releases alongside theatrical openings as early as 2007, through an early partnership with Netflix.
An extensive catalogue of television and film rights were acquired with
Rysher Entertainment
Rysher Entertainment, Inc. was an American film and television production company and distributor. It has its roots dating back to 1949 as Bing Crosby Productions, and was best known for the sitcom '' Hogan's Heroes'' and the medical drama '' B ...
in 2001, and 2929 would co-produce a newer version of ''
Star Search
''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...
'' which premiered in January 2003 on
CBS (the original ''
Star Search
''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...
'' aired from 1983 to 1995).
''
Variety'' praised 2929 as a "pioneer" for its simultaneous theatrical and cable television release of
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker.
Soderbergh's direct ...
's ''
Bubble
Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to:
Common uses
* Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid
** Soap bubble
* Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fund ...
'' in 2006.
''Bubble'' was the first of several films with concurrent releases in theaters and through 2929's cable channel
HDNet
AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat sport ...
. At the time, this move was controversial as most films are released in different formats on a staggered schedule, giving each channel an exclusive window. Exhibitors were especially timorous, as many feared that they would eventually lose their exclusive release windows for more mainstream films.
Operations
Production companies
2929 Entertainment develops original feature and series through its
production company
A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...
2929 Productions, and formerly through HDNet Films.
2929 Productions, LLC
2929 Productions, LLC. was co-founded by Wagner and Cuban in 2002. The film and television studio selectively finances and develops feature films and series, often through partnerships with industry creators or entertainment companies.
2929 Productions is headed by Haley Jones. Previous studio leadership has included Ben Cosgrove (formerly of
Paramount and
Section Eight) and
Marc Butan
Marc Butan is an American film producer and CEO at MadRiver Pictures, a Santa Monica, California-based motion picture production company.
During his career, he has served as co-president at Sierra/Affinity, president at Panorama Media, president ...
(MadRiver Pictures and formerly
Lionsgate).
''
Godsend'', ''
Criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...
'' and ''
The Jacket'' were among of the studio's first projects, with the latter two being co-produced and co-financed with
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker.
Soderbergh's direct ...
and
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...
's
Section Eight Productions
Section Eight Productions, or just Section Eight, was an American film production company founded in 2000 by film director Steven Soderbergh and actor/director George Clooney. It produced the critical hits '' Far from Heaven'', ''Insomnia'', '' ...
. After his work on ''Godsend,'' Marc Butan was offered studio head at 2929 leading him to exit an EVP role at
Lionsgate.
In 2005, 2929 Productions released ''
Good Night, And Good Luck.'' with
Warner Independent
Warner Independent Pictures was an independent film division of the American film studio Warner Bros., itself a division of Warner Bros. Discovery, which then was known as TimeWarner. Established in August 2003, its first release was 2004's ''B ...
. The film uses a mix of archival footage and contemporary production to tell the story of the famed wartime reporter
Edward Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broadcasts from Europe f ...
(
David Strathairn) and his historic "
See it Now" broadcast criticizing
Senator Joseph McCarthy and the
Red Scare
A Red Scare is the promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism, anarchism or other leftist ideologies by a society or state. The term is most often used to refer to two periods in the history of the United States which ar ...
. To mitigate risks that could arise with a black-and-white feature film, Wagner engaged
Jeff Skoll and his company
Participant Media
Participant Media, LLC is an American Film industry, film production company founded in 2004 by Jeffrey Skoll, dedicated to entertainment intended to spur social change. The company finances and co-produces film and television content, as well as ...
to produce ''Good Night, And Good Luck'', which grossed over $30 million (USA) and was nominated for six
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, including
Best Picture.
HDNet Films
HDNet Films produced lower budget movies in
high definition.
Distribution
Originally formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles,
Magnolia Pictures
Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor. It is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment.
Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in both foreign and independent films. Ma ...
is the home entertainment and theatrical distribution subsidiary of 2929. In November 2005 the company created Magnolia Home Entertainment to release its films over
home video
Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
, with its first release being
Alex Gibney
Philip Alexander Gibney (; born October 23, 1953) is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, ''Esquire'' magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time".
Gibney's works as director include '' ...
's acclaimed doc, ''
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room''. It is headed by entertainment industry vet and former head of home entertainment for
Miramax
Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California.
It was initially a lea ...
, Randy Wells. Magnolia Pictures also provides its content through a curated streaming service, Magnolia Selects.
2929 also launched
Truly Indie Truly Indie is an "innovative distribution program" providing independent filmmakers the sales and marketing tools necessary to distribute their films by-passing traditional distribution companies. By providing a way for self-funded distribution, Tr ...
, an "innovative distribution program" for independent filmmakers.
Television
2929 holds a significant interest in
AXS TV
AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat spor ...
, which Cuban originally co-founded in 2001 as the all-
high definition cable channel HDNet (through AXS TV LLC, formerly HDNet, LLC).
HDNet Movies, a companion channel, shows movies in high definition. 2929 also owned
Rysher Entertainment
Rysher Entertainment, Inc. was an American film and television production company and distributor. It has its roots dating back to 1949 as Bing Crosby Productions, and was best known for the sitcom '' Hogan's Heroes'' and the medical drama '' B ...
, a television syndication distributor with an extensive library of titles and syndication rights to TV shows like ''
Hogan's Heroes
''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom set in a Nazi German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during World War II. It ran for 168 episodes (six seasons) from September 17, 1965, to April 4, 1971, on the CBS network, the longest broadcast ...
'', ''
Sex and the City
''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United Stat ...
'' and ''
Star Search
''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both versio ...
''.
Rysher was later acquired by an investment company through
Lakeshore Entertainment.
Former operations
Theatrical exhibition
2929 acquired
Landmark Theatres September 24, 2003. The chain was originally founded by
Kim Jorgensen in 1974 and specialized in independent and foreign films.
On December 4, 2018 the announcement was made that Landmark Theatres was sold to the Cohen Media Group, "a buyer who is passionate about independent cinema and who truly understands this market."
2929 maintains an interest in Spotlight Cinema Networks, a cinema advertising company.
References
External links
*
2929 Productions
{{Authority control
2929 Entertainment holdings
Mass media companies established in 2003
Companies based in Dallas
Film production companies of the United States