Mister Smith Entertainment is a British

film distribution Film distribution (also known as Film exhibition or Film distribution and exhibition) is the process of making a movie available for viewing by an audience. This is normally the task of a professional film distributor, who would determine the marke ...

company involved in the acquisition,

financing Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm uses ...

, production,

licensing A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

and distribution sales of films for the global theatrical market. Co-founded by David Garrett and

Constantin Film The Constantin Film AG is a German mini-major film production and distribution company based in Munich. The company, which belongs to Swiss media conglomerate Highlight Communications AG, is a large independent German maker and distributor of pr ...

, Mister Smith was established on 1 May 2012. Mister Smith Entertainment currently has distribution deals with Amblin Partners, Constantin,

Entertainment One Entertainment One Ltd., trading as eOne, is an American-owned Canadian multinational entertainment company. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition, distribution, and production of films and television se ...

, and

Broad Green Pictures Broad Green Pictures was a production and financing company. It was founded in 2014 by CEO Gabriel Hammond and Chief Creative Officer, Daniel Hammond. Management On February 25, 2015, Broad Green Pictures acquired a 45% stake in David Garrett ...

, and also acquires films from independent filmmakers and producers.

History

Mister Smith Entertainment was founded by David Garrett on 1 May 2012, as a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

between Garrett and

Constantin Films The Constantin Film AG is a German mini-major film production and distribution company based in Munich. The company, which belongs to Swiss media conglomerate Highlight Communications AG, is a large independent German maker and distributor of pr ...

. Garrett previously had co-founded

Summit Entertainment Summit Entertainment is an American film production and distribution company. It is a label of Lionsgate Films, owned by Lionsgate Entertainment and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. History Independent era (1991–2012) Summit E ...

where he served as president until his resignation in February 2012, following Summit's acquisition by

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

. The company was established with Ralpho Borgos as chief of international licensing and distribution, and Annasivia Britt as vice president of the company's marketing and publicity department. The first film distributed by Mister Smith was '' The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones'', which was acquired at the

2012 Cannes Film Festival The 65th Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 27 May 2012. Italian film director Nanni Moretti was the President of the Jury for the main competition and British actor Tim Roth was the President of the Jury for the Un Certain Regard section. ...

. In August 2012, Mister Smith entered a deal with

DreamWorks Studios DreamWorks may refer to: * DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin ** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio ** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...

, wherein Mister Smith would handle the international distribution sales for DreamWorks' films in

Europe, the Middle East and Africa EMEA is a shorthand designation meaning Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The acronym is used by institutions and governments, as well as in marketing and business when referring to this region: it is a shorthand way of referencing the two ...

. The following month, Mister Smith brokered multiple deals on behalf of DreamWorks with various film distributors across Europe, including

, Constantin,

Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S (lit. "Nordic Film") is a Danish entertainment company established in 1906 in Copenhagen by filmmaker Ole Olsen. It is the fourth-oldest film studio in the world behind the Gaumont Film Company, Pathé, and Titanus ...

and Italia Film. Mister Smith took control of distribution in these territories from

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, formerly known as Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. until 2007, is an American film distribution studio within the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. It ha ...

, which continued to distribute for DreamWorks elsewhere, including North America, until 2016. Mister Smith's first DreamWorks film to distribute was '' The Fifth Estate'' in 2013. Mister Smith's international deal with DreamWorks continued after the latter company was restructured into Amblin Partners in 2015. In 2013, Mister Smith expanded its executive team, opening additional offices in Los Angeles, California and Paris, France. On 25 February 2015,

acquired a 45% minority stake in Mister Smith, which resulted in the latter serving as international sales and distribution arm for Broad Green, while retaining a

right of first refusal Right of first refusal (ROFR or RFR) is a contractual right that gives its holder the option to enter a business transaction with the owner of something, according to specified terms, before the owner is entitled to enter into that transaction ...

to handle the sales of Broad Green's films.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{Cinema of the United Kingdom Mass media companies based in London Entertainment companies established in 2012 Film distributors of the United Kingdom 2012 establishments in the United Kingdom Joint ventures