Halcyon Studios, LLC., formerly known as Sonar Entertainment, RHI Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment, Qintex Entertainment, HRI Group and Robert Halmi Inc., is an American entertainment company specializing in the production and distribution of scripted television content, part of
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is an American self-help, consumer goods and media company based in Cos Cob, Connecticut. It is known for the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' book series. The first book, like most subsequent titles in the ...
. It was founded in 1979 by Robert Halmi Jr. and
Robert Halmi Sr.
Robert Halmi (Sr.) ( hu, Halmi Róbert; January 22, 1924 – July 30, 2014) was a Hungarian-born producer of movies and mini-series for television.
Early life
Robert Halmi was born in Budapest on January 22, 1924. His father, Béla Halmi, was a ...
(1924–2014) as Robert Halmi, Inc. The company uses the direct-to-series model for TV series.
History
Robert Halmi Inc. was founded in 1979 by Robert Halmi Sr. In July 1986, Robert Halmi Jr. took over as president and chief operating officer from Halmi Sr., who became the company's chairman and chief executive.
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...
agreed to purchase RHI in April 1994. RHI had a 1,800 plus hours film library at that time. Then Hallmark Entertainment was formed with RHI and Signboard Hill Production, another Hallmark Cards subsidiary, becoming subsidiaries. Hallmark sold the
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...
library and its rights to
Entertainment Rights
Entertainment Rights PLC (formally known as Sleepy Kids) was a British multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that specialized in TV-shows and cartoons, children’s media, films, and distribution. In May 2009, the company was ...
in March 2004.
In December 2005, Hallmark Entertainment sold off its production arm to an investor group led by Robert Halmi Jr., it was renamed back to RHI Entertainment.
In March 2012, the company was renamed Sonar Entertainment. The name change stemmed from the Halmis leaving the company.
On April 9, 2021,
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is an American self-help, consumer goods and media company based in Cos Cob, Connecticut. It is known for the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' book series. The first book, like most subsequent titles in the ...
signed a definitive agreement to acquire Sonar's assets.
On May 3, 2021, CSS announced it would launch Halcyon Television, a scripted television studio.
Notable works
As Qintex Entertainment, the company co-produced the miniseries ''
Lonesome Dove
''Lonesome Dove'' is a 1985 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the ''Lonesome Dove'' series, but the third installment in the series chronologically.
The story revolves around the relationships b ...
'' for CBS.
As of December 2017, Sonar Entertainment's scripted series on-air, in production or slated to commence production included ''
Mr. Mercedes
''Mr. Mercedes'' is a novel by American writer Stephen King. He calls it his first hard-boiled detective book. It was published on June 3, 2014. It is the first volume in a trilogy, followed in 2015 by '' Finders Keepers'', the first draft of wh ...
'', written by David E. Kelley, based on the novel by
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
, with Audience Network for
DIRECTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...
and
AT&T U-Verse
U-verse TV is a DirecTV brand of IPTV service. Launched on June 26, 2006, U-verse included broadband Internet (now AT&T Internet or AT&T Fiber), IP telephone (now AT&T Phone), and IPTV (U-verse TV) services in 48 states.The Son'', starring
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 ('' GoldenEye'', '' Tomorro ...
for AMC; Seasons 1 and 2 of '' The Shannara Chronicles'', for Spike; and ''Das Boot'', an eight-part series based on the film, for Sky.