Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy specials. Shout! Factory also owns and operates Shout! Studios, Westchester Films, Timeless Media Group, Biograph Records, Majordomo Records, and Video Time Machine.

History

Retropolis Entertainment was founded in April 2002 by Bob Emmer, Garson Foos, and Richard Foos, three principals from Rhino Records, as the company was negotiating with the five majors for distribution. After selling Rhino to Warner Bros., the three set out to launch a new retro pop culture label. The company's first product was ''Red, White & Rock'', a joint release with PBS station

WQED-TV WQED (channel 13) is a PBS member television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Owned by WQED Multimedia, it is sister to public radio station WQED-FM (89.3). The two outlets share studios on Fifth Avenue near the Carnegi ...

that was produced with Warner Strategic Marketing. In August 2002, Retropolis acquired Biograph Records. Other early 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 Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

'', ''What Happened To Kerouac?''). Retropolis was renamed Shout! Factory in April 2003. At that time, Shout had signed a press and distribution agreement with

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

. In 2004, Shout! released '' Freaks and Geeks'' on DVD, the first television series released on DVD for the company. With 18 episodes, it became one of the most expensive DVDs to produce, costing over a million dollars in music licensing. That same year, they released William Shatner's album '' Has Been'' and '' SCTV'' box sets. In 2004, Shout! Factory released an expanded two-disc version of Jim Croce's first record, the '' Facets album''. In 2004, Shout! purchased the rights to the animated series '' Home Movies'' and released each season set, and ultimately a complete series box. Other notable releases included a pair of '' The Electric Company'' multidisc sets, the re-envisioned

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

's ''Whipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped'', a series of '' Elvira's Movie Macabre'' DVDs and the first of what would be three cover CDs with

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/ power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 199 ...

and Susanna Hoffs, called '' Under The Covers Vol. 1''; Sweet himself was also added as a featured solo artist. Shout! acquired the rights to several other television series like '' Punky Brewster'', '' The Weird Al Show'', and ''

America's Funniest Home Videos ''America's Funniest Home Videos'', also called ''America's Funniest Videos'' (abbreviated as ''AFV''), is an American video clip television series on ABC, based on the Japanese variety show '' Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan''. The show feat ...

''. 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 Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

(including all his visits to the show),

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

, and others. They also jumped into children's animation with a deal with

DIC Entertainment DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production comp ...

. '' 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 Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

, releasing themed and

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 World Series, 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The ...

DVDs through 2010 and then again from 2016 till present. By 2007, classic TV on DVD was a major focus, with season sets of ''

Blossom In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus '' Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such a ...

'' '' McHale's Navy'' and '' Ironside'', an authorized collection of '' The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'', and themed and actor-specific editions of ''

Inside the Actors Studio ''Inside the Actors Studio'' is an American talk show that airs on Ovation. The series premiered in 1994 on Bravo where it aired for 22 seasons and was hosted by James Lipton from its premiere until 2018. It is taped at the Michael Schimmel C ...

'' hitting shelves. Meanwhile, they also started releasing Mickey Hart's catalogs. In March 2008, Shout! bought the Hightone Records catalog and added artists Tom Russell, Joe Ely, and

Rosie Flores Rosie Flores (born September 10, 1950) is an American rockabilly and country music artist. Her music blends rockabilly, honky tonk, jazz, and Western swing along with traditional influences from her Tex-Mex heritage. She currently resides in Au ...

to its brand. At the same time, the company was ramping up its place as a children's animation destination and continuing with a TV on DVD schedule. It took over the ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1 ...

'' DVD series and released a 20th Anniversary set and have continued to put out box sets of episodes never before released on DVD. In 2009, Shout! reached another milestone when it struck a deal with children's TV producers Hasbro, releasing the original ''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms ...

'' and '' G.I. Joe'' animated-series box sets. That same year, it released the first '' My Little Pony'' DVD, ''My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Collection''. Shout! continued to release several Hasbro properties, including the series ''

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' is an animated children's television series based on the fourth incarnation of Hasbro's ''My Little Pony'' franchise. The series follows a studious unicorn (later an alicorn) pony named Twilight Spark ...

'', until January 1, 2019, when it released its last DVD for that series, ''Hearts and Hooves''. In 2011, Shout! Factory made another landmark deal when they struck a deal with

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

to release the live action sitcom '' Hey Dude'' and the animated Nicktoons '' Rocko's Modern Life'', '' Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'', '' Hey Arnold!'', '' The Angry Beavers'', '' CatDog'', ''

The Wild Thornberrys ''The Wild Thornberrys'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon. The series portrays an American family of wildlife documentary fi ...

'', '' The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius'', and '' Danny Phantom''. In May 2012, Shout! Factory signed an agreement with Saban Capital Group to distribute the '' Beetleborgs'', '' Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation'', ''

Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise '' Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS ...

'' and '' VR Troopers'' catalogs. It also started releasing titles by Marvel (''Super Hero Squad Show'', ''Marvel Knights''). In the same month, the company acquired Oregon-based home entertainment company Timeless Media Group, adding more programs to its expanding catalog, such as '' The Red Skelton Show'', ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The ser ...

'', '' The Gene Autry Show'', '' The Virginian'', ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'', '' Laramie'', and '' The Roy Rogers Show'', among others. In June 2012, Shout! Factory announced a horror label called Scream Factory, specializing in classic and cult horror films on discs such as '' Halloween II'', '' Halloween III: Season of the Witch'', '' They Live'', '' The Howling'', '' Lifeforce'', '' Deadly Eyes'', and others. The horror titles, both new and old, were licensed from major studios such as MGM,

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

, and Universal. In mid-June 2012, Shout! and Fred Seibert acquired Video Time Machine, a year and genre media-based iOS app, from Original Victories Inc. In July 2013, Shout! Factory acquired the U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to the ITC Entertainment library as part of a deal with ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

2014–present

In 2014, the success Shout! was having with complete-series box sets of such series as ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'', '' Route 66'', and '' Barney Miller'' extended to such properties as ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a ...

'', ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'', and a Blu-Ray release of ''

Pee-Wee's Playhouse ''Pee-wee's Playhouse'' is an American television series starring Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-wee Herman that ran from 1986 to 1990 on Saturday mornings on CBS, and airing in reruns until July 1991. The show was developed from Reubens's ...

'' and '' The Jeffersons''. On May 8, 2014, Shout! announced their acquisition of the rights to '' WKRP in Cincinnati'', with the intention of restoring all four seasons of the show "complete" (i.e. complete as legally possible) with their original musical scores. The 2014 release was a monumental event for fans of the show since the original DVD release in 2007 had been mired in squabbles regarding music rights. That same year, Shout! became the distributor of Super Sentai in North America. Beginning the following year, Shout! released '' Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger'' under the name ''"Super Sentai Zyuranger: The Complete Series"'' with English subtitles.. In October, Shout! acquired Westchester Films, an independent film company whose library includes the films of John Cassavetes,

Elia Kazan Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...

, and

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

, as well as some early

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

films that were previously owned by the films' producers. IFC Midnight signed with Scream Factory by February 2015 for home distribution. On February 5, 2015, Shout! Factory launched its flagship TV ad-supported streaming services online and via Roku. Available shows and movies included 16 Werner Herzog films,

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

cult films and TV shows including '' Father Knows Best'' and '' It's Garry Shandling's Show''. In June, a minority stake in the company was taken by Cinedigm, while extending their home entertainment platform distribution agreement. Cinedigm and Shout would then relaunch the Factory's streaming service and cross market each other streaming services. On November 10, 2015, Shout! announced that it had acquired the rights to ''

'' from

Best Brains Best Brains, Inc. (first known as ''Hair Brain Productions'') is an entertainment company based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It is best known for the creation and production of the comedy/sci-fi television program ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', a ...

Inc. and launched a "Bring Back MST3K"

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, K ...

with the goal of producing up to 12 new feature-length episodes of the series, with series creator Joel Hodgson serving as executive producer. In January 2016, Concord Bicycle Music bought the Hightone from the company. The same year, Shout! Factory had released '' The Crush'' of 1993 under subsidiary brand Scream Factory and '' Long Way North''. The following year, Shout! (via its Westchester Films division) acquired the domestic rights to the entire library of Morgan Creek Productions (with the exception of the original '' Young Guns'', which is still owned 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 headquarter ...

, successor to the film's international distributor, Vestron Pictures). On January 10, 2017, Shout Factory acquired the worldwide television format and ancillary rights to '' Starcade'' with plans to reboot the series. On January 17, Shout! Factory announced their acquisition of the broadcast and home media distribution rights for the first three '' Digimon Adventure tri.'' films with plans for a dual-language release on DVD and Blu-ray. On May 18, Shout! Factory acquired the North American distribution rights to '' In This Corner of the World'', with a U.S. theatrical release to take place on August 11, 2017, co-released by Funimation Films. In October 2017, it was revealed that Shout! Factory would be the distributor for

GKIDS GKIDS is an American film distributor based in New York with, according to the ''Los Angeles Times'', a focus on "sophisticated, indie" animation. GKIDS releases critically acclaimed, mostly hand-drawn, international films—such as the works ...

' re-releases of

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ...

films formerly owned by Disney in the US (although Disney has the Asian (including Japan/China/Taiwan) distribution rights themselves, thus replacing the titles' original Japanese theatrical distributors such as

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the produc ...

, Toei and

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not ...

); afterwards, Shout! began distributing other GKIDS films. On November 13, 2017, Shout! Factory announced the formation of Shout! Studios, a production and distribution arm that specializes in content development. The first films to be distributed under the new banner include '' Humor Me'', '' Big Fish & Begonia'' (partnering with Funimation Films again for theatrical distribution) '' The House of Tomorrow'', '' Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town'', and '' Basmati Blues'', all slated for a 2018 premiere. In addition to film projects, Shout! Studios will also develop original television productions. In March 2018, Shout! Factory acquired the

New Horizons ''New Horizons'' is an interplanetary space probe that was launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), with a t ...

film library from its founder

; Shout! will distribute this catalogue in North America, Europe, Russia and Australia. Shout! also expanded its U.S. and Canadian distribution deal with ITV Studios Global Entertainment to cover over 135 films and TV series from ITV's library. In August, Shout! struck a deal with

Sesame Workshop Sesame Workshop (SW), originally known as the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), is an American nonprofit organization that has been responsible for the production of several educational children's programs—including its first and best-know ...

to distribute the ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) and ...

'' home video library, taking over from

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...

. In February 2021, Shout! Factory made a deal with animation studio Laika to release their films on home entertainment in the US. This deal includes Laika's first four films, originally released by

Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as part of Universal Pictures, a division of its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and foreign films in t ...

, as well as brand new bonus material and packaging for each release. In February 2022, Shout! Factory acquired the US distribution rights to the TV series '' ALF''. On August 9, 2022, Shout! Factory signed a worldwide distribution deal with

The Jim Henson Company The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...

to bring thirteen of Henson's programmes and specials to home entertainment and streaming platforms in all territories.

Licensing deals

, Shout! Factory has agreements with

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primaril ...

, 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (via

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

, excluding '' FernGully: The Last Rainforest'' in 2022), MGM, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, Hasbro (and its subsidiary Entertainment One),

, Eleven Arts,

, IFC Films,

, ITV Studios, CBS Home Entertainment, Motion Picture Corporation of America, The Tornante Company, the estate of Stephen J. Cannell and StudioCanal. 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; the original ''

'', '' G.I. Joe'', ''Jem (TV series), Jem'' and ''My Little Pony (TV series), My Little Pony'' cartoons, ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', ''

'', '' VR Troopers'', ''

'', '' Super Sentai'', some Nickelodeon series like '' Rocko's Modern Life'', '' Hey Arnold!'', ''

'', '' CatDog'', '' Danny Phantom'', '' Hey Dude'', '' The Angry Beavers'', '' Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'', '' The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius'' (under a former agreement with Paramount Home Entertainment), and ''Gravity Falls'' (under a former agreement with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment). 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'', ''The Return of the Living Dead'', and others being released to DVD and Blu-ray. In July 2020, Shout! Factory announced to have struck a multi-year deal with Alliance Entertainment and Mill Creek Entertainment that granted them the exclusive SVOD and AVOD digital rights to the Ultra series, 1,100 episodes and 20 films acquired by Mill Creek the previous year. Shout! Factory will stream the catalogue in the United States and Canada through their services, Shout! Factory TV and Tokushoutsu.

Related companies

In 2012, Shout! Factory acquired Oregon-based home entertainment company Timeless Media Group, adding programs to its ever-expanding catalog: '' The Red Skelton Show'', ''

'', '' The Gene Autry Show'', '' The Virginian'', ''

'', '' Laramie'', and '' The Roy Rogers Show'', among others. Shout! Factory also acquired blues/roots label HighTone Records and continued to oversee its back catalog until 2016 when Concord Bicycle Music bought the label.

Releases

Scream Factory

Shout Select

Shout! Factory Kids

TV series

Roger Corman's Cult Classics

Units

* Majordomo Records – an indie record label formed as an imprint and partnership with Shout! Factory * Roger Corman's Cult Classics – sub-label started in 2010 * Timeless Media Group – sub-label acquired in 2012 * Scream Factory – sub-label started in 2012 * Shout Select – sub-label started in 2016 * Shout! Factory TV – streaming service * Scream Factory TV - horror movie streaming service * Shout! Cult - cult movie streaming service * Shout! Studios – film and TV production and distribution arm started in November 2017 * Westchester Films – distributor of classic films from

, John Cassavetes,

, and material once distributed by

(all part of the holdings of Westchester's predecessor company Castle Hill Productions), as well as the Morgan Creek Productions and ITV Studios libraries.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Shout! Factory, 2002 establishments in California American companies established in 2002 Entertainment companies established in 2002 American record labels Home video companies of the United States Reissue record labels Record labels established in 2002 Privately held companies based in California Companies based in Los Angeles Film distributors of the United States Entertainment companies based in California