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The Kushner-Locke Company was an American independent motion picture/television production company founded on March 12, 1983 by Donald Kushner and Peter Locke. [1] It is known for films such as The Adventures of Pinocchio, Liberace: Behind the Music, Basil, But I'm a Cheerleader, Freeway, Nutcracker: The Motion Picture and Teen Wolf.
The Kushner Locke Company has been a leading entertainment company since 1983. The company principally developed, produced, financed and continues to distribute feature films and television programming. Our library includes approximately 250 titles with over 1,000 hours of film and television programming, including cult classics Freeway, But I ...
Background. The Kushner-Locke Conpany was formed in 1983 by producers Donald Kushner, producer of Tron and Peter Locke, the head of Channing-Debin-Locke Company and producer of The Hills Have Eyes (1977). Its first production was Automan. The company never used a logo until 1984.
KUSHNER-LOCKE
- Beginnings in Television Production
- Financial Struggles and Feature Films
- Diversification in The Late 1990s
- Looking Backward: A Rerun Library
- Looking Forward: New Movies and The Latin Market
- Further Reading
The company was founded in 1980 by Peter Locke and Donald Kushner, who had been fraternity brothers at Syracuse University. At first, Kushner-Locke’s primary business was syndicated television programs (such as its early production of the five-year series “Divorce Court”) and movies, specials and series for cable and network TV. These types of prog...
In 1993, strategically moving beyond TV to increase potential profits, Kushner-Locke had begun producing feature films. The next year, an international distribution subsidiary was established. The company put into place a 12-person foreign distribution staff to bolster international sales, but the results were slow. By 1996, feature films comprised...
In the late 1990s, Kushner-Locke moved in several directions to raise its profile with major broadcast networks and film studios. The company’s initiatives resulted in high Wall Street ratings. Coproduction deals were the rage in 1997, with European companies seeking helping hands to ease their transition into the competitive U.S. market. Granada, ...
In addition to successes in the diversified production of new movies and television programs, what really turned the financial picture around for Kushner-Locke in 1997 was its 200-title library of film and TV reruns, valued at approximately $65 million. Library titles included the five-year “Divorce Court” program, the game show “Conniption,” and t...
In 1998, the company launched a three-year coproduction and foreign distribution deal with Universal Pictures. Under the agreement, Kushner-Locke and Universal would jointly produce, finance, and distribute nine pictures with $35 million or less budgets between 1998 and 2001. The company also premiered Gran Canal Latino, a movie satellite channel a...
Bacal, Simon, “Transylvania Gives Good Grit,” Variety, February 20, 1998. Carver, Benedict, “Kushner-Locke Boosts Credit Line,” Screen International, September 19, 1997. ——, “Landis Joins Kushner-Locke Family,” Screen International, October 17, 1997. Chetwynd, Josh, “Zane Makes Post-Titanic“Plan’,” Hollywood Reporter, April 15, 1998. De Moraes, Lis...
The Kushner-Locke Co operates as an entertainment company. The Company produces feature films, television series, direct-to-video films, made-for-television movies, as well as distributes...
The Kushner-Locke Company (the 'Company') is a leading independent entertainment company principally engaged in the development, production and distribution of original feature films and television programming. The Company's feature films are developed and produced for the made-for-video, pay cable and theatrical motion picture markets.
