Producers Sales Organization
Formerly | Producers Sales Organization |
---|---|
Founded | 1977 |
Founder | Mark Damon |
Defunct | 1986 |
Fate | Bankrupt |
Successor | Vision International Vestron Pictures Library ultimately owned by Sony Pictures (through TriStar Pictures) and Icon Distribution UK |
Headquarters | United States |
Producers Sales Organization (PSO; on its final years PSO Productions, Inc.) was an independent motion picture production and sales company founded in 1977.[1] Initiated by Mark Damon, an actor-turned-producer,[1] PSO mostly handled foreign sales of independent films. It was initially a partnership between Damon, producer Sandy Howard, and Richard St. Johns, who worked for Arthur Guinness Son & Co. At one point, it was a subsidiary of Guinness.[2] In its final years of existence, PSO briefly became a full-fledged production company. In November 1984, PSO merged with film financing firm The Delphi Companies; the resulting company, PSO-Delphi, forged a domestic theatrical distribution deal with TriStar Pictures and a home video distribution deal with CBS/Fox Video.[3]
Despite releasing many successful films, PSO ran into financial problems and was forced into bankruptcy in 1986, effectively ending the company.[4] Many of its employees were soon hired by Vestron Pictures to run a new foreign sales unit dubbed Producers Distribution Organization, later renamed Interaccess Film Distribution, Inc.[5][6][7]
A year after PSO ended, Damon founded a new company, with Peter Guber and Jon Peters, called Vision International.[1]
A majority of the PSO library would ultimately end up with Lionsgate, and then Icon International (originally founded by Mel Gibson).
Films[]
Among the most notable films PSO represented or financed include:
- Matilda (1978)[8]
- The Wanderers (1979)[9]
- A Change of Seasons (1980)[10]
- Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)[9]
- The Final Countdown (1981)[11]
- Das Boot (1981)
- An American Werewolf in London (1981)
- Dead and Buried (1981)
- Endless Love (1981)
- Young Doctors in Love (1982)
- Heidi's Song (1982)[12]
- Cujo (1983)[13]
- The Day After (1983)[14]
- Fire and Ice (1983)
- Never Say Never Again (1983)[13]
- The Outsiders (1983)[13]
- Silkwood (1983)[13]
- La Traviata (1983)
- The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984)[15]
- The Defective Detective (1984)
- The NeverEnding Story (1984)
- Once Upon a Time in America (1984)[13]
- Prizzi's Honor (1985)
- Heavenly Bodies (1985)
- The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)
- 8 Million Ways to Die (1986)
- 9½ Weeks (1986)[16]
- Short Circuit (1986)
- Flight of the Navigator (1986)
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Mark Damon". lukeford.net. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
- ^ Damon & Schreyer, p. 47-49
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean (1984-11-16). "Producers Sales, Delphi in Merger (Published 1984)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
- ^ Damon, M.; Schreyer, L. (2008). From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster: The Neverending Story of Film Pioneer Mark Damon. AuthorHouse. p. 438. ISBN 9781463465056.
- ^ "Vestron hired 3 members of PSO's management. - Los Angeles Times". articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
- ^ LA BRIEFLY. Daily News of Los Angeles (August 26, 1986).
- ^ Billboard (November 1, 1986), p. 48
- ^ Damon & Schreyer, p. 53-56
- ^ Jump up to: a b Damon & Schreyer, p. 58
- ^ Damon & Schreyer, p. 56-57
- ^ Damon & Schreyer, p. 60-65
- ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/62719225/
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Daily News - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 2014-10-01.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "What are the contents of the Buckaroo Banzai Press Kit?". figmentfly.com. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
- ^ "Movie Review - 9 1 2 Weeks - FILM: '9 1/2 WEEKS,' A SEXUAL JOURNEY - NYTimes.com". movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
Further reading[]
- Mark Damon; Linda Schreyer (2008). From Cowboy to Mogul to Monster: The Neverending Story of Film Pioneer Mark Damon. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
External links[]
- Film production companies of the United States
- Mass media companies established in 1977
- Mass media companies disestablished in 1986
- 1977 establishments in California
- 1986 disestablishments in California