| MRC II Distribution Company, L.P. | |
| Former Name: | Media Rights Capital (2006–2013) |
| Trade Name: | MRC |
| Type: | Private |
| Founders: | Modi Wiczyk Asif Satchu |
| Hq Location: | 9601 Wilshire Boulevard |
| Hq Location City: | Beverly Hills, California 90212 |
| Location Country: | U.S. |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Key People: | Modi Wiczyk (co-CEO and co-chairman) Asif Satchu (co-CEO and co-chairman) Scott Tenley (COO) |
| Owner: | Eldridge Industries (minority) |
| Industry: | Film Television |
| Footnotes: | [1] |
MRC II Distribution Company, L.P.,[2] doing business as MRC (formerly Media Rights Capital), is an American film and television studio. Founded by Mordecai (Modi) Wiczyk and Asif Satchu, the company funds and produces film and television programming.
The company's divisions include MRC Film, MRC Non-Fiction, and MRC Television. In 2018, the company merged with Todd Boehly's media assets under Valence Media, with the company as a whole taking on the MRC name in 2020; this included Dick Clark Productions (briefly known as MRC Live & Alternative), audience data firm Luminate (the former Nielsen SoundScan), and the entertainment industry publications Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter. Boehly (through Eldridge Industries) re-acquired most of these assets in August 2022.
Productions by the company have included the Netflix series House of Cards and Ozark, and the films Baby Driver, Knives Out, and Ted.
MRC was founded by Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu in 2006.[3] Its early investors included Guggenheim Partners, AT&T, WPP Group, Goldman Sachs and ABRY Partners.[4] [5] In 2007, it funded filmmakers such as Robert Rodriguez, Ricky Gervais, Walter Salles, Ryan Murphy, Richard Kelly, Bennett Miller and Todd Field.[6] The same year, it entered into an agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures to allow Warner to distribute three of the eight pictures over a $250 million feature production funding.[7] MRC launched a television division of the studio in early 2008.[8]
In 2008, The CW leased its Sunday-night schedule to MRC beginning in the 2008-09 television season. MRC scheduled the reality show In Harm's Way and the dramas Valentine and Easy Money.[9] In November 2008, after all four shows drew poor viewership, The CW announced that it would withdraw from the agreement.[10] The network returned the Sunday timeslots to its affiliates in the 2009–10 season.[11] In 2010, MRC made a bid to buy Focus Features from NBCUniversal but was unable to close the deal. That same year, MRC struck a 5-year, 20-picture distribution deal with Universal Pictures.[12] After acquiring rights to produce a U.S. remake of the BBC miniseries House of Cards, MRC would sell the series to the streaming service Netflix in 2011.[13] [14] [15]
On February 1, 2018, Eldridge Industries, a holding company owned by former Guggenheim Partners president Todd Boehly, announced that it would contribute its media assets — including The Hollywood Reporter, Dick Clark Productions, and Billboard, and merge them with MRC into a new company known as Valence Media.[16] In October 2018, MRC formed a joint venture with United Talent Agency known as Civic Center Media, which seeks to back projects involving its members via MRC.[17] [18]
In December 2019, Valence Media acquired Nielsen Holdings' music data business, with the division being rebranded as MRC Data.[19]
In 2020, Valence Media rebranded as MRC.[20]
On September 23, 2020, it was announced that Penske Media Corporation, owner of The Hollywood Reporter
In September 2021, former E! president Adam Stotsky became the new president of MRC Live & Alternative, replacing the outgoing Amy Thurlow. At this time, Dick Clark Productions was folded into MRC Live & Alternative and discontinued as a brand.[22]
In August 2022, Eldridge agreed with Wiczyk and Satchu to divide MRC's assets, effectively undoing the 2018 Valence Media merger. Eldridge re-acquired the company's live and alternative division (which resumed business as Dick Clark Productions), as well as MRC's share of the PMRC joint venture, Luminate (the former MRC Data), and investments in studios including A24 and Fulwell 73. The remaining MRC entity, in which Eldridge will retain a minority stake, will retain its scripted film and TV production entity as well as investments in Civic Center Media and T-Street Productions.[23] Wiczyk and Satchu became chairmen of the company in 2023.[24]
SpinMedia (formerly Buzz Media) was an American digital publisher that owned a number of pop culture websites, including Spin, Stereogum, Vibe, and The Frisky.[25] It was founded in 1999 by Anthony Batt, Marc Brown, Kevin Woolery, and Steve Haldane under the name Buzznet,[26] and by 2006, Buzznet had a total of nine employees in the Los Angeles, California, area. The Buzz Media name was created as the company started to acquire more pop-culture and music blogs.
The company acquired Spin Media, publisher of Spin magazine, in July 2012.[27] After shutting down the print version of the magazine, reducing its staff to about 200, and focusing on advertising, it rebranded itself as SpinMedia in March 2013.[28] At that time, Steve Hansen became its chief executive. In April 2013, it acquired Vibe magazine.[29] [30]
In 2014, M/C Partners became the primary owner of SpinMedia after an assignment for benefit of creditors.[31] That year, Buzz Media had also acquired music sites Property of Zack, AbsolutePunk.net, Under The Gun Review, and Punknews.org.[32]
In September 2016, SpinMedia sold Buzznet, Idolator, and PureVolume to startup corporation Hive Media.[33] In December of that year, Eldridge Industries acquired Spin, Vibe, Stereogum, and Death and Taxes via the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group for an undisclosed amount, making Billboard the world's largest music brand in terms of digital traffic and audience share.[34] [35] Celebuzz, The Frisky, and The Superficial were sold to CPX Interactive.[36] In January 2020, Spin and Stereogum were sold to Next Management Partners and the site's management, respectively, as part of a larger focus on Vibe and a music data business.[37]
Films produced or co-financed by MRC have included:
| Year | Film | Details | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director(s) | Production companie(s) | Distributor(s) | Budget | Gross | ||
| 2006 | Babel[38] | Alejandro González Iñárritu | Paramount Vantage Anonymous Content Zeta Film Central Films | Paramount Pictures (English-speaking territories and Latin America) StudioCanal (France) Summit Entertainment (International) | $25 million | $135.3 million |
| 2008 | Linha de Passe | Walter Salles Daniela Thomas | Universal Pictures | |||
| 2009 | Brüno | Larry Charles | Four by Two Films Everyman Pictures | $42 million | $138.8 million | |
| Shorts | Robert Rodriguez | Imagenation Abu Dhabi Troublemaker Studios | Warner Bros. Pictures | $20 million | $29 million | |
| The Invention of Lying | Ricky Gervais Matthew Robinson | Radar Pictures Lynda Obst Productions | Warner Bros. Pictures (United States) Focus Features (International) | $18.5 million | $32.7 million | |
| The Box | Richard Kelly | Radar Pictures | Warner Bros. Pictures (North America) The Weinstein Company (International) | $30 million | $33.3 million | |
| 2010 | Devil | John Erick Dowdle | The Night Chronicles | Universal Pictures | $10 million | $62.6 million |
| 2011 | The Adjustment Bureau | George Nolfi | Gambit Pictures Electric Shepherd Productions | $62 million | $127.8 million | |
| 30 Minutes or Less | Ruben Fleischer | Columbia Pictures Red Hour Productions | Sony Pictures Releasing | $28 million | $40.7 million | |
| 2012 | Ted | Seth MacFarlane | Fuzzy Door Productions Bluegrass Films Smart Entertainment | Universal Pictures | $50–65 million | $549.4 million |
| 2013 | Elysium | Neill Blomkamp | TriStar Pictures QED International Alphacore Kinberg Genre | Sony Pictures Releasing | $115 million | $286.1 million |
| 2014 | A Million Ways to Die in the West | Seth MacFarlane | Fuzzy Door Productions Bluegrass Films | Universal Pictures | $40 million | $87.2 million |
| 22 Jump Street[39] | Phil Lord Christopher Miller | Columbia Pictures Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer LStar Capital Original Film Cannell Studios Storyville 75 Year Plan Productions | Sony Pictures Releasing | $50–84.5 million | $331.3 million | |
| Think Like a Man Too | Tim Story | Screen Gems Will Packer Productions | $24 million | $70.2 million | ||
| Sex Tape | Jake Kasdan | Columbia Pictures LStar Capital Escape Artists | $40 million | $126.3 million | ||
| 2015 | Chappie | Neill Blomkamp | Columbia Pictures LStar Capital Kinberg Genre | $49 million | $102.1 million | |
| Furious 7 | James Wan | Original Film One Race Films China Film Co., Ltd. | Universal Pictures | $190 million | $1.515 billion | |
| Ted 2 | Seth MacFarlane | Fuzzy Door Productions Bluegrass Films | $68 million | $215.9 million | ||
| Hotel Transylvania 2 | Genndy Tartakovsky | Columbia Pictures Sony Pictures Animation LStar Capital | Sony Pictures Releasing | $80 million | $474.8 million | |
| 2017 | Baby Driver | Edgar Wright | TriStar Pictures Big Talk Productions Working Title Films | $34 million | $226.9 million | |
| The Dark Tower | Nikolaj Arcel | Columbia Pictures Imagine Entertainment Weed Road Pictures | $66 million | $113.2 million | ||
| 2018 | Genndy Tartakovsky | Columbia Pictures Sony Pictures Animation | $65–80 million | $528.6 million | ||
| Mortal Engines | Christian Rivers | Scholastic Entertainment Silvertongue Films Perfect World Pictures WingNut Films | Universal Pictures | $100–150 million | $83.7 million | |
| 2019 | Dora and the Lost City of Gold | James Bobin | Paramount Players Nickelodeon Movies Walden Media Burr! Productions | Paramount Pictures | $49 million | $120.6 million |
| Knives Out | Rian Johnson | T-Street Productions Ram Bergman Productions | Lionsgate | $40 million | $312.9 million | |
| 2020 | The Lovebirds | Michael Showalter | Paramount Pictures 3 Arts Entertainment Quinn's House | Netflix | $16 million | |
| 2021 | [40] | Tim Hill | Paramount Animation Nickelodeon Movies United Plankton Pictures | Paramount Pictures (Canada and China) Paramount+ (United States) Netflix (International) | $60 million | $4.8 million |
| The Sparks Brothers[41] | Edgar Wright | Complete Fiction Pictures | Focus Features | $1.2 million | ||
| Will Gluck | Columbia Pictures Animal Logic 2.0 Entertainment Olive Bridge Entertainment | Sony Pictures Releasing | $45 million | $154 million | ||
| 2022 | Derek Drymon Jennifer Kluska | Columbia Pictures Sony Pictures Animation | Amazon Studios (worldwide) Sony Pictures Releasing (China) | $75 million | $18.5 million | |
| Jerry & Marge Go Large | David Frankel | Paramount Players Levantine Films | Paramount+ | |||
| Persuasion[42] | Carrie Cracknell | Bisous Pictures Mad Chance Fourth and Twenty Eight Films | Netflix | |||
| The Last Rider | Alex Holmes | New Black Films | Roadside Attractions (United States and Canada) Dogwoof (International) | $253,770 | ||
| 2023 | The Blackening | Tim Story | The Story Company Tracy Yvonne Productions Artists First Catchlight Studios | Lionsgate | $5 million | $18.6 million |
| Fair Play | Chloe Domont | T-Street Star Thrower Entertainment | Netflix | |||
| Milli Vanilli | Luke Korem | MTV Entertainment Studios Keep on Running Pictures | Paramount+ | |||
| Self Reliance | Jake Johnson | Clown Show Lonely Island Classics Walcott Productions | Hulu Neon | |||
| Saltburn | Emerald Fennell | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Lie Still LuckyChap Entertainment | Amazon MGM Studios (United States) Warner Bros. Pictures (United Kingdom/Ireland) | $21.1 million | ||
| American Fiction | Cord Jefferson | T-Street Almost Infinite 3 Arts Entertainment | Orion Pictures(through Amazon MGM Studios) | $10 million | $23 million | |
| The Contestant | Clair Titley | Misfits Entertainment | Hulu | |||
| 2024 | The Greatest Night in Pop | Bao Nguyen | Republic Pictures Dorothy Street Pictures MakeMake Entertainment | Netflix | ||
| Snack Shack | Adam Carter Rehmeier | Paperclip Limited T-Street | Republic Pictures | $4.5 million | $455,708 | |
| Year | Show | Details | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator(s) | Production companie(s) | Network(s) | Season(s) | Episodes | ||
| 2008–09 | Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy | Seth MacFarlane | Fuzzy Door Productions Main Street Pictures | YouTube | 1 | 50 |
| 2008–12 | The Life & Times of Tim | Steve Dildarian | HBO Entertainment Insane Loon Productions Warner Bros. Television | HBO | 3 | 30 |
| 2008 | In Harm's Way | Craig Piligian | Pilgrim Studios | The CW | 1 | 8 |
| 2008–09 | Valentine | Kevin Murphy | Five & Dime Productions | 1 | 8 | |
| 2008–09 | Easy Money | Diane Frolov Andrew Schneider | Hat Trick Productions | 1 | 8 | |
| 2008–09 | Rita Rocks | James Berg Stan Zimmerman | Zimmerman-Berg Lifetime Television | Lifetime | 2 | 40 |
| 2009 | Surviving Suburbia | Kevin Abbott | Acme Productions NestEgg Productions | ABC | 1 | 13 |
| 2009 | Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire | Peter A. Knight | Hat Trick Productions Watson Pond Productions | Comedy Central (U.S.) BBC Two / BBC HD (UK) | 1 | 6 |
| 2009 | The Goode Family | Mike Judge John Altschuler Dave Krinsky | Ternion Pictures 3 Arts Entertainment Judgemental Films | ABC | 1 | 13 |
| 2009–10 | Shaq Vs. | Dick Clark Productions | 2 | 10 | ||
| 2010–12 | The Ricky Gervais Show | Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant Karl Pilkington | WildBrain Entertainment HBO Entertainment | HBO (U.S.) Channel 4/E4 (United Kingdom) | 3 | 39 |
| 2011–12 | How to Be a Gentleman | David Hornsby | CBS Productions | CBS | 1 | 9 |
| 2013–18 | House of Cards | Beau Willimon | Trigger Street Productions Wade/Thomas Productions Knight Takes King Productions | Netflix | 6 | 73 |
| 2015–16 | Blunt Talk | Jonathan Ames | The Herring Wonder Fuzzy Door Productions | Starz | 2 | 20 |
| 2017–22 | Ozark | Bill Dubuque Mark Williams | Aggregate Films Zero Gravity Management Headhunter Films Man, Woman & Child Productions | Netflix | 4 | 44 |
| 2017–19 | Counterpart[43] | Justin Marks | Gilbert Films Anonymous Content Gate 34 Studio Babelsberg Starz Originals | Starz | 2 | 20 |
| 2020 | The Outsider | Aggregate Films Temple Hill Entertainment Pieface Inc. Civic Center Media | HBO | 1 | 10 | |
| 2020–23 | The Great | Tony McNamara | Thruline Entertainment Echo Lake Entertainment Lewellen Pictures Macgowan Films Piggy Ate Roast Beef Productions Civic Center Media | Hulu | 3 | 30 |
| 2021 | The Shrink Next Door | Gloria Sanchez Productions Buckaroo Small Mammal Productions Semi-Formal Productions Bloomberg Media Wondery Civic Center Media | Apple TV+ | 1 | 8 | |
| 2022 | Shining Girls | Silka Luisa | Love & Squalor Pictures Michelle MacLaren Entertainment Appian Way Productions | 1 | 8 | |
| 2022 | So You Think You Can Dance | Simon Fuller Nigel Lythgoe | 19 Entertainment Dick Clark Productions | Fox | 18 | 312 |
| 2022–present | The Terminal List | David DiGilio | Amazon MGM Studios Indivisible Productions Fuqua Films DiGilio Films Civic Center Media | Amazon Prime Video | 1 | 8 |
| 2023–present | Poker Face | Rian Johnson | Animal Pictures T-Street | Peacock | 1 | 10 |
| 2023 | Hello Tomorrow! | Amit Bhalla Lucas Jansen | Mortal Media Froward Enterprise Ceremony Pictures Hooptie Filmed Entertainment Apple Studios | Apple TV+ | 1 | 10 |
| 2024–present | Ted | Seth MacFarlane | Fuzzy Door Productions Universal Content Productions | Peacock | 1 | 7 |
| 2024–present | Time Bandits | Jemaine Clement Iain Morris Taika Waititi | Waititi Waka Atea HandMade Films Anonymous Content Paramount Television Studios | Apple TV+ | 1 | 10 |