Universal Pictures was originally formed on June 8, 1912 by Carl Laemmle, a German-Jewish immigrant who settled in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where he managed a clothing store. It is the second oldest studio in Hollywood (beaten by one month by Paramount Pictures). The word "Universal" means "Omnipresent". In 1915, he opened Universal Studios. In 1946, Universal merged with International Pictures, headed by Leo Spitz and William Goetz. This team ran Universal-International, while Nate Blumberg and J. Cheever Cowdin remained at the helm of Universal Pictures, the parent company. In late 1951, Universal-International was acquired by Decca Records. In 1962, Music Corporation of America (MCA) purchased Decca Records and with it, Universal-International Pictures, leaving Milton Rackmil and Edward Muhl in charge, while Dr. Jules Stein (Board Chairman) and Lew Wasserman (President) guiding MCA. As a result of a consent decree with the justice department, MCA divested itself of its talent agency business. In 1990, MCA/Universal was acquired by Panasonic Corporation and later sold to Seagram and Sons in 1995. On December 9, 1996, MCA was reincorporated and renamed as "Universal Studios". In December 2000, French company Vivendi acquired Universal Studios from Seagram and Sons and formed Vivendi Universal Entertainment. On May 11, 2004, it was part-owned by Vivendi SA (20%) and General Electric (80%) and became a subsidiary of NBC Universal, Inc. On January 26, 2011, Vivendi S.A. sold the remaining 20% of NBC Universal to GE until January 28, when Comcast Corporation acquired a 51% controlling interest of the renamed NBCUniversal, LLC, and the remaining stock (49%) from GE on March 19, 2013. DreamWorks, LLC (also known as "DreamWorks Pictures", "DreamWorks SKG", or "DreamWorks Studios") is an American film studio that was established in 1994. It has produced or distributed more than ten films with box-office grosses totaling more than $100 million each. Its most successful title to date is Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen. DreamWorks began as an ambitious attempt by media moguls Steven Spielberg, Jeffery Katzenberg, and David Geffen (which is where the "SKG" insignia came from) to create a new Hollywood studio. On December 11, 2005, the founders agreed to sell the studio to Paramount Pictures. The sale was completed on February 1, 2006, but the studio became independent again in 2008. On February 9, 2009, DreamWorks struck a distribution deal with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (through their Touchstone Pictures banner), which has been effective since 2011. DreamWorks Animation was formerly a subsidiary of the studio until the two split into separate companies in 2004. DreamWorks Pictures is now legally known as "DW II Management, Inc." with the "DreamWorks" name and logo being used under license from DreamWorks Animation.

• published: 11 Oct 2014
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