ECHO BRIDGE ENTERTAINMENT MERGES WITH LEADING HOME ENTERTAINMENT
DISTRIBUTOR, PLATINUM DISC CORPORATION.
The
Merger catapults Echo Bridge into the top echelon of the US Home
Entertainment industry, by controlling one of the largest video
distribution companies in the US.
Needham, MA February 7,
2005 Echo Bridge Entertainment has announced
its merger with Platinum Disc Corporation, one of the largest North
American independent distributors of home entertainment product,
which will become Platinum Disc, LLC, a subsidiary of Echo Bridge
Entertainment, LLC. This
significant move by Echo Bridge effectively places it among the
top companies controlling independent filmed entertainment distribution
in North America.
The announcement was made today by Echo Bridge Entertainment Managing
Partner, Michael Alexander and the founder and CEO of Platinum Disc,
Dave Thompson.
Commenting on the announcement,
Alexander said, This deal goes a long
way towards reaching our goal to become one of the top independent,
fully integrated worldwide distribution companies in the entertainment
business,
and we are very excited to bring such a dynamic and successful company
as Platinum Disc into the Echo Bridge family.
Thompson adds, This merger
couldnt be a better match, with the
combined strengths of the two companies complementing each other
perfectly. As a team we will build the company to become a major
force
within the industry.
In the last three years, Platinum Disc Corporation has increased
business
by 240%, to become the largest independent home entertainment supplier
of value-priced video and audio in the North American marketplace,
with
some of their biggest buyers being Wal-Mart, Sams Club, Best
Buy and
Circuit City. Based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Platinum will continue
to
operate as before, keeping
its 225 staff intact, with Thompson maintaining
the smooth operation of the company and becoming a board member
of Echo Bridge Entertainment.
Platinum Disc, which received an
independent distributor of the year
award last year, has a catalogue
of nearly 2,000 film titles, all of which are
acquired and sourced from various production companies worldwide.
Platinum carries all product categories and genres. In the last
year, Platinum concluded a major deal with Hallmark Entertainment
to distribute a package
of titles, including Buffalo Girls, starring Melanie
Griffith and Angelica
Huston, True Women, with Angelina Jolie, Titanic,
starring Catherine
Zeta-Jones and George C. Scott, Murder in the Rue Morgue,
starring
Val Kilmer, as well as 52 episodes of the critically acclaimed TV
series
Lonesome Dove.
Other titles include License
To Kill, starring Denzel Washington,
Pokemon, Dynasty, with Harrison Ford, Long
Walk Home, starring
Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek, and from Alliance Atlantis, such
titles as Yoga and Pilates and Hammy the Hamster.
Platinum also has a catalogue of over 5,300 CD song titles.
This multi-million dollar deal marks
Echo Bridges most significant investment
yet since its creation in 2004, resulting in a dramatic increase
in the companys
value. Veteran industry executives Michael Alexander, Doug Hamilton,
Michael Rosenblatt and Lucie Salhany have been steadily buying libraries
and rights
to a number of individual titles, and with this deal, the library
will total
nearly 2,250 film titles.
The team has now created a vertically
integrated worldwide sales and
distribution company, which can provide a full service, direct distribution
channel to the North American theatrical and DVD markets, as well
as an experienced international sales operation which covers the
foreign marketplace. Echo Bridge distributes filmed entertainment
in all media, including theatrical, home entertainment and all forms
of television. This deal positions the company
as one of a handful of independent businesses that controls distribution
across
all media worldwide, and offers an exceptional opportunity for film
and
television producers alike.
About Echo Bridge Entertainment
Echo Bridge Entertainment, LLC/Platinum
Disc, LLC, is an independent sales and distribution company, which
acquires filmed product for distribution in theatrical, television,
cable, satellite and home video markets in the United States and
throughout the world. Its five Managing Partners are Michael Alexander,
Doug Hamilton, Michael Rosenblatt, Lucie Salhany, and David Thompson
all experienced entertainment industry executives.
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