The Walt Disney Studios Signs Overall Deal With Beacon Founder Armyan Bernstein

The Walt Disney Studios Signs Overall Deal With Beacon Founder Armyan Bernstein

Armyan Bernstein, award-winning producer and founder of Beacon Communications, has entered into a five-year deal with The Walt Disney Studios, it was announced today (12/12) by Dick Cook, chairman of the Walt Disney Studios. Bernstein, along with partner Charlie Lyons and private investors, has capitalized the new venture, which plans to create and distribute multiple films under the Beacon label.

Bernstein, who is chairman of the new company, was ShoWest 2000 Producer of the Year. His films with Beacon have generated more than one billion dollars in box office, such as "Air Force One," "The Hurricane," "End of Days," "Thirteen Days," "Bring It On," "The Family Man," and "Spy Game," as well as the upcoming "Open Range" for the Walt Disney Studios.

Lyons, who is CEO of the new company, is the former chairman and founder of Ascent Entertainment, where he built an entertainment and sports enterprise whose assets included the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, Denver's Pepsi Center, On Command Video, and Beacon Communications.

Alan Levine of the Ziffren Brittenham law firm structured the deal.

Commenting on the announcement, Cook said, "I've had a long association with Armyan Bernstein and Charlie Lyons, and with the formation of their new company, we jumped at the chance to team with them in this exciting venture. Army and Charlie are a rare blend of talents that have proven themselves on both the creative and business sides of making movies and operating entertainment assets. We're thrilled to have them become an integral part of the Disney family."

Bernstein added, "It's very exciting to be at Disney. They're the perfect studio at the perfect time for us. We've been partners on films in the past, from 'The Hurricane' to 'Air Force One,' so we know how to work together. Disney is obviously one of the greatest brands in the world, with marketing skills next to none, but equally important are the people. Dick Cook is one of the smartest executives in the business, as well as one of the most well-liked people in the industry. His years of experience in marketing and distribution, as well as his ability to work with filmmakers, make him the ideal partner. He made it hard for us to go anywhere else. He literally talked us into coming to Disney because of his passion and faith in the future of his company. Nina Jacobson and her gang are the best young team I've ever worked with. And, with Mark Zoradi, we're continuing a long, successful relationship with the strongest international distributor in the world."

Lyons said, "I've worked with Army for over a decade, and I know him to be a great creator of movies and a terrific businessman. Moreover, he has extraordinary relationships with the talent community. With this new relationship, Army has never had a stronger financial platform from which to operate. In addition to creating our own content, we'll be entering into a number of producing partnerships designed to increase the flow of development material. This new relationship with Disney will give us almost unlimited potential to bring our products to audiences around the globe on a number of different platforms. Under the leadership of Michael Eisner, Disney has created the optimal environment for content creation and entrepreneurial energy. Also, Chuck Viane and Oren Aviv lead the best distribution and marketing teams in the business."

Lyons also added that the new venture has been exploring opportunities to acquire other entertainment assets with the goal being to build a mid-size entertainment company with the capacity to develop, produce, and distribute all forms of content.

--Posted December 12, 2002
Source: The Walt Disney Studios