 Logo used since 2003 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | February 2, 1998; 27 years ago (1998-02-02) |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | Culver City,California |
Key people |
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| Products | Motion pictures,music,home entertainment,talent management,television production |
| Parent | Westbrook Inc. (2019–present) |
| Website | www |
Overbrook Entertainment, Inc. is an Americanproduction company based inCulver City,California.[1] It was founded by partnersWill Smith andJames Lassiter in 1998,[2] around the same time production forWild Wild West (1999) began.
The name "Overbrook" is derived fromWill Smith's neighborhood inWest Philadelphia. The on-screen logo consists of a spinning record with the company name. The company produces music, films and television shows. Smith claimed to have started the company in order to serve as producer and find roles. He uses his role in the company to help unknown artists record music, and also records music for some of his films in Overbrook.
On November 11, 1997, actorWill Smith (age 29) and managerJames Lassiter signed an overall first-look term deal atUniversal Pictures.[3] Thus, Overbrook Entertainment was born. It was formally incorporated on February 2, 1998.
David Tochterman, formerly employee ofThe Carsey-Werner Company, joined the company on September 16, 1998, and decided to launch the television division. Tochterman produced shows for the broadcast and cable TV networks.[4]
The music division was restructured withJohn Dukakis, formerly an employee of Southpaw Entertainment, signed as executive vice president of its music division on February 11, 1999.[5]
On May 10, 2000, it was announced that a merger withThe Firm had been proposed, but it was later scrapped.[6]
Overbrook Entertainment announced on December 10, 2000 that it was renewing its interest in the television division. Its plans were to include a 13-episode animated series commitment forNickelodeon, as well as a slew of comedy, drama and telemovies on various broadcast networks. The studio was landing deals for three sitcoms, three dramas and one telefilm for various web networks.[7]
The studio's contract withUniversal Pictures ended on January 30, 2002. It then formally signed a contract withSony Pictures Entertainment to develop feature films.[8]
In the years of 2009, 2015 and 2017, the studio went on hiatus where the films from the company are not released yet for the next three years.
The studio announced that it wouldn't renew its deal withSony Pictures Entertainment on January 3, 2018.[9]
On July 10, 2019, Smith and his wife, actressJada Pinkett Smith, announced the formation ofWestbrook Inc., with Overbrook Entertainment being as one of the subsidiaries of the company.[10] It is reported that Westbrook Studios would sign a deal withNational Geographic.[11]
| Years | Title | Creator | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–2007 | All of Us | Will Smith Jada Pinkett Smith Betsy Borns | UPN(seasons 1–3) The CW(season 4) | co-production withWarner Bros. Television |
| Years | Title | Creator | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2011 | Hawthorne | John Masius | TNT | continued from100% Womon Productions; co-production withFanFare Productions,John Masius Productions andSony Pictures Television |
| 2013–2015 | The Queen Latifah Show | Queen Latifah | Syndication | revival of the 1999 series; co-production withFlavor Unit Entertainment, Curly One Productions andSony Pictures Television |
| 2018–2025 | Cobra Kai | Josh Heald Jon Hurwitz Hayden Schlossberg Television sequel to theKarate Kid film series by: Robert Mark Kamen | YouTube Red (season 1) YouTube Premium (season 2) Netflix (seasons 3–6) | Co-production with Hurwitz & Schlossberg Productions (seasons 1–2), Heald Productions (season 2), Counterbalance Entertainment (seasons 3–6),Westbrook Studios (seasons 3–6) andSony Pictures Television |
| Years | Title | Creator | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–present | Bel–Air | Andy Borowitz andSusan Borowitz | Peacock | co-production with Arbolada Roads, Ra Shines Inc., Cooper Films, The 51, Westbrook Studios andUniversal Television |
| Year | Title | Artist | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Wild Wild West | Various artists | Interscope Records | |
| 2000 | Love & Basketball | |||
| 2002 | Men in Black II | Danny Elfman | Columbia Records | |
| 2014 | Annie | Various artists | RCA Records |
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The 7th Commandment | Theron Alford | DVD distribution; co-production with 25Eight Productions and A Free World Productions |
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| Other songs | |
| Film screenplay only |
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| Films produced only |
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