Universal Studios, Inc.
Universal Studios, Inc. (formerly as MCA Inc., also known simply as Universal) is an American media and entertainment conglomerate and is owned by NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast.
Universal Studios
Music Corporation of America (1924–1958)
MCA Inc. (1958–1996)
March 27, 1924
Jules Stein
William R. Goodheart, Jr.
Acquired by Seagram and later reincorporated as Universal Studios, Inc.
Worldwide
- Donna Langley (Chairwoman,
- Universal Filmed Entertainment Group)
Peter Cramer (president)
US$11.622 billion (2022)
- Universal Pictures
- Universal Brand Development
- Universal Global Talent Development and Inclusion
- Back Lot Music
- Makeready (co-backing with Lionsgate Films)
Originally founded in 1924 as Music Corporation of America by Jules C. Stein and William R. Goodheart Jr., the company became a major force in the film industry, and later expanded into television production. MCA published music, booked acts, ran a record company, represented film, television, and radio stars, and eventually produced and sold television programs to the three major television networks, especially NBC. Its studios are located in Universal City, California, and its corporate offices are located in New York City.
History[edit]
Early years[edit]
Universal Studios was formed in 1924 by Jules Stein and William R. Goodheart, Jr., as Music Corporation of America, a music booking agency based in Chicago, Illinois. MCA helped pioneer modern practices of touring bands and name acts. Early on, MCA booked such prominent artists as King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton for clubs and speakeasies run by legendary notorious Chicago mobsters such as Al Capone and others.
Lew Wasserman joined MCA in 1936 at the age of 23 and rose through the ranks of MCA for more than four decades, with Sonny Werblin as his right-hand man. Wasserman helped create MCA's radio show, Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge, which debuted on NBC Radio that same year. Following that success, Stein installed Wasserman in New York City in 1937, but Wasserman convinced him that Hollywood was the best place for the company's growth.