Spyglass Media Group

Spyglass Entertainment is a currently inactive American film production and international sales company founded by Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum in 1998. Owned by Cerberus Capital Management, Barber and Birnbaum serve as co-CEOs, while Jonathan Glickman serves as the current President of Production. Jeffrey Chernov was once a production executive.

History
In August 1998, Gary Barber, former vice chairman and COO of Morgan Creek Productions, and Roger Birnbaum, co-founder and former head of Caravan Pictures, founded Spyglass Entertainment. The startup company signed a five-year distribution agreement with Disney, which took an equity stake. Birnbaum previously left Caravan at the prompting of then-Disney studio chief Joe Roth; with Disney cutting its yearly production output, Roth recommended forming a self-financing production firm similar to New Regency Productions. After Caravan's remaining three films were released, it went inactive. (Its slate of movie projects and an initial financial advance of $10 million to $20 million against future overages were also contributed by Disney.) Spyglass's operations were formed and based at the Walt Disney Studios. In October 1998, European media conglomerates Kirch Group and Mediaset invested in theatrical, video and television distribution rights to between 15 and 25 films in Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland and the former Soviet Union for over five years. By May 2000, Disney took a 10% equity stake in Spyglass, along with Svensk Film Industri of Scandinavia and Lusomundo of Portugal.

In 2002, Spyglass considered a merger with Intermedia, but the deal was never carried out. With the expiration of the Disney distribution deal in October, Spyglass signed a five-year distribution deal with DreamWorks while Disney retained its stake. In April 2008, at MIP TV, Spyglass and Canal Plus agreed to a multi-window TV deal for its movies, lasting until 2009. By 2010, Spyglass moved to Westwood, Los Angeles and Cerberus Capital Management purchased the company.

On December 20, 2010, Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum became co-chairmen and co-CEOs of the holding company of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which had recently at that time emerged from bankruptcy. Since then, Spyglass' operation has been scaled back, though Barber and Birnbaum will continue to operate it through the handling of its library.

UK distributors

 * Buena Vista International (2002–2005)
 * Universal Pictures UK (Stay Alive only)
 * Optimum Releasing (2009–2011)

1990s

 * Instinct (1999) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures)
 * The Sixth Sense (1999) (co-production with Hollywood Pictures, Blinding Edge Pictures and The Kennedy/Marshall Company)
 * The Insider (1999) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures)

2000s

 * Mission to Mars (2000) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures)
 * Keeping the Faith (2000) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures, Koch Co., Blumberg/Norton Porudctions and Triple Threat Talent)
 * Shanghai Noon (2000) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures)
 * Out Cold (2001) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures)
 * The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures)
 * Dragonfly (2002) (co-production with Universal Pictures) (through Buena Vista International)
 * Abandon (2002) (co-production with Paramount Pictures and Touchstone Pictures) (through Buena Vista International)
 * Reign of Fire (2002) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures)
 * The Recruit (2003) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures and Epsilon Motion Pictures)
 * Shanghai Knights (2003) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures)
 * Bruce Almighty (2003) (co-production with Universal Pictures, Shady Acres Entertainment and Pit Bull Productions) (through Buena Vista International)
 * Seabiscuit (2003) (co-production with Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures) (through Buena Vista International)
 * The Perfect Score (2004) (co-production with Paramount Pictures, MTV Films and Tollin/Robbins Productions)
 * Connie and Carla (2004) (co-production with Universal Pictures)
 * Mr. 3000 (2004) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures and The Kennedy/Marshall Company)
 * The Pacifier (2005) (co-production with Walt Disney Pictures)
 * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures and Hammer and Tongs)
 * The Legend of Zorro (2005) (co-production with Columbia Pictures and Amblin Entertainment)
 * Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) (co-production with Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and Red Wagon Entertainment) (through Buena Vista International)
 * Eight Below (2006) (co-production with Walt Disney Pictures, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, and Mandeville Films)
 * Stay Alive (2006) (co-production with Hollywood Pictures, Endgame Entertainment and Wonderland Sound and Vision) (through Universal Pictures UK)
 * Stick It (2006) (co-production with Touchstone Pictures)
 * The Lookout (2007) (co-production with Miramax Films)
 * The Invisible (2007) (co-production with Hollywood Pictures)
 * Evan Almighty (2007) (co-production with Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Shady Acres Entertainment and Original Film)
 * Underdog (2007) (co-production with Walt Disney Pictures and Classic Media)
 * Balls of Fury (2007) (co-production with Rogue Pictures and Intrepid Pictures)
 * 27 Dresses (2008) (co-production with 20th Century Fox)
 * Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008) (co-production with Universal Pictures)
 * The Ruins (2008) (co-production with DreamWorks Pictures and Red Hour Productions)
 * The Happening (2008) (co-production with 20th Century Fox, Blinding Edge Pictures, UTV Motion Pictures, and Dune Entertainment)
 * The Love Guru (2008) (co-production with Paramount Pictures)
 * Wanted (2008) (co-production with Universal Pictures)
 * Ghost Town (2008) (co-production with DreamWorks Pictures)
 * Flash of Genius (2008) (co-production with Universal Pictures and Strike Entertainment) (through Optimum Releasing)
 * Four Christmases (2008) (co-production with New Line Cinema)
 * Star Trek (2009) (co-production with Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions)
 * G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) (co-production with Paramount Pictures, Hasbro and Di Bonaventura Pictures)
 * Invictus (2009) (co-production with Warner Bros., Malpaso Productions, and Revelations Entertainment)

2010s

 * Leap Year (2010) (co-production with Universal Pictures and Relativity Media)
 * Get Him to the Greek (2010) (co-production with Universal Pictures, Relativity Media and Apatow Productions)
 * Dinner for Schmucks (2010) (distribution only; produced by Paramount Pictures)
 * The Tourist (2010) (co-production with Columbia Pictures, GK Films, and Birnbaum/Barber)
 * No Strings Attached (2011) (co-production with The Montecito Picture Company and Cold Spring Pictures)
 * Footloose (2011) (co-production with MTV Films, Unique Features, Dylan Sellars Productions, Weston Pictures, Zadan/Meron Productions, Southern Cross the Dog, and Storyline Entertainment)
 * The Vow (2012) (co-production with Screen Gems and Birnbaum/Barber Productions)