Entertainment Licensing & Branding Blog

How much are the rights to the TERMINATOR brand worth?

Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek acquired the sci-fi franchise in 2007 for approximately  $25 million and produced  ‘Terminator Salvation’.  They are   looking to sell their brand rights as the  companies they own are fighting off bankruptcy and not cyborgs.

Anderson and Kubicek’s Halcyon Holding Group retained FTI Capital Advisors and have requested court approval to “evaluate strategic alternatives.”

The Original Terminator was released in 1984.  Production company Hemdale Film Corporation owned 50%  and creator James Cameron sold his 50% to his producing partner and future wife Gale Anne Hurd for $1.  They have since divorced.

In 1990, Carolco Pictures, owned by producers Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna, bought Hemdale’s position for $10 million then promptly released ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’.  However In 1997, Carolco went bankrupt, but the partners started C2 Pictures which purchased their old firm’s stake for $8 million and paid around $8 million for the remaining 50% from Hurd.

In 2007,  novice producers Anderson and Kubicek purchased the Terminator rights.  Anderson claims that the Terminator rights are now worth more than $60 million - twice what he and his partner bought it for. The box office and DVD sales seem to prove that ‘Terminator: Salvation’  is worth more than expected and should even generate more sequels.  Predicting future revenue for any entertainment project is hard to do but this franchise is on solid ground as long as the next story plot is compelling and draws the fans.

How many more times will such a powerful brand change hands, no one knows.  My guesstimate is that the Terminator Trademark and brand will be a viable entertainment asset for generations to come and will hold its value.

I look forward to the next installment, as do millions of audience members and fans.  Be prepared for the Rise and War Of The Machines

A great way to launch a licensing project is to write a spec script. For those who do not know what a spec script is - it’s a screenplay written on speculation with the hopes of selling it or to use as a sample of your writing to show the film and television buyers and agents.  A spec script  is like a demo tape for musicians or short films for actors and directors.

If you’ve never written a screenplay I recommend you read the following material:

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Screenplay by Syd Field - to learn the proper format and craft.

How to Make a Good Script Great by Linda Segar - to get the story perfect and edit it properly.

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Save the Cat by Blake Snyder - to learn what the buyers like and the formula certain movies are written in. Also Save the Cat Goes to the Movies by Blake Snyder - he breaks down films that we all know and love proving his system is the way to sell your scripts.

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Clause By Clause by Stephen F. Breimer - to understand the complicated contracts every writer needs to know.

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A Pound of Flesh by Art Linson - to learn integral information from a producer’s point of view.

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Fatal Subtraction by Pierce O’Donnell & Dennis McDougal - for insight into how a major studio deals with writers, screenplays and motion pictures.

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The Creative Hollywood Directory and any of it’s competitors - for addresses and contact information on all the players in the industry. The Internet Movie Data Base falls into this category.

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Obviously, the first step is to write a Spec Script and then rewrite it.  As I have stated in previous posts, getting your friends and any professional industry people you happen to know to read your screenplay is crucial to it being ready for submission to agencies, management companies, producers and studios/networks. Make sure it is the best sample of your writing skills before sending it anywhere.

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Sending a spec script to an agent, manager or producer is not as easy as it should be. Most do not accept unsolicited material, so the key is to convince them to request your spec script by first sending a Query Letter (I will be discussing Query Letters in a future post).  This form of contact will either get a positive response and you can forward your screenplay to them or it will garner a negative response or none at all (not unusual).

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If you get the rejection letter, then maybe you chose a contact that does not produce the type of film you wrote or you should contact someone else at that company or you should move onto the next company that produces the genre you are writing.  Either way, it is a numbers game and the more Query Letters you send out, the better chance you have of someone requesting it to read and the more people reading it will help the chance of it being optioned or sold.

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Spec writers should register their stories with the WGA (Writers Guild of America) the WGC (Writers Guild of Canada) and/or copyright their scripts with the Library of Congress or Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

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Hollywood has used this process in choosing new film and television writers for decades. It’s a way to find employment, a sale or at least secure professional representation (agents, managers).

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More importantly, it is a great way to improve your writing skills and

diversify your brand. Good luck with your endeavours.

Sandford Tuey

info@Playdigm.com

May 2010 be a wonderful and prosperous year for you and your families!

Over the next few days you should take the time to re-evaluate last years goals and move the things you did not complete onto this years To Do list.  Edit this list and delete those things that are not important anymore and revise your priority list so you can focus on the most important ones.

By reviewing the things you want to achieve daily it will motivate you to do them and finish these tasks.  By working on your goals as often as you can will help you achieve them.  This is only one method of winning and succeeding in life.

May your dreams come true!!!

Cheers!

Sandford Tuey

info@Playdigm.com