Vestron Video
Vestron Video was the main subsidiary of Vestron, Inc., a film production and distribution company based in Stamford, Connecticut.
Vestron Video was active in the movie business from the early 1980s, worked until the mid-1990s, they are widely regarded as pioneers of the early home video market in the USA. Primarily B-movies and films from the Cannon Films Archive on VHS were released. Later on Vestron video turned more and more into the mainstream film, including productions of the subsidiary company Vestron Pictures, the best known is likely to be Dirty Dancing. Vestron Video & Vestron Video International was his character also the first company, the National Geographic documentaries on VHS in the late 1980s.
Vestron went in 1985 with an IPO (initial public offering ) of $ 440MM public. The company enjoyed great success over several years, with a U.S. video market share of 10% at times. Vestron Video distributing his films in over thirty countries, either directly or through sub-licensing. As the major film studios stepped in slowly in the home video market, it was for Vestron increasingly difficult to assert themselves. In addition to that Independent producers screwed prices for their films in the air.
The company began its own productions to start ( Dirty Dancing, Blue Steel, ...), as the market changed, however - ie when the audience only wanted to see multi-million dollar Hollywood productions and not just any B- Movie - it was dark for Vestron. The company could not keep up with the top productions of the major labels and so the Vestron, Inc. filed bankruptcy after the Chapter 11 of the U.S. law to. On January 11, 1991 by LIVE Entertainment Vestron, a home video and music companies from Los Angeles, bought for $ 27.3 million. LIVE entertainment so landed the excessive film archive of Vestron (more than 3000 movies). The name was later changed to Artisan Entertainment (which is a part of Lions Gate is today).
The international production departments were the second largest after those of Warner Bros.. They had distributed many direct cinema, TV and video distributors throughout the world, they even had a video production company in Holland to gain a foothold in the European market. The VHS releases were marketed in Germany under the name Vestron Video International.