Shout! Studios

Shout! Factory, LLC

Company type	Private
Industry	Home video, music distribution
Predecessor	Retropolis Entertainment
Founded	April 2002 (2002-04)
Founder	Richard Foos, Bob Emmer, Garson Foos
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Richard Foos (CEO), Bob Emmer (COO), Garson Foos (President)
Products	Feature films, television series, animated content, live concert recordings, comedy specials on DVD and Blu-ray

Shout! Factory, LLC, operating under the name Shout! Studios (previously known simply as Shout! Factory), is a privately held American distributor specializing in home video and music. Established in 2002 initially as Retropolis Entertainment, the company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It focuses on issuing feature films, both vintage and modern television series, animated content, live concert recordings, and comedy specials across DVD and Blu-ray formats. Renowned as a boutique Blu-ray label, Shout! Studios distributes its products through various imprints such as Scream (dedicated to horror), Shout! Select, and Shout! Kids.

The enterprise was launched by business leaders Richard Foos (CEO), Bob Emmer (COO), and Garson Foos (president), who have been instrumental in guiding its strategic vision and expansion. Among Shout! Studios’ subsidiaries are Westchester Films, Timeless Media Group, Biograph Records, Majordomo Records, and Video Time Machine, which collectively broaden its reach within the entertainment distribution sector.

Distribution of Shout!’s releases is facilitated by Studio Distribution Services—a collaborative venture between Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment—offering extensive global distribution capabilities and significant influence in the home entertainment marketplace.

History

In April 2002, Bob Emmer, Garson Foos, and Richard Foos—former executives at Rhino Records—founded Retropolis Entertainment while negotiating distribution agreements with major labels. Following the sale of Rhino to Warner Bros., they created a retro pop culture brand. Their inaugural release was Red, White & Rock, a co-production with PBS affiliate WQED-TV in partnership with Warner Strategic Marketing. By August 2002, Retropolis had acquired Biograph Records. Initial offerings included Biograph’s blues and jazz catalog, a CD/DVD set featuring Fats Domino, and documentaries like Superstar: The Life And Times of Andy Warhol. In April 2003, Retropolis rebranded as Shout! Factory and entered into a press and distribution contract with Sony Music Entertainment.

Shout!’s first television series DVD release came in 2004 with Freaks and Geeks, notable for its elevated production expenses due to music rights clearance. That year also featured releases such as William Shatner’s album Has Been and box sets for SCTV. The company expanded Jim Croce’s discography with a two-disc edition of Facets and secured rights to the animated show Home Movies, issuing full season collections. Additional significant releases included multi-disc editions of The Electric Company, Herb Alpert’s Whipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped, Elvira's Movie Macabre DVDs, plus tribute CDs featuring artists like Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs. Shout! also acquired rights to television programs including Punky Brewster, The Weird Al Show, and America's Funniest Home Videos.

In 2005, the company obtained Herb Alpert’s catalog and launched the Herb Alpert Signature Series with titles such as The Lonely Bull and Whipped Cream & Other Delights. They also acquired talk show host Dick Cavett’s archives, releasing themed collections centered on rock legends like Ray Charles, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono. Entering the children’s animation market through a partnership with DIC Entertainment, Shout! released titles including C.O.P.S. The Animated Series and Heathcliff And the Catillac Cats. In sports licensing, Shout! collaborated with Major League Baseball, periodically issuing themed DVDs related to the World Series since 2005.

By 2007, Shout! had intensified its focus on classic television DVD releases with season sets of shows like Blossom, McHale's Navy, and Ironside. They produced an authorized collection of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet along with actor-specific editions of Inside the Actors Studio. Simultaneously, they expanded Mickey Hart’s catalog. In March 2008, Shout! acquired the Hightone Records catalog featuring artists such as Tom Russell, Joe Ely, and Rosie Flores. The company continued strengthening its children’s animation lineup alongside ongoing TV on DVD releases. It also assumed control over the popular Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD series, issuing anniversary editions and previously unreleased episodes.

In 2009, Shout! forged a significant agreement with toy manufacturer Hasbro, releasing original animated series box sets for Transformers and G.I. Joe. They introduced the first DVD release for My Little Pony and maintained distribution of Hasbro properties until 2019. In 2011, Shout! secured a major licensing deal with Nickelodeon, enabling them to release live-action sitcoms such as Hey Dude alongside animated Nicktoons including Rocko's Modern Life, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Hey Arnold!, The Angry Beavers, CatDog, The Wild Thornberrys, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, and Danny Phantom.

In May 2012, Shout! entered into a distribution agreement with Saban Brands, adding titles such as Beetleborgs, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Power Rangers, and VR Troopers to its catalog. That same month saw the acquisition of Oregon-based home entertainment firm Timeless Media Group, broadening their library with classic series like The Red Skelton Show, crime drama Peter Gunn, and westerns including The Virginian and Wagon Train. June 2012 marked the launch of Scream Factory, a horror-focused sublabel specializing in cult classic films licensed from major studios such as MGM, Fox, and Universal. Additionally, Shout! acquired Video Time Machine, an iOS application centered on media history.

In July 2013, Shout! Factory secured distribution rights for the U.S. and Canadian markets to the ITC Entertainment library through an agreement with ITV Studios Global Entertainment, further enhancing their home video and digital content portfolio.

2014–present

Starting in 2014, Shout! Factory broadened its acclaimed complete-series box set collection, which initially featured titles such as All in the Family, Route 66, and Barney Miller, to also include The Bob Newhart Show, Hill Street Blues, Blu-Ray editions of Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and The Jeffersons. On May 8, 2014, the company secured the rights to WKRP in Cincinnati, enabling a restoration of all four seasons with the original musical scores intact, thereby resolving previous music licensing challenges. That same year, Shout! became the North American distributor for the Super Sentai franchise and acquired Westchester Films, adding a distinguished film catalog that includes works by John Cassavetes, Elia Kazan, and Orson Welles.

By February 2015, Scream Factory had partnered with IFC Midnight to handle home distribution. Additionally, Shout! launched its premier ad-supported streaming platform accessible online and through Roku, showcasing cult favorites and television series. In June 2015, Cinedigm took a minority ownership stake in Shout!, extending their home entertainment distribution partnership and collaborating on streaming initiatives.

On November 10, 2015, Shout! obtained the rights to Mystery Science Theater 3000 and initiated a Kickstarter campaign to fund new episodes with original creator Joel Hodgson serving as executive producer. Early in 2016, Concord Bicycle Music acquired Hightone from Shout!. Under its Scream Factory label, the company released films such as The Crush and distributed titles like Long Way North.

In 2017, via Westchester Films, Shout! gained domestic rights to Morgan Creek Productions' library (excluding Young Guns). On January 10 of that year, Shout! secured global television format rights to Starcade with plans for a reboot. Shortly thereafter, it obtained broadcast and home media rights for the first three films of Digimon Adventure tri.. In May, Shout! acquired North American distribution rights for In This Corner of the World, which was co-released theatrically alongside Funimation. Later that year, the company became the U.S. distributor for GKIDS’ reissues of Studio Ghibli films previously held by Disney and expanded its role distributing additional GKIDS titles.

On November 13, 2017, Shout! introduced Shout! Studios as a new division dedicated to production and distribution with an emphasis on content development. Early releases slated for 2018 included Humor Me, the Chinese animated feature Big Fish & Begonia (in partnership again with Funimation), The House of Tomorrow, and Basmati Blues, alongside original television productions.

In March 2018, Shout! acquired Roger Corman’s New Horizons film library for distribution across North America, Europe, Russia, and Australia. The company also expanded its agreement with ITV Studios Global Entertainment to encompass over 135 films and TV series, excluding certain streaming-only titles. By August, Shout! secured a multi-year contract with Sesame Workshop to distribute the U.S. home video library of Sesame Street, taking over from Warner Bros.

In February 2021, Shout! finalized a U.S. home entertainment agreement with animation studio Laika covering their first four films originally released by Focus Features; this deal included new bonus materials and updated packaging.

February 2022 marked Shout!'s acquisition of U.S. distribution rights for the television series ALF, its animated prequel series, and spin-off properties from Alien Productions and Lionsgate.

On August 9, 2022, Shout! entered into a global distribution agreement with The Jim Henson Company to deliver thirteen programs—including titles like Farscape and The Storyteller—for home entertainment and streaming platforms worldwide. A comparable contract commenced on January 1, 2024 granting streaming and digital rights to Henson films such as Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, along with related specials.

On March 27, 2023, Shout! acquired digital distribution rights to a catalog of 189 titles from Halcyon Studios (a division of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment). Subsequently on July 6, it signed a North American agreement with Aardman Animations covering four prominent properties: Morph, Wallace and Gromit (with one film excluded), Shaun the Sheep, and Timmy Time. Shortly after this deal—eight days later—the company rebranded itself as Shout! Studios to better reflect its film distribution operations.

On May 2, 2024, Shout! Studios assumed U.S. distribution rights for Tatsunoko Production’s iconic anime series Speed Racer from Crunchyroll, commencing with digital releases scheduled for June.

On October 20, 2024, Shout! announced a multi-title global distribution partnership with Nash Entertainment aimed at broadening its portfolio of unscripted content.

In April 2025, Shout! Studios acquired Gravitas Ventures from Anthem Sports & Entertainment; it will operate this entity as an independent label alongside its primary brand. Then in July 2025, Oaktree Capital Management—Shout!’s parent company—purchased FilmRise and merged it with Shout! Studios under a newly formed holding company named Radial Entertainment.

Licensing agreements

Shout! Factory maintains licensing partnerships with prominent entities across the entertainment sector, such as Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, MGM Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Hasbro Entertainment, GKIDS, Eleven Arts, Sesame Workshop, IFC Films, ITV Studios, Major League Baseball, the estate of Stephen J. Cannell, The Jim Henson Company, Alien Productions, Library Rights Company (UK), Ltd., the Zelus Film Holding Company (which includes the libraries of Intermedia and Largo Entertainment), Satellite of Love, StudioCanal, Joe Camp, Toei Animation, Laika, Aardman Animations, and Tatsunoko Production.

Among the prominent releases resulting from these collaborations are the full Astonishing X-Men collection by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, along with Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers and Iron Man: Extremis, available on DVD and Blu-ray. The company also distributes classic animated series such as The Transformers, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Jem, My Little Pony, and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Additionally, Shout! Factory offers titles like Power Rangers, VR Troopers, Sesame Street, Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, as well as select Nickelodeon series including Rocko's Modern Life, Hey Arnold!, and The Wild Thornberrys. Further significant releases feature the Benji: Ultimate Collection (licensed from Mulberry Square Productions), The Magic Snowflake (licensed via Lionsgate Home Entertainment), and episodes of Gravity Falls (licensed from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment).

In 2012, Shout! Factory introduced Scream Factory, a specialized horror imprint focusing on cult favorites such as Halloween II, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, They Live, The Howling, Lifeforce, and The Return of the Living Dead, distributed in both DVD and Blu-ray formats.

By July 2020, Shout! Factory had secured a multi-year digital distribution agreement with Alliance Entertainment and Mill Creek Entertainment. This deal grants exclusive SVOD and AVOD streaming rights for the extensive Ultra series library—comprising 1,100 episodes and 20 films—available to audiences in the U.S. and Canada through Shout! TV and TokuSHOUTsu.

Associated companies

In 2012, Shout! Factory broadened its catalog by acquiring Timeless Media Group, a home entertainment firm based in Oregon. This acquisition brought titles such as The Red Skelton Show, Peter Gunn, and The Roy Rogers Show into its portfolio. The company also took ownership of blues/roots label HighTone Records and managed its back catalog until 2016, when ownership transferred to Concord Bicycle Music.

Divisions

• Majordomo Records – an independent record label established in collaboration with Shout! Factory
• Roger Corman's Cult Classics – a sub-label initiated in 2010
• Timeless Media Group – incorporated into Shout! Factory in 2012
• Scream – horror-focused sub-label launched in 2012
• Shout! Select – a curated sub-label introduced in 2016
• Shout! TV – proprietary streaming platform
• Scream TV – dedicated horror film streaming service
• Shout! Cult – streaming platform specializing in cult cinema
• Shout! Studios – division for film and television production and distribution founded in November 2017
• Westchester Films – distributor specializing in classic films by directors such as Orson Welles, John Cassavetes, and Elia Kazan, including rights to libraries from both Morgan Creek Productions and ITV Studios