Playtone
 | |
| Formerly | Clavius Base Productions (1987-1998) |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Film production Television production |
| Founded | July 10, 1987 (as Clavius Base Productions) January 23, 1998 (registered as Playtone) in Santa Monica, California, United States |
| Founders | Tom Hanks |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Key people | Tom Hanks (CEO) Rita Wilson Hanks (CFO)[1] |
| Products | Motion pictures Television programs |
| Owner | Tom Hanks |
| Subsidiaries | Playtone Records |
| Website | Official website |
The Playtone Company (stylized on-screen as PLAY•TONE; a.k.a. Playtone Productions, formerly Clavius Base Productions)[2] is an American film and television production company established in 1987 and registered on January 23, 1998 by actor Tom Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman, and based in Santa Monica, California.
The company was named after the fictional record company of the same name in the 1996 film That Thing You Do!, written and directed by Hanks; it also uses the same company logo, typically revealed on-screen with a brief instrumental snippet of the titular song itself, with some variations in each film depending on subject matter. The success of the film served as a spring-board to launch an actual Playtone Records label that year, with its first release being the film's soundtrack.
History
[edit]In 1987, Tom Hanks formed its own production company, Clavius Base Productions, with a non-exclusive, first-look deal at the Walt Disney Studios.[3] The company is named after the base from 2001: A Space Odyssey.[4][5] After five years at Disney, the company signed a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox in 1992.[6]
Although it was an in-name only operation, the company only produced one film under the original company name, the hit film That Thing You Do!, which inspired the later Playtone name.[7] In 1995, the company produced the expensive HBO miniseries and its first foray into television, From the Earth to the Moon, in collaboration with Imagine Television, which was aired in 1998 and beginning of a long-running relationship between the company and HBO.[8][9]
The success of the movie led Hanks to partner with Gary Goetzman, then of Jonathan Demme's production firm, to sign a deal with Universal Pictures in 1997, and eventually registered under the Playtone name, supplanting the earlier Clavius Base firm and adopted the firm, previously used for the Playtone Records label.[7] The company then scored its hit with another HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers, which was released in 2001.[10]
Filmography
[edit]Feature films
[edit]Series
[edit]Television series
[edit]Web series
[edit]| Year(s) | Title | Created by | Co-production(s) | Distributor | Original Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Electric City | Tom Hanks | 6 Point Harness / Reliance Entertainment | Yahoo! | Yahoo! Screen |
Playtone Records releases
[edit]- That Thing You Do! soundtrack (1996)
- The Sopranos soundtrack (1999)
- Bring It On soundtrack (2000)
- The Sopranos: Peppers & Eggs soundtrack (2001)
- Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack (2001)
- Band of Brothers soundtrack (2001)
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding soundtrack (2002)
- The Truth About Charlie soundtrack (2002)
- Starter for 10 soundtrack (2006)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "The Playtone Company - SI-COMPLETE - 02/08/2016". Scribd. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ↑ Chu, Karen (2011-06-11). "Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions Announces Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods,' Mattel's 'Major Matt Mason,' Green Day's 'American Idiot' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
- ↑ "Tom Hanks Sign Deal at Disney". Daily Variety. July 10, 1987.
- ↑ Press, Associated (1995-06-30). "HOT HOLLYWOOD STAR STILL WARM AND HUMBLE". Deseret News. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- ↑ Broeske, Pat (July 14, 1995). "Tom Hanks considers what's next". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
- ↑ Eller, Claudia (1992-10-30). "Hanks headed to Fox in 2-yr. prod'n pact". Variety. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- 1 2 Cox, Dan; Petrikin, Chris (1997-12-15). "U turn for Hanks". Variety. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- ↑ Busch, Anita M. (1995-12-04). "'Apollo' Trio In HBO Series Deal". Variety. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- 1 2 Dempsey, John (1997-06-11). "HBO has 'Earth' mates". Variety. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- ↑ Bernstein, Paula (2000-05-24). "HBO recruits directors for mini 'Band'". Variety. Retrieved 2026-09-10.
- ↑ Rice, Lynette (February 28, 2024). "Apple TV+ Reveals Premiere Date, Trailer For 'The Bloody Hundredth' Doc From Playtone-Amblin". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ↑ Guthrie, Marisa (January 18, 2013). "HBO Developing Third WWII Miniseries with Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
External links
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