Lighting Up Screens Around the World

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a worldwide leader in creativity and innovation. Backed by the power of Sony Corporation, one of the world’s most recognizable and respected brands, SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture and television production and distribution, home entertainment acquisitions and distribution, operation of studio facilities and development of new entertainment technologies.

The company’s rich history can be traced back to 1918 when brothers Harry and Jack Cohn formed a partnership with their associate Joe Brandt, to produce low-budget short films and featurettes. They called the company CBC Film Sales (Cohn-Brandt-Cohn – or as it was more commonly known in the trade press, "Corned Beef and Cabbage".) By 1920, the film industry was attracting audiences of 35 million a week willing to pay five cents a pop to be drawn into the magical world of filmed entertainment. Backed by the success of their modest productions, CBC produced their first feature-length film in 1922 on a $20,000 budget, MORE TO BE PITIED THAN SCORNED, with resounding success, taking in $130,000 in profit. CBC saw that the company's future lay in film production and, with it, a grander vision.