Say “Technicolor” and it likely conjures up a gauzy Wizard of Oz, Golden Age Hollywood glow — black-and-white turned rich, full spectrum picture created by the leap-forward color processing advances made nearly a century ago.
The image of that brand, a once ubiquitous Hollywood institution that billed itself as “The Greatest Name in Color” or “World Favorite In Motion Pictures” and immortalized “Glorious Technicolor” title cards ahead of movie features, is a far cry from the most recent incarnation of the company.
That Paris-based, 110-year-old firm run by CEO Caroline Parot underwent major layoffs and sold off subsidiaries like VFX studio MPC, creative content studio The Mill, gaming division Technicolor Games and animation studio Mikros this year amid financial woes.
In California alone, Technicolor Creative Services US saw 217 layoffs listed as part of a “closure permanent” notice filed with the state’s Employment Development Department in February. And in the U.K., hundreds more staffers were given pink slips that same month.
MPC had recently worked on Top Gun: Maverick, Mufasa: The Lion King and other tentpoles. Now it, as well as The Mill and Technicolor Games, is part of New York-based TransPerfect, which describes itself as “the world’s largest provider of language and AI solutions for global business.”
While Technicolor Group is defunct, there’s value in the name itself, like many brands that have shuttered but still have equity among consumers.
On Tuesday, the Hal O’Donnell-run licensing company Established said it had acquired the Technicolor brand name to add to a portfolio of 20 or so licensed names including defunct icons like radio giant RCA, turntable manufacturer Victrola, consumer electronics pioneer Thomson, French consumer electronics brand Radiola and radio/TV maker Schneider.
“We’re genuinely excited about this major acquisition,” O’Donnell stated. “Technicolor is a legendary brand in entertainment and technology, with a heritage that spans generations. We’re proud to partner with such an iconic name and look forward to applying our expertise to grow its footprint globally.”
Established — which strikes pacts with companies that may see the value in having “Technicolor” on a product — appears to operate in a space similar to Authentic, which buys rights to intellectual property of once iconic brands and looks for licensing deals. Authentic, run by Jamie Salter, is the giant in the space, owning rights to apparel brands like Reebok, Quiksilver and Lucky as well as publishers like Sports Illustrated and likenesses of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali.
O’Donnell’s company, Established, says it’s now aiming to look for deal opportunities in the “consumer electronics, services, and lifestyle” categories for Technicolor’s next, not-so-glorious era.
