Fifth Season (company)

Fifth Season
FormerlyEndeavor Content (2017–2022)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFilm
Television
PredecessorBloom
FoundedOctober 2017; 7 years ago (2017-10)
FounderChris Rice
Graham Taylor
HeadquartersLos Angeles, ,
Number of locations
8
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Chris Rice (Co-CEO)
Graham Taylor (Co-CEO)
Kasee Calabrese (CFO)
Francisco Arias (General Counsel)
Dr. Tasmin Plater (Head of HR)
ProductsFeature films
Television series
OwnerCJ ENM (55%)
Toho International (25%)
Endeavor (20%)
Number of employees
200–250
ParentEndeavor (2017 - 2022)
CJ ENM (since 2022)
DivisionsFeature Film
Television
Documentary & Non-Scripted
Music & Live Entertainment
WebsiteOfficial website

Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) is an American multinational film and television production and distribution company. Fifth Season has financed, produced and distributed TV series and films such as Severance, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and The Lost Daughter.[1] Fifth Season is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California,[2] with offices in Los Angeles,[3] New York, London, Miami, Stockholm, Hong Kong, and Colombia.

The company was originally formed by Endeavor Group Holdings. In January 2022, an 80% majority stake was sold to CJ ENM, part of the South Korean conglomerate CJ Group. In December 2023, CJ ENM sold 25% of its ownership stake to Japanese studio Toho.

History

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Endeavor Content

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Endeavor Content was formed in October 2017 from the Endeavor Group's film financing and scripted TV sales units, WME's advisory group for film financiers and content producers,[4] and international sales company Bloom, which continued to operate autonomously until 2018, when it was fully integrated into Endeavor Content.[5]

Sale to CJ ENM and rebranding to Fifth Season

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In 2021, Endeavor announced its intent to divest Endeavor Content, due to a new franchising deal with the Writers Guild of America that prohibits talent agencies from holding more than a 20% stake in a production company. Implemented as part of a new code of conduct also targeting movie packaging agreements, the WGA had deemed studio ownership by a talent agency to be a conflict of interest.[6]

In November 2021, Endeavor announced an agreement to sell an 80% controlling stake in Endeavor Content's scripted content business to CJ ENM for US$775 million, marking the South Korean conglomerate's largest purchase to-date. Endeavor would keep the company's non-scripted production assets, and Graham Taylor and Chris Rice would remain co-CEOs of the company.[7] The acquisition closed in January 2022.[8][9]

In September 2022, CJ ENM renamed the studio to Fifth Season, introducing a new mosaic-themed logo. The name is derived from a term in Asian medicine referring to the harvest season.[10]

In December 2023, Japanese studio Toho announced it would acquire a 25% stake in Fifth Season through its U.S. subsidiary Toho International for $225 million. The deal valued the company at $900 million. Taylor and Rice stated that this deal would allow the company to continue expanding its offerings and create opportunities to work with Toho and CJ ENM on both Japanese and global content.[11]

Productions

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Films

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Title Year Distributor
Book Club[1] 2018 Paramount Pictures
The Informer 2019 Warner Bros.
The Peanut Butter Falcon 2019 Roadside Attractions
Hala 2019 Apple TV+
Just Mercy 2019 Warner Bros.
Bill & Ted Face the Music 2020 Orion Pictures (through United Artists Releasing)
Cherry 2021 Apple Studios
Blue Miracle 2021 Netflix
In the Heights[12] 2021 Warner Bros.
Pig 2021 Neon
The Lost Daughter[13][14] 2021 Netflix
Cha Cha Real Smooth[15] 2022 Apple Studios
Ambulance 2022 Universal Pictures
My Best Friend's Exorcism 2022 Amazon Studios
Maybe I Do 2023 Vertical Entertainment
80 for Brady[1] 2023 Paramount Pictures
Book Club: The Next Chapter 2023 Focus Features
Bones of Crows 2023 Elevation Pictures
Flora and Son 2023 Apple Studios
Eileen 2023 Neon
The Long Game[16] 2024 Mucho Mas Media and Bonniedale Entertainment
Jim Henson Idea Man 2024 Disney+
La cocina 2024 Willa
Friendship 2024 A24
Girl Haunts Boy 2024 Fifth Season
Nonnas 2025 Netflix

Television series

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Title Years Network
Wayne 2019 YouTube Premium
Limetown 2019 Facebook Watch
See 2019–2022 Apple TV+
Truth Be Told 2019–2023 Apple TV+
The Eddy 2020 Netflix
McCartney 3,2,1[17] 2021 Hulu
Nine Perfect Strangers 2021–present Hulu
Scenes from a Marriage 2021 HBO
Wolf Like Me 2022–present Peacock
Severance 2022–present Apple TV+
Life & Beth 2022–2024 Hulu
Tokyo Vice 2022–2024 Max
Anatomy of a Scandal 2022 Netflix
Roar 2022 Apple TV+
Surfside Girls 2022 Apple TV+
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart 2023 Amazon Prime Video
Lady in the Lake 2024 Apple TV+
Omnivore 2024 Apple TV+
Chief of War TBAddd Apple TV+
The Last Anniversary TBA Binge
The Good Daughter TBA Peacock

Distribution

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Fifth Season globally distributes series including Killing Eve, The Morning Show, Normal People and The Night Manager.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Maas, Jennifer (September 7, 2022). "Endeavor Content Rebrands as Fifth Season". Variety. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "Fifth Season (Media and Information Services) Overview". PitchBook. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  3. ^ Cornfield, Greg (March 24, 2023). "Hollywood Production Company Fifth Season Signs Big Office Lease in West LA". Commercial Observer.
  4. ^ Sun, Rebecca (October 16, 2017). "WME and IMG Finance and Sales Groups Combine to Form Endeavor Content". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Hazelton, John (October 10, 2018). "Bloom to be fully integrated into Endeavor Content". Screen Daily.
  6. ^ Littleton, Christina (2021-02-05). "WME Reaches Deal With WGA on Packaging and Endeavor Content Divestment". Variety. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  7. ^ Hayes, Dade (2021-11-19). "Endeavor Clinches $775M Deal With CJ For 80% Stake In Scripted Content Unit". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  8. ^ Hayes, Dade (2022-01-19). "Endeavor's $785M Sale Of Content Unit To Korea's CJ ENM Officially Closes". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  9. ^ Frater, Patrick (January 19, 2022). "Korea's CJ ENM Completes Acquisition of Endeavor Content". Variety. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  10. ^ Welk, Brian (September 7, 2022). "Endeavor Content Rebrands as Fifth Season". TheWrap. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Shackleton, Liz (10 December 2023). "Japan's Toho Acquires 25% Stake In Fifth Season; Korea's CJ ENM Remains Majority Shareholder". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  12. ^ Fleming, Mike (May 17, 2018). "'In The Heights': Warner Bros Closing $50M Deal For Movie Rights After Hot Auction". Deadline.
  13. ^ Kay, Jeremy (March 6, 2022). "'The Lost Daughter' wins best film, director, screenplay at 2022 Spirit Awards". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  14. ^ "Maggie Gyllenhaal's Directorial Debut 'The Lost Daughter' Heads To Netflix". Netflix – Business News. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  15. ^ Boxberger, Darryl (June 14, 2022). "Apple hosts premiere of 'Cha Cha Real Smooth' at Tribeca Festival". AppleInsider. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (25 January 2024). "Dennis Quaid & Jay Hernandez SXSW-Winning Golf Drama 'The Long Game' Sets Theatrical Release With Mucho Mas Media". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  17. ^ Pond, Steve (August 9, 2022). "How the Beatles Invaded the Emmys in 2022". TheWrap. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
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