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Ron Meyer sent out this memo to Universal staff today. ID-PR is handling the event:
Dear Co-Worker,
As many of you already know, Universal will mark its 100th Anniversary in 2012. This is a proud and exciting moment for our company, which celebrates the studio’s rich history and cultural impact. In January, we’re going to be unveiling an extensive year-long campaign that includes a significant restoration commitment for some of our most beloved films, fan engagement through special events, a home entertainment offering, theme park activities, promotions, and fun social media and web outreaches. All of this is designed to connect a new audience to our extraordinary library of films, as well as bring these memories back to longtime movie lovers. Part of our centennial celebration includes the launch of a new audio visual and print logo which we will unveil early next year.
Throughout Universal’s hundred years, we’ve created films that have touched the hearts of millions, and fostered our culture’s love affair with cinema. Some films have been more successful than others, but all of them have a place in our history.
The strength of Universal, as with any company, is the talent of its team. We’re fortunate to have an incredible group of individuals as well as gifted filmmakers who are at the heart of this studio.
We want to thank all of you—from our longest serving employees to our newest employees—as all of us have a role to play in preserving and continuing the iconic legacy of this studio.
In 2012, we will be honoring our past, and celebrating our future.
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Here’s a suggestion about how Ron Meyer can honor the centennial:
Universal is one of the worst studios in terms of allowing access to the vast majority of the films they have produced – there are literally more than 2000 films they produced (including the vast majority from before 1990) that have never been on video, laser disc, DVD, Blue-ray or available on streaming. Many were seen on TV back in syndication days when local stations relied on old movies for programming, but not seen since.
Universal also owns the Paramount library of movies before 1948. Again, only a handful are able to be seen.
There is no better way to honor the legacy than to unlock the vaults and let these films be seen.
Amen. Great post.
to hopeless pedant
universal is not one of the worst studios in hollywood in terms of allowing access to the vast majority of the films they have produced.
it’s 20th century fox that’s the worst. get it right next time….pal
Dom
What part of “one of the worst” did you not understand?
Fox is indeed worse – I didn’t say Universal was the worst.
Of the libraries from the studios of the 1930s, it is second worse – but then throw in that they also own Paramount’s 1930s and 40s films, they give Fox a run for their money.
I got it right the first time.
Many of these films are held back due to music issues.
As a long time fan of this studio, I’m looking forward to their 2012 slate. They have some solid looking films that if they deliver, will also bring in good money at the boxoffice. I hope people give Battleship a try before completely writing it off. I also hope Universal revives At The Mountains Of Madness with del Toro. That movie has the potential to be one of the biggest hits in awhile.
Hopefully will get Jurassic Park IV soon enough since everyone I know has been waiting for the next installment. I also hope they get Matt Damon back as Bourne in a 4th movie even though the new Gilroy/Bourne film scheduled for 2012 sounds pretty cool.
How about they spend less time trying to relive the past and figure out a way to make great movies? Clearly, the current employees don’t have any idea on how to do it. It starts with cleaning house!
Ron Meyer like most HOLLYWOOD execs, is so full of shit with all this how proud Universal is and so on… The fact that they have to hire an outside PR firm, one who have as much sense of Universal’s history as he does, specially as like other studios they terminated their archivists and their research people.
Its all about re-packaging the old stuff to appeal to todays attention deficit audience. Universal, like all the others, was a fine historic studio that made so many memorable and significant films. Today its just another brandname, something to be exploited. The original studio tour actually showed the public movies being made before their very eyes. Even in the 1960′s and 70′s, visitors could still catch a good glimpse of a TV show or movie being shot on the sprawling Universal City backlot. Now its just an amusement park with a studio attached. On the site where they shot SPARTACUS, now stands their tacky citywalk shopping precinct and parking garage.
Universal founder Carl Laemmle would not be amused and certainly not proud of how his beloved studio looks and acts today!
Thank God they’re changing the logo. I’ve hated that thing since “The Lost World: Jurassic Park.”
IBM had it’s centennial this year and it was a huge success. Hopefully Uni was watching and learned something.
He forgot to say that everyone who takes the studio tour will get a dozen eggs. And an attractive plastic reindeer.
I’ll be the first to admit that my Universal history is foggy, but my math is not. Universal had a special 75th Anniversary introduced in 1990. That would mean their centennial should be in 2015, not next year. But Wikipedia says April 30, 2012. Did the studio have a fragmented history early on? If someone could clarify this I’d appreciate it.
Then again, the first film to introduce the 75th Anniversary logo was Back To The Future III, so maybe there’s a space-time continuum conspiracy here.
Don’t have the full particulars at hand, but according to “The Moguls” (a book by Norman Zierol that I’m reading), on 3/15/1915, Universal City was opened. In 1912, there was a struggle for control of the Universal Film Manufacturing Co. that Laemmle won, so that might be when they’re dating it from.
I guess it’s a knee-jerk reaction, but whenever I read a corporate memo that starts off “As many of you already know…” I expect lay-offs to be announced.
There is no reason to create a new logo. None. The current logo is beautifully designed and scored and people like it. It is your “brand.” Leave well enough alone.
“Theme Park Activities” – Translation: Unveiling Yet Another Ride Based on Another Studio’s Property.