Manson International was an independent American film production company and distributor. The name was derived from the founders' surnames. Initially a distributor of foreign films, it became one of the pioneer film sales agencies in the country.[1][2]
History
Manson was founded in 1953 by former Columbia Pictures executive Edmund Goldman and Sam Nathanson as Manson Distributing Corporation. It initially focused on distributing foreign films in the United States. Among its films distributed was Godzilla. By the time it was incorporated in 1962, it began distributing primarily sex trip movies, where its features were marked as either "hard" or "soft". In 1975, Edmund's son Michael took over the company and shifted it into marketing and international licensing of independent films.
By the early 80s, Manson became Manson International and ventured into film production with Radioactive Dreams, as well as international TV distribution and arthouse pictures.[3][4][2][5][6] At its peak, Manson International held the distribution rights to the libraries of Intercontinental Releasing Corporation.