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Icon Productions
Icon Productions, also formerly referred to as Icon Entertainment International, is an Australian-American production company founded in August 1989 by actor/director Mel Gibson and Australian producing partner Bruce Davey. Icon Productions LLC's headquarters were established in Santa Monica, California, before opening branches in Sydney, Australia, and in the UK, and expanding into the business of film distribution.
Between 2008 and 2009, the company's UK operations were sold to Access Industries, and in March 2018, Icon Film Distribution UK was sold to Kaleidoscope Film Distribution UK. As of 2025[update], the parent company Dendy Icon Group in Australia, still held by Gibson and Davey, owns Icon Productions, Icon Film Distribution, Dendy Cinemas, and Icon Film Finance. There is also an Icon Productions office in Santa Monica, run by Vicki Christianson.
Icon started when Gibson was having trouble in financing his film Hamlet. Gibson and Davey co-founded Icon Productions in August 1989 in order to fund the film.
Gibson has explained that the company's name was chosen because icon means "image" in Greek, and that the inspiration came from a book on Russian icons in his den. The logo's artwork originally features a sketch of Michael the Archangel in 1993, but now features a small crop of the mother's left eye from the Theotokos of Vladimir icon, an Eastern Orthodox icon of Mary, mother of God.
Unlike most other independents, Icon financed most of its development and packaging costs internally, mainly by Gibson, allowing it to retain creative control of projects through production.
In late 1996, New Zealand producer Timothy White became founding head of a co-production venture between Fox and Gibson, called Fox-Icon, based at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. The company failed to produce a single film, shutting down in December 1999.
In August 1999, the UK division signed a home video deal with Warner Home Video.
In 2000, Icon established a film distribution company for in Sydney, Australia, headed by Mark Gooder. A UK subsidiary for distribution was also established. Gooder moved to Los Angeles (Santa Monica) in 2006 to manage production, acquisition, and distribution operations there. After the financial success of The Passion of the Christ (2004), there was frequent mention of the ability of Icon to function as a mini-studio. However, Davey downplayed those expectations, saying, "The last thing we want is to become a studio. We don't want to become that top-heavy. We want to be independent and passionate. We don't want to lose the magic".
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Icon Productions
Icon Productions, also formerly referred to as Icon Entertainment International, is an Australian-American production company founded in August 1989 by actor/director Mel Gibson and Australian producing partner Bruce Davey. Icon Productions LLC's headquarters were established in Santa Monica, California, before opening branches in Sydney, Australia, and in the UK, and expanding into the business of film distribution.
Between 2008 and 2009, the company's UK operations were sold to Access Industries, and in March 2018, Icon Film Distribution UK was sold to Kaleidoscope Film Distribution UK. As of 2025[update], the parent company Dendy Icon Group in Australia, still held by Gibson and Davey, owns Icon Productions, Icon Film Distribution, Dendy Cinemas, and Icon Film Finance. There is also an Icon Productions office in Santa Monica, run by Vicki Christianson.
Icon started when Gibson was having trouble in financing his film Hamlet. Gibson and Davey co-founded Icon Productions in August 1989 in order to fund the film.
Gibson has explained that the company's name was chosen because icon means "image" in Greek, and that the inspiration came from a book on Russian icons in his den. The logo's artwork originally features a sketch of Michael the Archangel in 1993, but now features a small crop of the mother's left eye from the Theotokos of Vladimir icon, an Eastern Orthodox icon of Mary, mother of God.
Unlike most other independents, Icon financed most of its development and packaging costs internally, mainly by Gibson, allowing it to retain creative control of projects through production.
In late 1996, New Zealand producer Timothy White became founding head of a co-production venture between Fox and Gibson, called Fox-Icon, based at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. The company failed to produce a single film, shutting down in December 1999.
In August 1999, the UK division signed a home video deal with Warner Home Video.
In 2000, Icon established a film distribution company for in Sydney, Australia, headed by Mark Gooder. A UK subsidiary for distribution was also established. Gooder moved to Los Angeles (Santa Monica) in 2006 to manage production, acquisition, and distribution operations there. After the financial success of The Passion of the Christ (2004), there was frequent mention of the ability of Icon to function as a mini-studio. However, Davey downplayed those expectations, saying, "The last thing we want is to become a studio. We don't want to become that top-heavy. We want to be independent and passionate. We don't want to lose the magic".