Elie Samaha, Chairman (now Chairman of Dante Entertainment)
Andrew Stevens, President
Andrew Stevens, a full time producer-owner of his own foreign sales company for seven years, is now partnered with Elie Samaha in Franchise Pictures, one of the most prolific production/distribution entities in the entertainment industry.

During the two years that Franchise Pictures has been in operation, films produced or executive produced and distributed by Stevens and Samaha have included The Confesstion starring Alec Baldwin and Ben Kinglsey, The White River Kid starring Bob Hoskins and Antonio Banderas, The Third Miracle starring Ed Harris, Anne Heche and Armin Mueller-Stahl and Entropy starring Stephen Dorff, Judith Godreche, Lauren Holly and U2.

Now moving toward films with higher budgets and domestic theatrical release, Franchise Pictures’ line up includes Battlefield Earth starring John Travolta, The Whole Nine Yards starring Bruce Willis, Hospitality Suite starring Kevin Spacey and Danny Devito, and The Art Of War starring Wesley Snipes.

During its first year Franchise Pictures and sister company Phoenician Entertainment (Storm Catcher, Jill Rips and Agent Red, all three starring Dolph Lundgren) jointly produced twenty-two films. In February 1999 Franchise and Phoenician amalgamated and Stevens serves as President of the joint entity, known simply as Franchise Pictures.

In his first two companies, Sunset Films International and subsequently Royal Oaks Entertainment, Stevens produced and distributed over eighty films. Before devoting his entire time to production/distribution, Stevens directed nine feature films and various network television shows. He was also an award winning actor for over two decades, earning nominations for various awards including the Golden Globe and L.A. Drama Circle Critics Award.

[Story provided by "The Business of Film"]
Lisa Wilson, President - Int'l Distribution
Richard Novey, V.P. International Distribution
Lori Drazen, Executive Vice President Marketing