Beacon Pictures

Beacon Pictures (also known as Beacon Communications, LLC) is an American film and television production and international sales company founded in 1990 by Armyan Bernstein, who is also its chairman. The company produces motion pictures for studios such as Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. In 1996, it struck a first-look deal with Universal. Beacon was acquired in 1994 by COMSAT, who a year later put the company under its Ascent Entertainment Group division. By early 1999, Ascent was about to be broken up due to financial problems, mostly stemming from building the Pepsi Center in Denver. Bernstein and venture capitalist Kevin O Donnell, son of Kennedy Administration Kenny O'Donnell, purchased Beacon back, restoring its independent company status.