Paramount Pictures Biography

Paramount Pictures was founded by William Wadsworth Hodkinson in 1914 and was born in Independence, Kansas. He is known as The Man who invented Hollywood. Hodkinson opened his first film theater in Ogden, Utah in 1902 charging 5 cents a show. His studio is older then Universal Studios by 1 month.

W.W. Hodkinson (Founder of Paramount Pictures)

As a young man, Hodkinson was a messenger with the Western Union Telegraph Company, and he worked for other companies as a messenger, callboy, telegrapher, and signal operator. In 1902, he was a trick bicycle rider and later became a salesman with I.C.S

Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures was actually a merger of a few other film production companies that Hodkinson brought together. Doing so made Paramount the largest film distribution and production company hands down.

The Paramount Logo was also designed by Hodkinson doodling a mountain and became the companies logo in 1914. Hodkinson left the film industry in 1926 and started the Hodkinson Avaition Corperation and later formed the Central American Aviation Corporation and Companía Nacional de Aviación in Guatemala.

Universal Studios History

The founder of Universal Studios was Carl Laemmle which was a German immigrant who settled in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. His first job in the states was managing a clothing store. In 1905 he was inspired by what was called Nickelodeons. They where a theatre that showed silent films with a piano player that added the drama to the film since sound was not yet invented to add to the films of the time. The name Nickelodeon came from a mixture of two words , Nickel because it cost back then 5 cents to see a movie and Odeon from the Greek word for roofed theatre. Put them together and you have what is called a Nickelodeon.

Carl Laemmle (Founder of Universal)

Carl Laemmle was so inspired by those Nicelodeons that he had decided to buy some of his own. He started making his own silent films but to his dismay Thomas Edison had what was called "The Motion Picture Trust" which mainly prohibited actors from having a star rating, which would lead to higher pay. Carl Laemmle fought this with Edison even though Edison had hired gangsters to damage his sets. Nonetheless Carl Laemmle came out on top and is this very fight that changed the movie industry's standards. Other film producers followed Carl Laemmle by dropping from The Motion Picture Trust as well.

Nickelodeons of the 1900's

Below is an actual video of Carl Laemmle from a trip he took to Europe.