California Pictures was originally founded by Howard Hughes and Academy award winner Preston Struges in 1944. Reincorporated in 2008 by Steven Istock, on the Paramount Studios lot but now located in the historic E. Clem Wilson Building. The company focuses on creating and distributing great film, documentary and television content with dynamic characters, strong and personally identifiable themes and powerful journeys for a worldwide audience. 

California Pictures produced and distributed the film “A Warrior’s Heart” Kellan Lutz (The Expendables 3) and Ashley Greene (Twilight). The film has been distributed nationwide for theatrical, premium VOD and video rights and has been sold across the world. The DVD has also been distributed nationwide in Target, Walmart and  Barnes and Noble. The film was also the #1 ranked independently produced films iTunes when released and reached the Amazon Instant Video top 150.

California Pictures also produced the science fiction adventure film “Scavengers” starring Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints, Dexter) and Jeremy London (Party of Five, 7th Heaven). The film has been distributed across North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and China. The film rose to #68 on the Internet Movie Database ranking of all films for all time during its initial release. Steven Istock teamed up with Maven Pictures to produce "Filth" starring James McAvoy and written by Irvine Welsh of "Trainspotting."

    California Pictures works with hundreds of networks, domestic and Internationally.  from Showtime to Sky. We find a home for great content across the globe from Netflix, to multi-million user platforms including Pluto and Amazon Prime, to our growing library of owned and programmed OTT, SOD, VOD, AVOD, broadcast, theatrical, DVDs,  linear channels and mobile apps. We are also one of the few distributors that is selling DVDs and Blu-ray!

At California Pictures, we love connecting with industry professionals at major film and television markets throughout the year. These events give us the chance to showcase our films, share promotional materials, and build lasting relationships. With a wide network of buyers, we take pride in the many meetings and conversations we have, bringing great content to screens worldwide. You can find us presenting our films at various markets and festivals—hope to see you there! 

We advertise in the top industry publication dailies.