de Passe Jones Entertainment (dJE) is an American entertainment content provider led by Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones that sources, develops, acquires, and produces a variety of television, motion picture, theater, new media, and print content. The company was founded by Berry Gordy Jr., in 1968, as Motown Productions, the film and television arm of Gordy's Motown Records label. It became de Passe Entertainment in 1992, then in 2008, joining forces with Jones, de Passe Jones Entertainment.
Following the commercial and critical failure of Motown's eighth film, a 1978 adaptation of the Broadway musicalThe Wiz starring Diana Ross and the Jackson 5's Michael Jackson, the company focused more closely on television. Its productions during the late 1970s and early 1980s included TV movies such as Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill, (1979) and Callie & Son (1981) and TV specials such as the popular and successful Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever (1983). Motown 25, an anniversary special for the Motown Records label, was most noted for featuring Michael Jackson's famous performance of his non-Motown hit song "Billie Jean". By this time, Suzanne de Passe had become the executive producer in charge of Motown's film and TV products. Motown briefly returned to feature films with Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon, which became Motown's final theatrical feature. In 1986, Motown Productions had inked an agreement with video distributor MCA Home Video in an effort to expand the direct-to-video market with a series of "Motown Video Originals" mini-movie series.[1]
de Passe Entertainment
de Passe Entertainment logo
In 1988, Gordy sold Motown Records to MCA Inc. (owner of Universal Studios, which co-produced four films with Motown) and Boston Ventures. The following year, he sold Motown Productions to de Passe, and the company continued its success in television with the popular miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989). A sequel, Streets of Laredo, would follow in 1995. Changing its name to de Passe Entertainment in 1992, the company has produced a number of successful TV programs, among them Sister, Sister (1994 - 1999), Smart Guy (1997 - 1999), and It's Showtime at the Apollo (produced by de Passe from 2002 to 2008). Successful TV specials from the company include Motown biopics such as The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992) and The Temptations (1998), The Loretta Claiborne Story (2000), and the Essence Awards and NAACP Image Awards telecasts. de Passe Entertainment also produced the feature films Class Act (1992), starring rappers Kid 'n Play, and Who's the Man? (1993), starring hip-hop radio personalities Doctor Dré and Ed Lover.
de Passe Jones Entertainment
In 2008, Suzanne de Passe joined with veteran producer Madison Jones to form de Passe Jones Entertainment[2] which is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
