With over three decades of international sales experience, Michael Thornton has built a long resume of success in sales, marketing and worldwide film distribution.

Holding high level posts at such companies as BVI/Walt Disney Studios, Hanna Barbara, Spelling Entertainment, Wellspring, and other companies, Michael has been responsible for helping to internationally pre-sell and release some of the biggest box office films of the past 20 years. Along the way he has also overseen and marketed the third largest independent film library in the world, when he was asked to distribute the Republic Pictures catalog of films, including such titles as It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bells of St. Mary’s, Stephen King’s Cujo, and hundreds of other titles. He has marketed internationally in TV as well, including the sales of such worldwide hits as Beverly Hills 90210, Dallas, Melrose Place, and more.

Michael is an expert at foreign pre-sales, and holds close and longstanding relationships with distribution companies and film commissions all over the world. He has been responsible for bringing down the budget levels by pre-selling territories on such films as The Usual Suspects, Bound, and others. Since 2005 Michael has been a partner of Forward Entertainment, a worldwide sales, marketing, and production financing company. There he’s marketed such features as Bradley Cooper’s Bending All the Rules and several Oscar short-listed Documentaries.

Michael Thornton has longstanding relationships the world over with talent, television broadcasters and home video executives, along with DVD and theatrical distributors of both mainstream and independent films. He has participated in several international panels, workshops and juries, including the MITV Market in Sao Paulo, Brazil, BritDocs at Oxford University, England; Skip City Digital Festival in Japan; Ancine/Brazilian Film Festival in Miami, the Gijon international Film Festival in Spain, and the Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece.