Section Eight Productions

Section Eight Productions, or just Section Eight, was an American film production company founded in December 1999 by film director Steven Soderbergh and actor/director George Clooney, following the success of the film Out of Sight.^[1]

The company's predecessors was Mirador Entertainment, with partner Deborah Leoni (joined July 1996) and Maysville Pictures (formerly Left Bank Productions) with partner Robert Lawrence, both of these were formed in 1996, and also founded by George Clooney. When the company formed, the company signed a deal with Warner Bros. Pictures, and took the exiting Maysville staff with them, including Ben Cosgrove, who was with Maysville before Section Eight was formed.^[2][3]

The company made its genesis in 1999 when George Clooney met Steven Soderbergh in its first production company with a deal at Warner Bros. Pictures, although it remained in the old Maysville offices, Soderbergh worked in New York City.^[4]

It produced the critical hits Far from Heaven, Insomnia, Syriana,^[5] A Scanner Darkly and Michael Clayton, as well as Clooney-directed films Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Good Night, and Good Luck.^[5] In 2005, Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck picked up eight Oscars nominations between them.

In 2003, the company set up a television division, led by Grant Heslov.^[6]

With Soderbergh citing a desire to focus on directing through Extension 765, and Clooney forming production company Smokehouse Pictures with Grant Heslov, the two decided to shut down Section Eight at the end of 2006.^[5]