years of creativity

In March 1922, U.S. film studios formed the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America — now known as the Motion Picture Association (MPA) — to protect and support the nascent film industry. Former Postmaster General William H. Hays became the association’s first president. The association also instituted a regulatory system, informally known as the Hays Code, to ensure the absence of “offensive material” and prevent government interference in filmmaking.

Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Fox Film (which exists today as 20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios) were among the inaugural members and remain MPA members today. Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures (which today is now a part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group) during the association’s first two years.

The year 1945 marked two major moments for the association. First, the name – the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America – was updated for the first time to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Second, the MPAA opened its global headquarters after the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian sold the Tuckerman House to the association.

The Tuckerman House was situated at an iconic intersection just steps from the White House in Washington, D.C.. Shortly after moving into the house, the association unveiled its first theater. President Truman attended its grand opening, and Cecil B. De Mille controlled the sound dial himself for his screening of “Samson & Delilah.” In 1969, the association built a larger office building at the iconic location, and, in 2019, the MPA’s global headquarters was renovated to better reflect the creativity and innovation of the film, television, and streaming industry.

In 1968, MPAA Chairman Jack Valenti replaced the outdated Hays Code – which restricted the movies audiences could see based on a list of moral guidelines – with a voluntary film ratings system that would act as a guide for moviegoers rather than rules and regulations for filmmakers.

This system, known as the Classification and Ratings Administration (CARA), provides parents with advance information about the level of content within a movie so they can make appropriate viewing choices for their families, while also protecting the First Amendment rights of creators. This system has evolved over time and is still in place today.

In the fall of 1976, Congress passed and President Ford signed into law the Copyright Act of 1976. This law was the most significant update to U.S. copyright law since 1909, which was prior to the advent of the modern motion picture industry and the MPA itself.

The association actively supported the law as it updated copyright laws to work in a more technologically advanced age, introducing elements such as the major exclusive rights of copyright holders and fair use.

In the 1980s, special effects in movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom started angering parents who had not expected graphic content in a PG film. Director Steven Spielberg actually raised the issue with Jack Valenti, who considered a middle ground between PG and R. In 1984, this resulted in the creation of the PG-13 rating – the first significant change to the rating system since its inception.

Not long after, the ratings board made two other significant changes to the ratings. In 1990, the X rating was changed to NC-17 after X was co-opted by the adult film industry. More importantly that same year, the rating board began adding descriptors, or short explanations such as “Pervasive Language” and “Smoking Throughout,” to give parents even more advance information about the content of a film.

In the early fall of 1998, the United States Congress passed and President Clinton signed into law the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The Act extended the reach of copyright protections during the earliest days of the internet and other new innovations and technologies.

The association advocated for the passage of the DMCA as it provided protections for creators.

In 2002, the movie-musical Chicago gave audiences the razzle-dazzle leading to an Academy Award for Best Picture. However, Chicago’s then-Mayor Richard M. Daley took issue with the filming location which was not in Chicago, but in Canada. This was a major moment for a number of lawmakers in states across America to begin providing production incentives for movies and TV shows that film in their states.

Today, states from California, New York, and Georgia to Hawaii, Illinois, and Louisiana have created strong production incentive programs attracting movies and television series to film on location. In turn, the industry has pumped money into the local economies and supported millions of jobs.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Motion Picture Association’s diversity, equity, and inclusion program establishes programs and new partnerships that promote a diverse talent pipeline in front of and behind the camera. Founded and led by MPA Vice President for External and Multicultural Affairs John Gibson, the program has grown to include more than 50 partners, underscoring the association and its member studios’ commitment to promoting great storytelling that reflects the viewpoints and experiences of all creators and audiences. Collectively, we aim to address diversity, gender parity, authentic cultural representation, and pipeline recruitment opportunities for underrepresented communities in our industry.

In February 2012, then-Vice President Joe Biden announced the United States had struck an agreement with China that resulted in more American films being allowed into China. This trade agreement allowed for more job creation in the U.S. and ensured that creators were compensated for their creative works that were being viewed in China.

It was a major achievement that came on the heels of a complaint from the U.S. to the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Motion Picture Association played a role in the build-up to the deal by encouraging a freer and more anti-piracy Chinese film market.

To address the global threat of digital piracy to creative works, creators, and consumers, the world’s leading content creators came together in 2017 to form the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE).

Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of more than 30 members and reinforced by the content protection operations of the Motion Picture Association, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drive the global growth of core copyright and entertainment industries.

Since its earliest days, the association has worked around the world to advocate on behalf of the motion picture industry with team members in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Florida, Texas, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Belgium, China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Australia. For decades, the global offices operated under different names and logos.

In 2019, under the leadership of the association’s Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin, all global operations were unified under one brand – the Motion Picture Association. This unification underscores the global nature of the association’s work to advance policies that support creators, protect content, and foster a thriving creative economy.

As a fledgling industry in Southern California rose to become one of the world’s most valuable cultural resources, the Motion Picture Association has been the voice and advocate for the film, television, and streaming industry. The association will mark its centennial with its member studios – Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. – with a series of commemorations to highlight a century of creativity as it looks forward to the next 100 years of innovation and content creation.