TOPICS Entertainment was founded in 1990 by Greg James. The company was originally called Countertop Video because its focus was the distribution of VHS video cassettes to small specialty retailers (who often purchased countertop displays). With in a relatively short period of time, the company was the largest distributor of train and aviation videos to the enthusiast market. Sales grew steadily from the first year ($500K) to nearly $3 million by 1994. With a solid balance sheet (the company has made a profit every year of its existence), and strong organic growth, Countertop Video tried its hand at publishing in 1994. Several of the early projects were moderately successful, and its America By Rail train/travel series sold over 250,000 copies from 1994-1995. Also around that time was the partnership with Simitar Entertainment of Minneapolis, MN. In 1993, Greg James productions produced the Learn Country Line Dancing series which was published and distributed by Simitar. The videos, which cost less than $20k to produce, went on to sell over 2 million copies, generating over $20 million in revenues at retail and ranking among the top five for sales of non-theatrical videos.
In 1997, the company started publishing CD-ROM software. Within a few years, Countertop Video had become the #1 publisher of reference software, publishing titles on art, history, nature, and other related subjects. By 1998, sales were closing in on $10 million, and the company started to branch out into other categories like education and personal productivity.
In 2000, the company moved to a new 65,000 square foot facility in the Seattle suburb of Renton, WA and changed its name to TOPICS Entertainment. The video distribution business was sold, and the company focused all its energy on publishing. Sales continued to grow as new titles were released and new categories conquered. The release of the Instant Immersion™ language learning software series in partnership with Eurotalk of London, England propelled the company to new sales heights. Within two years of its release, the Instant Immersion™ brand had over a 70% market share of language learning sales in North America, and the company was doing more than $25m/yr in revenue. Due to this strong growth, relationships with major retailers, and outstanding balance sheet, the company has attracted many important partners and brands. TOPICS is now the exclusive software publisher/distributor for National Geographic, Rand McNally, World Book, Kaplan, and several others. In addition, its own brands like Instant Immersion™ (language learning) and Success™ (education) are the dominant products in their respective categories. In recent years, the company has branched out to publish highly successful lines in spoken word audio (James Earl Jones Reads the Bible) as well as new products in DVD video.
For 2005 the company will record sales of over $50 million. TOPICS is the largest privately owned consumer software company in the USA, and is consistently ranked in the top 10 in overall sales of CD-ROM software. INC magazine has named TOPICS to its prestigious INC 500 list twice, and ranked it in the top 15 most profitable of all INC 500 companies.
TOPICS Entertainment is proud to be a company that adheres to the old style of business where corporate responsibility is as important as profits and growth, donating 5% of company profits to education and conservation groups every year. TOPICS adheres to simple business principles like making a profit rather than trying to grow at all costs. To TOPICS Entertainment, business is fun as well as profitable, and the company looks forward to going past $100m in sales in the next two to three years.
