Short answers, pulled from the story.
Madman Entertainment was founded in 1996 by Tim Anderson and Paul Wiegard. It began as a mail-order business specialising in imported anime titles, inspired by the success of Manga Entertainment in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Madman Entertainment's first DVD release was the 1995 film Ghost in the Shell. The release made Madman the second Australian distributor to author DVDs in-house.
Funtastic Limited purchased Madman Group on the 1st of May 2006. The acquisition was driven by Funtastic's desire to obtain media rights to properties for which it already held toy rights. Founders Tim Anderson and Paul Wiegard remained on the board under employment agreements.
DocPlay is a subscription video-on-demand streaming service dedicated to documentaries, launched by Madman Entertainment on the 1st of December 2016. It opened with 130 documentary titles, including 20 Australian productions, and was supported by Screen Australia's Enterprise funding program.
Madman Entertainment sold Madman Anime Group to Aniplex on the 6th of February 2019. Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan, had first become a minority shareholder in Madman Anime Group on the 15th of November 2017.
The Curzon CM Development Fund is a film development fund launched on the 13th of February 2020 by Madman Entertainment, Curzon, and Cineart. Designed to run for three years, the fund was expected to back sixteen projects, with first-look distribution options for all three partners. It operates from Curzon's London offices, and its first projects include Swimming Home, Sweet Maddie Stone, and The Ballad of a Small Player.