The Oz Film Manufacturing Company was one of the first movie studios in Hollywood, releasing its first picture in 1914. It was established by the Uplifters, a social club of businessmen and performers that met at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Writer L. Frank Baum was president, and composer Louis F. Gottschalk was vice-president. Baum and Gottschalk received stock in the firm for their non-monetary contributions: Baum provided the film rights to his books, and Gottschalk composed music for the productions. The other investors raised $100,000. The new company purchased a seven-acre plot of land and built what was then considered the most advanced movie studio in the country, equipped for turning out special-effects-heavy Oz fantasies.