Pat Powers
Patrick Anthony Powers (1869–1948) was an Irish-American film and animation producer active from the 1910s through the 1930s. He is best known as the first distributor of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse cartoons, including Steamboat Willie, through his company Celebrity Productions. In 1930, after a financial dispute with Disney, Powers lured away Disney's lead animator Ub Iwerks to establish the Iwerks Studio, which produced cartoons such as Flip the Frog and the ComiColor series.
“Powers, like all these New York guys, was basically plotting to do the exact same thing as Mintz to Disney. He wanted to start working with Walt, give him a sweetheart deal, and then lure away the animation talent.”
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