George Lucas founded a company.
American Zoetrope ( also known as Zoetrope Studios from 1979 until 1990 ) is a privately run American film studio , centred in San Francisco and founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas . George Lucas . Upon graduating from the University of Southern California in 1967 , Lucas co-founded American Zoetrope with fellow filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola . Lucasfilm . Lucasfilm was founded by filmmaker George Lucas in 1971 in San Rafael , California ; most of the company 's operations were moved to San Francisco in 2005 .