100 years ago, Margaret Winkler gave a big break to a Kansas City cartoonist named Walt Disney

On Oct. 16, 1923, Margaret Winkler agreed to produce and distribute "Alice Comedies," a new series by Walt Disney, at the time a struggling cartoonist in Kansas City. That contract is considered the founding document of The Walt Disney Company.
Before Mickey, Snow White and Moana, there was Alice and her cat Julius. Say what?

The Walt Disney Company has been celebrating its 100th birthday all year long. But it was on Oct. 16, 1923 that the magic began – thanks in large part to a woman named Margaret Winkler. She named her film company M.J. Winkler Productions, lest anyone find out that one of the most successful entrepreneurs in animation was a woman.

Winkler, a Hungarian immigrant, was 18 years old when she began her career in entertainment as a secretary for studio executive Harry Warner. She learned the ins and outs of the film business and in 1921 left Warner to found her own production and distribution business.

She turned her first cartoon – Felix the Cat – into a global star. A savvy promoter who understood the business side of creativity, she sold the series both domestically and overseas, regularly spinning her success to the trades.