Amy Pascal Promoted to Chairman of Columbia Pictures

CULVER CITY, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Dec. 15, 1999--Amy Pascal has been named chairman of Columbia Pictures, it was announced today by Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Calley.

Pascal has served as president of Columbia Pictures since 1996.

In her new position as chairman, Pascal will continue to report directly to Calley and will be in charge of all production activities worldwide on feature films for Columbia Pictures.

"When we brought Amy back to Columbia Pictures from Turner, we knew we had an executive with superior taste in material, great talent relationships and an innovative approach to filmmaking," said Calley.

"Under Amy's guidance in 1999, we have enjoyed the tremendous successes of `Big Daddy,' `Blue Streak' and `Cruel Intentions' and will finish this outstanding year with three high-quality films with great award potential: `Girl, Interrupted,' starring Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder; `The End of the Affair,' directed by Neil Jordan; and the family comedy `Stuart Little,' directed by Rob Minkoff and featuring the voice of Michael J. Fox."

Reflecting Pascal's expert leadership and eye for top-notch material, Columbia's 2000 slate boasts impressive films such as "Charlie's Angels," starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Bill Murray; "The Patriot," starring Mel Gibson and directed by Roland Emmerich; a thriller from Paul Verhoeven called "The Hollow Man"; and "The Vertical Limit," directed by Martin Campbell.

The slate also includes "28 Days," directed by Betty Thomas and starring Sandra Bullock; "All the Pretty Horses," starring Matt Damon and directed by Billy Bob Thornton; Mike Nichols' "What Planet Are You From?"; and "Hanging Up," starring Diane Keaton, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow and directed by Keaton.

"I think we have a great future ahead of us," said Pascal. "In the works for next year are `Spiderman, Ali,' starring Will Smith; Steven Spielberg's `Memoirs of a Geisha'; Penny Marshall's `Riding in Cars with Boys,' starring Drew Barrymore; and `Jumanji II.'"

She continued: "John Calley is the best boss imaginable. I've learned so much from him -- his taste and talent are legendary. I'm looking forward to a long and wonderful relationship with John and the studio."

Pascal joined Columbia Pictures from her position as president of production for Turner Pictures, a job she held from 1994-1996. There, she built Turner's first slate of films, which included "Michael" and "City of Angels."

Before Turner, she spent seven years as an executive for Columbia Pictures (1987-1994), during which time she was instrumental in the development and production of a roster of critically and commercially successful films such as "Awakenings," "A League of Their Own," "Single White Female," "Groundhog Day," "Little Women" and "To Die For."

In addition to her creative achievements, Pascal is on the Board of Trustees of the Rand Corporation and serves as National Chair of the American Film Institute's Third Decade Council.

Columbia Pictures is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures' global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development of new entertainment products, services and technologies, and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries.

Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.spe.sony.com.

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CONTACT:

Sony Pictures Entertainment, Culver City

Ed Russell, 310/244-4217