Published:
Osher Named President of Digital Production Division of Sony Pictures Entertainment
CULVER CITY, Calif., March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Bob Osher has been named
president of the Digital Production division of Sony Pictures Entertainment,
it was announced today by Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton and
Co-Chairman Amy Pascal.
Lynton and Pascal also announced that Hannah Minghella will become
president of production at Sony Pictures Animation.
"Bob's unique blend of experience in production and finance, along with
his strong background in animation, make him superbly qualified to lead our
Digital Production division," said Lynton. "Staying ahead of the vast
technological changes occurring in our industry has been a priority for Sony
Pictures, and I know Bob will continue to make our fantastic visual effects
and animation businesses grow."
"I'm very excited about getting back into the creative side of the
business, which has been a big part of my career. I'm especially thrilled to
be working with Tim Sarnoff and Hannah Minghella, along with the world class
team of people who work at Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation," said
Osher.
"Hannah is one of the most intelligent and creative people I've worked
with, and I know from first-hand experience how capable she is in dealing with
a wide range of some of the most complex issues we confront in this business,"
said Pascal. "For the past three years, she's been a key part of my team,
actively engaged in our creative process every step of the way. She's going
to do a great job working in concert with the incredibly accomplished team of
writers, artists and all who make Sony Pictures Animation such an exciting
part of this studio."
"I am so grateful to Amy and Michael for this wonderful opportunity.
Animation is such a pure and boundless medium for storytelling and I'm excited
to start working with the extraordinary group of innovative artists and
filmmakers at Sony Pictures Animation," said Minghella. "Together we're going
to continue to build on Sony Pictures Animation's reputation as a home for the
best, brightest and most imaginative minds in the animation business. I'm
especially happy to be going on this adventure with Bob who has been a part of
my journey from the beginning."
"With the extraordinary talent that we have in place I am very excited
about what the future has in store," said Tim Sarnoff, president of
Imageworks.
Minghella and Sarnoff will report to Osher. Sandra Rabins, who had been in
charge of Sony Pictures Animation as senior executive vice president, will
return to her roots as a producer and continue working with Sony Pictures
Animation in that capacity.
"Sandy and the amazing artists and talent she recruited have done a really
outstanding job of ramping up Sony Pictures Animation over the past several
years, and we look forward to working with her on projects that are very
important to our studio," said Lynton.
Osher joined Sony Pictures in 2004, and has been chief operating officer
of the Columbia Pictures Motion Picture Group, overseeing operations, business
affairs and production related film financing. Osher will continue to have
oversight over his current areas of responsibility within the Motion Picture
Group.
Osher replaces Yair Landau, who earlier this week announced he was leaving
Sony Pictures to begin a new games and animation venture. The Digital
Production division, formerly known as Sony Pictures Digital, comprises
Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation. It was announced yesterday that Sony
Online Entertainment, once part of Sony Pictures Digital, will move to Sony
Computer Entertainment.
Sony Pictures Imageworks is a leading, state-of-the-art digital animation
and visual effects company creating computer-generated imaging (CGI) for
motion pictures. In 2003, Imageworks' first animated short, The Chubb Chubbs!
won numerous awards including an Academy Award(R) for Best Animated Short
Film. In 2005, the visual effects and animation team at Imageworks was
honored with an Academy Award(R) for Achievement in Visual Effects for
Spider-Man 2. The visual effects team was nominated again for an Academy
Award(R) for Achievement in Visual Effects for their work on The Chronicles of
Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and Superman Returns.
Imageworks also houses Imageworks Interactive, a full service creative group
that produces websites and supports digital marketing for the studio and
outside clients.
Sony Pictures Animation develops and produces CG animated feature films
from storyboard to screens. Both its full-length features, Open Season,
released in 2006, and 2007's Surf's Up, were critically acclaimed and have
together accumulated close to $350 million in worldwide box office revenue.
Both titles vastly outperformed the average of new release sales in the home
entertainment market, selling more than 10 million units combined. Surf's Up
also received an Academy Award(R) nomination for Best Animated Feature in
2007. Sony Pictures Animation is currently producing Cloudy With A Chance Of
Meatballs, which is scheduled for release in 2009.
Sony Pictures also has a deal with Aardman Features to produce animated
films for the studio. Aardman, which is based in theUnited Kingdom, is known
worldwide for such films as Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run.
Osher previously served as co-president of production at Miramax Films for
more than six years, where he oversaw the production of the Academy Award(R)
Best Picture winners Shakespeare in Love andChicago and served as Executive
Producer of several films, including Cold Mountain. He also was involved in
overseeing an animated television series for Miramax.
He previously was co-founder and executive vice president of the Turner
Pictures Group, which included co-running Turner Feature Animation, which
worked closely with its sister company, the legendary Hannah-Barbera
Productions.
Osher worked for Walt Disney Studios between 1989 and 1995, where he rose
to be senior vice president in charge of business and legal affairs for Walt
Disney and Touchstone Pictures, as well as Disney's feature animation
business. He is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Motion
Picture and Television Fund, and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, from which
he earned two Emmy nominations as executive producer on "Project Greenlight."
Osher also sits on the Board of Councilors for the University of Southern
California's College of Letters, Arts & Sciences. He is a board member on the
Alumni Council of the School of Cinematic Arts at USC, and an adjunct
professor for the school, teaching at the graduate level.
Minghella currently serves as director of creative affairs for Pascal, a
position she has held since 2005. In that capacity, she has worked closely
with Pascal on a number of films and other projects involving several of Sony
Pictures' divisions.
Minghella worked with the production team at Columbia Pictures on such
films as Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. She recently was responsible
for helping to bring the spy-thriller film project, Edwin A. Salt, to
Columbia. Born in England, Minghella received her Masters Degree in English
Literature from Cambridge University, where she also was president of the
Pembroke College committee.
She spent four years at Miramax Films in New York, where among other
projects she worked on Finding Neverland. She was the creative executive for
Meryl Poster (Poster and Bob Osher were co-presidents of production).
Minghella left Miramax to help Steven Shainberg start Vox 3 Films, an
independent production company. On the recommendation of Osher, Pascal
brought Minghella to Sony Pictures.
About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of
America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global
operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television
production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution;
worldwide channel investments; home entertainment 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.sonypictures.com.
contact:
Jim Kennedy
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
Sony Pictures Entertainment
310-244-6777
jim_kennedy@spe.sony.com
Don Levy
Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Sony Pictures Digital
310-840-7315
dlevy@imageworks.com
Steve Elzer
Senior Vice President, Media Relations
Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
(310) 244-7142
steve_elzer@spe.sony.com
SOURCE Sony Pictures Entertainment
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