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Amy Beth Pascal (born March 25, 1958) is an American business executive and film producer. She served as the Chairperson of the Motion Pictures Group of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and co-Chairperson of SPE, including Sony Pictures Television, from 2006 until 2015. She has overseen the production and distribution of many movies and television programs.

Early life and education

Pascal was born on March 25, 1958 in Los Angeles, California. She is Jewish. Her father, Anthony H. Pascal, was an economic researcher at the RAND Corporation who wrote about African American social inequality and the cost of AIDS. Her mother, Barbara Pascal, was a librarian and art bookstore owner, Artworks. Pascal attended Crossroads School in Santa Monica. She then worked as a bookkeeper while getting her international relations degree at UCLA.

Career

Pascal started her career as a secretary working for producer Tony Garnett at the independent production company Kestrel Films. From 1986 to 1987, she served as Vice President of Production at 20th Century Fox.

Sony

Pascal joined Columbia Pictures in 1988, where she was responsible for the development of films including: Groundhog Day, Little Women, Awakenings, and A League of Their Own. She left Columbia in 1994 and served for two years as the President of Production for Turner Pictures. Pascal rejoined Columbia in 1996 as the studio’s President.

Pascal was named Co-Chairperson of Sony Pictures Entertainment in September 2006. She also served as Chairman of SPE’s Motion Picture Group from December 2003 to February 2015. Pascal and SPE’s Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton lead all of SPE’s lines of business, including: motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies.

Pascal oversaw the production and distribution of films including the Spider-Man franchise; the James Bond films Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, the first Bond film to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office; The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons; Sony Pictures Animation’s The Smurfs, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Hotel Transylvania; and Best Picture Oscar nominees American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Zero Dark Thirty, Moneyball and The Social Network.

Pascal, along with Lynton, also oversaw Sony Pictures Television (SPT), which produces and distributes television programming for multiple platforms in the U.S. and internationally.

In 2013, Pascal was elected to the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

She clashed with investor Daniel S. Loeb, who accused both Pascal and Lynton of "poor financial controls." Indeed, according to The Financial Times, "she employed an assistant who earned more than $250,000 a year, and had use of a private jet and other perks in keeping with Hollywood’s golden era rather than an age of austerity." Moreover, Pascal earned US$3 million annually.

Her contract with Sony was meant to expire in March 2015. On February 5, she announced she would step down. However, she added she would start her own production company, with a four-year contract which includes funding and distribution via Sony Pictures Entertainment. She is expected to produce the new Ghostbusters movie and the new Marvel Studios produced Spider-Man reboot. She is also expected produce theatre and television. Putting an end to speculations, she admitted during a Women in the World discussion on February 11 that her new role meant she had been "fired" by Sony.

Activities and awards

In 2001, Pascal was honored with the Women in Film’s Crystal Award, which recognizes those whose work has helped to expand the role of women in the entertainment industry. Pascal has been included in The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 list and Forbes’ ranking of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. As of 2014, she was ranked as the 28th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, up from 36th in 2013.

Philanthropy

She serves on the Honorary Committee of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. She was awarded the 2008 Humanitarian Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Additionally, she has made charitable contributions to Teen Line.

Sony Pictures Entertainment Hack

On December 9, 2014, Sony's computer system was hacked by "Guardians of Peace" using Shamoon malware, which led to the theft of internal company documents. In subsequent news coverage Pascal and producer Scott Rudin were noted to have had an exchange about Pascal's upcoming encounter with President Barack Obama. Pascal suggested the president would enjoy Django Unchained and The Butler, which deal with slavery in the United States and the pre-civil rights era.

News reports branded the exchange as "racially insensitive," while other media outlets called it "racist." Pascal responded by saying "the content of my emails were insensitive and inappropriate but are not an accurate reflection of who I am," adding "I made a series of remarks that were meant only to be funny, but in the cold light of day, they are in fact thoughtless and insensitive — and not funny at all.”

Civil rights leader Al Sharpton suggested the apology was not sufficient, compared her to Donald Sterling, and called for more diversity in Sony's hiring pool. An editorial by Sorkin in the New York Times denounced the media's focus on Pascal's communications and many other emails released by the hack as "Giving Material Aid to Criminals", saying "at least the hackers are doing it for a cause. The press is doing it for a nickel." However, actress Lisa Kudrow suggested Pascal should have known better, adding, "Don’t write anything you don’t want broadcast." Billionaire real estate investor Donald Trump suggested she should resign "for stupidity reasons."

Furthermore, Color of Change, a civil rights organization, launched a petition calling upon Sony to fire Pascal from her role, arguing, "Pascal’s comments are confirmation of the manipulative, exploitative relationship corporations like Sony have with Black folks." They added, "We must hold Pascal accountable here; not just for her horrendous comments, but also for her role at the helm of a corporate agenda that views Black America as one big, lucrative joke."

Personal life

Pascal married Bernard Weinraub, a former film-business reporter for The New York Times and playwright, in 1997. They reside in Los Angeles, and have a son.

References

1. ^ Bertet, Elsa (September 6, 2007). "Amy Pascal timeline". Variety.
2. ^ "Amy Pascal". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
3. ^ "Anthony H. Pascal". RAND Corporation website.
4. ^ "Amy B. Pascal, Bernard Weinraub". The New York Times. August 10, 1997.
5. ^ Garrahan, Matthew (December 19, 2014). "Amy Pascal: A studio boss caught in real-life thriller". The Financial Times.
6. ^ Miller, Daniel (January 15, 2014). "Sony Pictures' awards season takes pressure off Amy Pascal". Los Angeles Times.
7. Tim Arango (October 24, 2009). "Sony's Version of Tracy and Hepburn". The New York Times.
8. Finke, Nikki (December 7, 2010). "Sony Reups Amy Pascal For 5 More Years". Deadline.com.
9. "Amy Pascal Extends Long-Term Employment Agreement With Sony Pictures". Sony Pictures. December 7, 2010.
10. Alan Citron (August 25, 1994). "Pascal Named President of Production at Turner". Los Angeles Times.
11. Bertet, Elsa (September 6, 2007). "Amy Pascal timeline". Variety.
12. Michael White (September 6, 2006). "Sony Names Pascal Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Unit (Update1)". Bloomberg.
13. "Amy Pascal". Sony Pictures. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
14. Finke, Nikki (March 4, 2007). "Sony's Amy Pascal To Be Honored at Opening Night Gala". Films News and Views.
15. James Gilmore (October 7, 2009). "PGA Honors Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal with Milestone Award". Producers Guild of America.
16. McClintock, Pamela (December 30, 2012). "Box Office Milestone: Daniel Craig's 'Skyfall' Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide". The Hollywood Reporter.
17. Ujala Sehgal (February 26, 2011). "OSCARS 2011: Here Are The Best Picture Nominees!". Business Insider.
18. "Oscar nominations 2012: Is 'Moneyball' the best sports movie ever?". Los Angeles Times. January 24, 2012.
19. "Oscars winners and nominees 2013: Complete list". Los Angeles Times. February 25, 2013.
20. Orr, Bernard (December 7, 2010). "Sony extends contract of studio head Amy Pascal". Reuters.
21. Kilday, Gregg (July 15, 2013). "Film Academy's New Board of Governors Includes Sony's Amy Pascal and Filmmaker Alex Gibney". The Hollywood Reporter.
22. Berrin, Danielle (February 5, 2015). "Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal gets a graceful exit". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.
23. ^ Fritz, Ben (February 5, 2015). "Amy Pascal Steps Down as Head of Sony Pictures' Film Business: Long-Time Executive to Start Film-Production Company in May". The Wall Street Journal.
24. ^ Rushe, Dominic (5 February 2015). "Amy Pascal steps down from Sony Pictures in wake of damaging email hack". The Guardian.
25. Cieply, Michael; Barnesm, Brooks (February 5, 2015). "Amy Pascal Leaving as Sony Studio Chief". The New York Times.
26. ^ Nathan, Sara (5 February 2015). "Exclusive: Shamed Sony chief Amy Pascal is Out at studio after her email jibes about Obama's race were hacked by North Korea". The Daily Mail.
27. Siegel, Tatiana (5 February 2015). "Amy Pascal to Step Down From Top Sony Post". The Hollywood Reporter.
28. Michael Cieply, Amy Pascal Says Sony Pushed Her Out of Studio Post, The New York Times, February 12, 2015
29. Dave McNary, Amy Pascal Talks Getting ‘Fired,’ Sony Hack and Angelina Jolie Emails in Candid Interview, Variety, February 11, 2015
30. "Past Recipients Crystal Award". Women in Film. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
31. "THR's Women in Entertainment 2011: Power 100". The Hollywood Reporter. December 7, 2011.
32. "The 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
33. "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women". Forbes. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
34. "Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles: Honorary Committee".
35. "Simon Wiesenthal Center to Honor Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group with its 2008 Humanitarian Award". Simon Wiesenthal Center website. May 2, 2008.
36. Abrams, Rachel (October 1, 2013). "Power of Women: Amy Pascal Supports Teenagers in Crisis With Teen Line". Variety.
37. ^ Fleming Jr., Mike (December 11, 2014). "Scott Rudin Apologizes After Leak Of Sony's Hacked Racially Insensitive E-Mails On Barack Obama". Deadline.com.
38. ^ Variety Staff (December 11, 2014). "Sony's Amy Pascal Apologizes for Obama Emails". Variety.
39. ^ Rosen, Christopher (December 11, 2014). "Scott Rudin & Amy Pascal Apologize After Racially Insensitive Emails About Obama Leak". The Huffington Post.
40. Matthew Zeitlin (2014-12-10). "Scott Rudin On Obama's Favorite Movies: "I Bet He Likes Kevin Hart"". Buzzfeed.
41. Hayley Tsukayama (2014-12-11). "A Sony exec cracks jokes about Obama's race, and eight more bruising revelations from the Sony leak". Washington Post.
42. Dockterman, Eliana. "Seth Rogen Thanks Sony Chief for Making The Interview". Times Magazine. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
43. Sparho, Chris (December 13, 2014). "Sony employee alleges rampant workplace racism in leaked email days after studio head Amy Pascal's racist email exchange about President Obama went public". The Daily Mail.
44. Cohen, Sandy (December 12, 2014). "Sony's Amy Pascal under fire for racist remarks". Detroit News.
45. Barnes, Brooks; Cieply, Michael (December 11, 2014). "Sony Film Executives Apologize for Racially Tinged Emails About Obama". The New York Times.
46. Campbell, Colin (December 11, 2014). "Al Sharpton Compares Sony Exec To Racist Ex-NBA Owner". Business Insider.
47. Aaron Sorkin (2014-12-14). "The Sony Hack and the Yellow Press". New York Times.
48. Khatchatourian, Maane (December 13, 2014). "Lisa Kudrow on Sony Emails: 'Don't Write Anything You Don't Want Broadcast'". Variety.
49. Martosko, David (December 16, 2014). "Donald Trump says Sony Pictures co-chief Amy Pascal should 'resign for stupidity reasons' after she sought help from Rev. Al Sharpton over racist emails revealed in hack". The Daily Mail.
50. ^ Couch, Aaron (December 18, 2014). "Civil Rights Group Asks Sony to Fire Amy Pascal Over Leaked Emails". The Hollywood Reporter.
51. Molloy, Antonia (December 18, 2014). "Sony hacking: Civil rights group calls for Amy Pascal to be fired over 'racially-charged' leaked email exchange about Barack Obama". The Independent.
52. "ColorOfChange: Tell Sony: Fire Amy Pascal!".

External links

• Amy Pascal at IMDb
• Amy Pascal Biography

Template:Persondata

• 1958 births
• Living people
• American chairmen of corporations
• American film producers
• American film studio executives
• American Jews
• American women business executives
• Businesspeople from Los Angeles, California
• Sony people
• University of California, Los Angeles alumni
• Women corporate directors
• 20th-century American businesspeople
• 21st-century American businesspeople