Education
Amy Pascal got her first job while still in junior high school, wrapping books at a Los Angeles bookstore.
She worked as a bookkeeper at Crossroads school while geting her international relations degree at UCLA.
co-chairman, sony pictures entertainment, sony Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony
Amy Pascal got her first job while still in junior high school, wrapping books at a Los Angeles bookstore.
She worked as a bookkeeper at Crossroads school while geting her international relations degree at UCLA.
That a woman became president of production at a studio was no longer a banner headline, but by the late twentieth century, Amy Pascal, who was appointed president of Columbia Pictures in December 1996, was still a member of a very select club. Known to be popular with screenwriters and passionate in her advocacy for films, she followed the classic Hollywood rise first trademarked by Irving Thalberg more than 70 years ago - going from secretary to head of production at a studio. Moving up the ladder to chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Pascal was among the ranks of just a handful of women who had raised the bar for females in positions of power in Hollywood.
During her tenure at both studios, Pascal had often been identified with female-oriented "chick flicks," much to her consternation. Greenlighting 2004's "Little Black Book," "13 Going on 30" and "50 First Dates" did little to correct that perception. But in contrast to that standard line-up of romantic comedies, she was also behind the enormously successful "Spider-Man" series, which began in 2002 and with two films, grossed over $2 billion and counting. Other blockbuster franchises included "Men & Black," (1997) "Stuart Little," (1999) and "Charlie's Angels" (2000), along with their respective sequels. Under Pascal's management, comic actor Adam Sandler also proved viable, generating millions for the studio with such films as "Big Daddy" (1999) and "Mr. Deeds" (2002). At the same time, the studio released critically acclaimed films such as "Adaptation" (2002). However, Pascal also drew criticism for such big budget under-performers as "Spanglish," (2004) as well as "Stealth" and "Bewitched" (2005), proving no matter how successful, everyone was only as good as their last picture.
With the establishment of Sony Pictures Animation, Pascal's Sony also became a viable player in the animation medium, a genre previously dominated by the Walt Disney Company, Pixar and Dreamworks. The first major film released from the division was "Monster House" in 2006 - a film that underperformed at the box office, but thrilled critics and the fans who did go to see it. Hitting a home run that summer, her studio also released the comedy hits "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" and "RV," as well as the controversial Ron Howard-helmed film, "The Da Vinci Code."
In addition to the long hours and stress of running a studio, Pascal continued to serve on the Board of Trustees for the American Film Institute, as well as the Executive Board of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
Favourite movies:
1. All About Eve, 1950 (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
2. Bonnie and Clyde, 1965 (Arthur Penn)
3. Chinatown, 1974 (Roman Polanksi)
4. Darling, 1965 ( John Schlesinger)
5. A Hard Day's Night, 1965 (Richard Lester)
6. Harold & Maude, 1972 (Hal Ashby)
7. Last Tango in Paris, 1973 (Bernardo Bertolucci)
8. Mary Poppins, 1964 (Robert Stevenson)
9. Meet Me in St. Louis, 1944 (Vincente Minnelli)
10. Shampoo, 1975 (Hal Ashby)
Favorite TV Show:
The Sopranos