Sony Pictures Co-Chair Steps Down Amid Hacking Fallout

[Fanghawk]

Sony Pictures Co-Chair Steps Down Amid Hacking Fallout

Amy Pascal, one of the film industry's top female executives, is resigning from her position as Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair.

Did you think the whole Sony hacking scandal was finished <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/9977-The-Interview-Review>now that The Interview got its digital, non-theatrical release? Not just yet I'm afraid - the ramifications are still playing out months after <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/138906-Sony-Pictures-Entertainment-Security-Breach-Cybersecurity>the initial breack, and it's impacting Sony's top leaders. The most recent example is Amy Pascal, who just resigned as co-chairwoman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and chairwoman of Sony's motion picture group.

Pascal has worked with Sony continuously since 1996, and was widely considered one of the film industry's top female executives. Alongside Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton, Pascal oversaw all of Sony Pictures' business lines, including production, development, and distribution for film and television. Within her tenure, that included everything from Daniel Crag's James Bond career, to The Amazing Spider-Man reboot, to smaller projects like Zero Dark Thirty and The Social Network.

While Pascal will no longer be continuing her role as chairwoman, she won't leave Sony entirely. Instead, Pascal will transition to a four-year production role that puts her in charge of <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/137925-Paul-Feigs-All-Female-Ghostbusters-Reboot-Gets-Heat-Writer>the new Ghostbusters movie and future Amazing Spider-Man films, among other projects.

"I have spent almost my entire professional life at Sony Pictures and I am energized to be starting this new chapter based at the company I call home," Pascal said in a statement. "As the slate for the next two years has come together, it felt like the right time to transition into this new role. I am so grateful to my team, some of whom I have worked with for the last 20 years and others who have joined more recently. I am leaving the studio in great hands. I am so proud of what we have all done together and I look forward to a whole lot more."

Pascal also faced personal controversy in the wake of the Sony hack. Among the leaked emails were thousands of communications to and from Pascal, including <a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/business/media/scott-rudin-and-amy-pascal-of-sony-apologize-for-racially-tinged-comments-on-obama.html>racially-tinged comments about President Obama's movie tastes. While she quickly apologized for the emails, it was still one more black eye for Sony during a surprisingly tumultuous time.

Pascal will be leaving her position as Sony Pictures co-chair this May. A successor has yet to be named.

Source: <a href=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/amy-pascal-step-down-top-755789>Hollywood Reporter

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[Scorpid]

I can't care about one executives racism in Sony Pictures. My concern is how does Sony not learn about security after the PSN got hacked and they looked like complete morons.

 

[Deathfish15]

The Amazing Spider-man films was her doing?

On top of just allowing for such a horrendous Seth Rogan film to begin with? That guy is a self-absorbed douchebag as well as his acting buddy James Franco. And so they decide to put together a film similar to Spies Like Us in comedic espionage spoof, but instead make a "fratboys in North Korea" eyesore. The film backfires spectacularly by first getting threats, failing to act on said threats, and then proceeding to have their very unsecured company files hacked based on that. It's such a disaster of EPIC proportions that it's no wonder Sony didn't take her and the CEO and fire both of them directly out of a canon.

 

[ZeroAxis]

Its funny shes made this big claim originally that Sony totally had her back and that she's staying exactly where she is. Likely she threatened litigation if they directly fired her so this was the compromise. Likely as soon as shes out of teh spot light they figured out a way to kill her contract and good riddance.

The original Rumor was that Sony Japan would fly over that guy from Robocop 3 to lay waste to the entire branch, but it sounds like contractual agreements and face saving has made that a difficult proposition.

Posts like this deserve a "Like" button. Either way this is a company that's been on the decline for many years and I can only hope her golden parachute rips mid-glide.

 

[faefrost]

So this would be the ugly point where Misogyny goes head to head with Racism?

 

[vid87]

"As the slate for the next two years has come together, it felt like the right time to transition into this new role."

Considering the kind of savvy people who would bother reading these news bits in the first place, does *anyone* *anywhere* believe that crap for a second?

 

[EHKOS]

I was going to say "Stepping down, bullshit. I hate PR, especially when we all know she was asked to." Then I saw that she was responsible for Daniel Craig as James Bond and The Amazing Spider-Man movies. Now I feel she got off easy, like a pent-up housewife with a new gardener. *lights a cigarette in the rain with head bowed*

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Likely she threatened litigation if they directly fired her so this was the compromise.

I doubt it, that's just how business works when you're in the public light. No one ever gets fired when they work a job that has media attention. No matter how badly a person screws up, it's always them resigning as a result, never getting fired. But as I've heard someone say before, no one willingly leaves a job that pays a 7-digit income.

 

[Raesvelg]

I can't care about one executives racism in Sony Pictures. My concern is how does Sony not learn about security after the PSN got hacked and they looked like complete morons.

Because Sony isn't so much a single corporation as a conglomerate of separate entities all named "Sony (something)". The various branches communicate with each other, but they don't share all that much, system-wise.

So this would be the ugly point where Misogyny goes head to head with Racism?

Man, I thought it would take at least 10 posts before someone tossed misogyny out there.

 

[ryukage_sama]

I'm sure the ongoing production of the Amazing Spider-Man movies is going to keep her very, very busy.

 

[Demagogue]

Good luck to Ms. Pascal on her new role with the company.

 

[SecondPrize]

Why the shit is it so hard to pretend like you're a decent human being in all professional communication?

 

[Strazdas]

So this would be the ugly point where Misogyny goes head to head with Racism?

A company with failing finances is bleeding CEOs after massive scandal.

One CEO happens to be a woman

Can you shout misogyny, yo!