Brad Grey Confirmed as CEO of Paramount Pictures

By James Wray Jan 6, 2005, 15:39 GMT

Mr. Grey, one of the entertainment industry's most successful entrepreneurs and a leading television and film producer and talent manager, will assume his new role on or before March 1, 2005. He will be based at Paramount's Hollywood studio and will oversee all the motion picture operations of Paramount and will report directly to Mr. Freston.

Mr. Freston said, "It's a thrill to announce Brad Grey as the next leader in the great history of Paramount Pictures. Brad's integrity and values are matched by his exceptional vast entertainment experience and common sense. Brad's smarts, style and instincts have made him a winner time after time over the years. He's an entrepreneur, a manager, a dealmaker, a hit maker and has that combination of creative business acumen. He's the ideal leader for the challenges of motion picture business today and tomorrow.

"My top priority," Mr. Freston added, "is to make Paramount even better than it is today. I want the studio to be the best place for creative people, a place where they can do their best work. Brad shares this vision and his unparalleled abilities in this area will make this happen."

Sumner Redstone, Chairman and CEO, Viacom, said, "I couldn't be more pleased to welcome Brad Grey to the Viacom family. He is exactly what we need: a dealmaker, a successful entrepreneur, and a man with great outreach to the creative community. He has an enviable track record in the entertainment industry and he is a fabulous addition to our team."

Mr. Grey said, "This is a great company, with a great motion picture legacy and a great mandate for the future. The motion pictures made by Paramount and the other great Hollywood studios entertain the entire world. To be able to share that experience and responsibility, and the creative process behind it, is an opportunity few get. I am grateful for it. I look forward to working with Tom, along with Sumner and Les, the Paramount team, and the many talented artists in our community."

Mr. Grey assumes the title of Chairman and CEO in a newly broadened role. In this position, he will have ultimate authority on film development and production as well as business operations, worldwide.

Mr. Freston said, "I want to thank Sherry Lansing for her great leadership these past 12 years. She has had a truly legendary run and leaves behind a proud legacy. I must say that the last year has been very exciting as Sherry and her team have infused the studio with a new spirit and have brought many great new people to the studio.

Paramount Pictures is a healthy and exciting place right now. In fact, it is having one of its best quarters with the success of 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events' and 'The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.' Brad is inheriting a terrific slate of pictures, such as 'War of the Worlds,' 'Elizabethtown,' and 'The Longest Yard.'"

Mr. Grey is currently Chairman of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment (BGE). BGE's affiliated companies include Brillstein-Grey Management, Brad Grey Television and Plan B, a motion picture production company in partnership with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.

Mr. Grey, through Plan B, recently completed production of the motion picture "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," a retelling of the classic Roald Dahl tale, starring Johnny Depp, and directed by Tim Burton, which will be released this summer by Warner Brothers.

He is also a producer of the upcoming "The Departed," a motion picture to be directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio opposite Matt Damon. In addition, over the last 20 years, Mr. Grey and his company have produced some of the most popular and most honored series on television, including the Emmy Award-winning hit, "The Sopranos."

Other series include: "The Larry Sanders Show," "NewsRadio," "Just Shoot Me," "According to Jim," and "Real Time with Bill Maher." Brillstein- Grey's extensive list of clients includes, among many others: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, Nicolas Cage, The Honorable Rudolph Giuliani, Lorne Michaels, Brad Pitt and Adam Sandler.

Brillstein-Grey Entertainment will continue to be run by the extraordinary, talented team of managers and executives who have contributed to the success of the 36-year-old management and production company. BGE was described by Forbes Magazine as "Hollywood's most successful management and production firm."

Brad Grey is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner, a four-time winner of the George Foster Peabody Award as an Executive Producer. He is an eighteen- time Emmy Award nominee.