Since December 2016, half of the major film studios — all MPAA members — have named new top execs:
- Twentieth Century Fox Film | Stacey Snider, Chairman and CEO
- Warner Bros. Entertainment | Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Content Officer
- Viacom's Paramont Pictures | Jim Gianopulos, Chairman and CEO
Gianopulos, named to lead Paramount on March 26, used to lead Fox's movie studio. Snider was chairman of Universal Studios before heading over to Dreamworks and then to co-chair Fox. Emmerich is a film producer and formerly headed up Warner's specialty New Line film label.
Leadership changes aren't over. In June, Sony Pictures' top exec, Michael Lynton, will step down. No replacement has been named yet.
What does this mean for smoking in movies? History shows that smoking rebounds at major studios distracted by leadership changes. All MPAA-member studios have policies about tobacco depictions in their youth-rated films. But enforcement appears to depend on who's in charge.
That's why we're all pushing for the R-rating. An industry-wide standard would cover all films all the time. It wouldn't depend on executive attitude or competition to make film deals.
Now would be an excellent time to remind these new — but experienced — film executives that the whole world is watching what their studios do about tobacco in kid-rated movies. In the US alone, a million lives depend on making these movies smokefree. Copy your letter to the CEO of the studio's parent company, too.
To do | Download SFM's updated Contact list. For all the facts you need to make your point, check out company track records at Who's accountable and key health impact numbers at Tools & resources.