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Sony taps new studio team
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October 8, 1996: 4:24 p.m. ET
John Calley to leave United Artists for Sony Pictures Entertainment
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - In a move widely expected throughout the industry, Sony Corp. Tuesday named a new management team for its money-losing Sony Pictures Entertainment unit.
The announcement comes after months rumors that that were proved true last week with the resignation of Alan Levine as president and chief operating officer of the troubled studio.
Sony named John Calley, president and chief operating officer of United Artists Pictures, will join Sony Pictures Entertainment as president and chief operating officer, effective in early November.
Jeff Sagansky, executive vice president of Sony Corp. of America, will join Sony Pictures as co-president with responsibility for the management of the company under Calley, Sony said.
Masayuki Nozoe, executive vice president of Sony Corp. of America, will become executive vice president for Sony Pictures. Nozoe will be the first Japanese executive to play an active role in Sony's studio operations.
Sony said Calley will focus particularly on the motion picture business and home video, with Sagansky focusing on television and international business.
Nozoe will be responsible for Sony cross-company business development, liaison with corporate headquarters, and technology management. All three executives will be based in Los Angeles.
"These are very important appointments for Sony Pictures Entertainment," said Sony Corp. president Nobuyuki Idei. "John's vast experience and proven track record in the industry will be a tremendous asset to Sony."
Calley, 65, replaces Levine, who stepped down last week in the latest in a series of management shakeups. In September, Levine fired studio boss Mark Canton after several films flopped at the box office. Levine's choice for Canton's replacement, William Morris agent Arnold Rifkin, was voted down by Idei, prompting many in the industry to suggest that Levine's days were numbered.
Earlier in the summer, Sony's TriStar Pictures president Marc Platt left to take a job at Universal Pictures and Lisa Henson, president of Sony's Columbia Pictures, resigned to form her own production company.
The turmoil has fueled speculation that Sony may sell the troubled studio after amassing billions of dollars in losses since it acquired it in 1989 for $3.4 billion.
But Idei said that Sony has no intentions of abandoning Hollywood.
"This team represents a new vision and new direction for the studio," Idei said. "We are committed to the growth and success of Sony Pictures Entertainment and to making Sony the global entertainment and communications company of the future."
As head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.'s United Artists studio, Calley played a key role in the revitalization of the studio with hits like "Goldeneye," "Birdcage" and "Leaving Las Vegas."
Sagansky, a former executive with CBS Entertainment, has been executive vice president since September 1994.
Nozoe has been executive vice president of Sony Corp. of America since February, mainly with responsibilities for new business development..
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