The motion picture academy elected a marketing executive as its president, who is only the second consumer-focused executive to run the organization that has conferred the Oscars since 1927. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) chose as its president veteran publicity executive Cheryl Boone Isaacs — who headed the academys public relations branch.
She is also the first black person to run the academy and she replaces Hawk Koch — a producer who has a more typical background for the job. Boone Isaacs is the second marketing executive to run AMPAS after Tom Sherak, who held the academy’s top job from 2009-12, and whose background is film distribution, which is another marketing function.
The motion picture academy is broadening, growing its governors — who work in the film industry — to 48, from 43 previously. AMPAS also added a branch for casting directors, who become a new class segment. In January, costumers got their own branch, after previously being part of the designers branch.
Boone Isaacs’ services firm “has consulted on such films as ‘The Call,’ ‘The Artist,’ ‘The King’s Speech,’ ‘Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire,’ ‘Spider-Man 2’ and ‘Tupac: Resurrection,’ ” according to an AMPAS press release. “Boone Isaacs previously served as president of theatrical marketing for New Line Cinema, where she oversaw numerous box office successes, including ‘Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me’ and ‘Rush Hour.’ ” Prior to joining New Line in 1997, Boone Isaacs was executive vice president of worldwide publicity for Paramount Pictures, where she orchestrated publicity campaigns for the Best Picture winners “Forrest Gump” and “Braveheart.”
Boone Isaacs fills a one-year term and can hold the job up to four years, if re-elected.
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