Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures Entertainment

December 05, 2006 After a dismal 2005 that found Sony Pictures Entertainment in an uncharacteristic eighth place among the major distributors, Amy Pascal took the venerable movie studio for a phenomenal 180-degree turn this year, opening 12 No. 1 films this year and reaching the $1 billion domestic boxoffice milestone mark faster than any other studio. The dramatic rebound earned Pascal a promotion to co-chairman of SPE, alongside chairman and CEO Michael Lynton, and extended her deal with the studio into 2011. That's what it came down to, says Pascal, who began the year with a new domestic marketing head, Valerie Van Galder, and spent a lot of time rejiggering Sony's international operations.

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