Uni's Snider in talks with DreamWorks
Snider, DreamWorks in talks
Feb 18, 2006
Universal Pictures motion picture chairman Stacey Snider has entered into discussions that could lead to her moving to Paramount Pictures, where she would supervise DreamWorks, which Paramount parent Viacom Inc. recently purchased for $1.6 billion.
The talks were first reported Friday by the Los Angeles Times.
While speculation has swirled for several weeks that Snider was considering a post at Paramount, it missed the target. While the most often heard theory was that Snider was being sought to replace Paramount Pictures president Gail Berman, in fact, she was being wooed to oversee DreamWorks' live action efforts.
"DreamWorks has to come up with some hit movies to make the deal pay off," said one executive close to the talks of the rationale behind seeking out an executive of Snider's stature.
The earlier rumors of Paramount's interest in Snider had resulted in an unwanted media spotlight that forced the executive to begin to assess her options. A disciplined, aggressive manager and respected creative executive who has spent 10 years at Universal, she was forced into accelerating an upcoming decision about her future at Universal, where her current contract expires at the end of the year.
The mother of two children ages 7 and 9, the 44-year-old studio veteran is making up her mind about what she wants to do with the next stage of her life. While Snider's boss, Universal president Ron Meyer, has said he very much wants to keep Snider at the studio, the question is whether NBC Universal and its parent company General Electric are willing to pay a premium to persuade her to continue supervising a slate of some 30 pictures a year.
Meyer and Snider were not available for comment Friday, as Snider flew to London, where "Children of Man" and "Flight 93" are in production.
For his part, DreamWorks chairman David Geffen is still smarting from the perceived withdrawal of NBC Universal's deal to purchase DreamWorks. Luring away their prized studio chief would be another coup for him.
The job that Geffen is dangling at Snider would have her supervise DreamWorks' production slate of six movies a year, which will be released by Paramount. She would work closely with Steven Spielberg, the most powerful filmmaker in Hollywood, who is at the top of the Hollywood food chain, with access to the best scripts and talent in town.
Snider has worked closely with Spielberg at Universal over the years, and, commented one studio chief of the opportunity, "She's young and ambitious and in a great position."
Skip Brittenham and Sam Fischer, Snider's attorneys, were expected to begin negotiations with Paramount about the DreamWorks job this weekend. Snider would presumably demand a better deal from DreamWorks than the one commanded by married producing partners Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, who while serving as co-heads of DreamWorks Pictures also earned hefty salaries as well as a sizable cut of the first-dollar gross on movies they produced. They recently forged a new producing deal to deliver several films a year to DreamWorks.
Snider has also been considering running her own production company. She has a built a solid track record over seven years as studio head, creating the franchises "The Mummy," "The Bourne Identity," "Meet the Parents," "The Fast and the Furious," and "American Pie." But her 2005 slate, which boasted the hit "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" as well as "Jarhead," "The Producers," Spielberg's "Munich," and Peter Jackson's $207-million three-hour remake of "King Kong," failed to deliver on its boxoffice promise.
Should the current negotiations result in Snider going to Paramount/DreamWorks, Meyer is likely to reach into the deep executive bench he and Snider have developed at Universal. Hollywood insiders are betting that the most likely candidate to take Snider's job is her trusted lieutenant of seven years, studio vice chairman Marc Shmuger, who currently has global responsibility for marketing, distribution, consumer products and corporate partnerships. But should Snider decide to leave Universal, Meyer could consider a larger roster of candidates, both from within and outside the company.
The talks were first reported Friday by the Los Angeles Times.
While speculation has swirled for several weeks that Snider was considering a post at Paramount, it missed the target. While the most often heard theory was that Snider was being sought to replace Paramount Pictures president Gail Berman, in fact, she was being wooed to oversee DreamWorks' live action efforts.
"DreamWorks has to come up with some hit movies to make the deal pay off," said one executive close to the talks of the rationale behind seeking out an executive of Snider's stature.
The earlier rumors of Paramount's interest in Snider had resulted in an unwanted media spotlight that forced the executive to begin to assess her options. A disciplined, aggressive manager and respected creative executive who has spent 10 years at Universal, she was forced into accelerating an upcoming decision about her future at Universal, where her current contract expires at the end of the year.
The mother of two children ages 7 and 9, the 44-year-old studio veteran is making up her mind about what she wants to do with the next stage of her life. While Snider's boss, Universal president Ron Meyer, has said he very much wants to keep Snider at the studio, the question is whether NBC Universal and its parent company General Electric are willing to pay a premium to persuade her to continue supervising a slate of some 30 pictures a year.
Meyer and Snider were not available for comment Friday, as Snider flew to London, where "Children of Man" and "Flight 93" are in production.
For his part, DreamWorks chairman David Geffen is still smarting from the perceived withdrawal of NBC Universal's deal to purchase DreamWorks. Luring away their prized studio chief would be another coup for him.
The job that Geffen is dangling at Snider would have her supervise DreamWorks' production slate of six movies a year, which will be released by Paramount. She would work closely with Steven Spielberg, the most powerful filmmaker in Hollywood, who is at the top of the Hollywood food chain, with access to the best scripts and talent in town.
Snider has worked closely with Spielberg at Universal over the years, and, commented one studio chief of the opportunity, "She's young and ambitious and in a great position."
Skip Brittenham and Sam Fischer, Snider's attorneys, were expected to begin negotiations with Paramount about the DreamWorks job this weekend. Snider would presumably demand a better deal from DreamWorks than the one commanded by married producing partners Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, who while serving as co-heads of DreamWorks Pictures also earned hefty salaries as well as a sizable cut of the first-dollar gross on movies they produced. They recently forged a new producing deal to deliver several films a year to DreamWorks.
Snider has also been considering running her own production company. She has a built a solid track record over seven years as studio head, creating the franchises "The Mummy," "The Bourne Identity," "Meet the Parents," "The Fast and the Furious," and "American Pie." But her 2005 slate, which boasted the hit "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" as well as "Jarhead," "The Producers," Spielberg's "Munich," and Peter Jackson's $207-million three-hour remake of "King Kong," failed to deliver on its boxoffice promise.
Should the current negotiations result in Snider going to Paramount/DreamWorks, Meyer is likely to reach into the deep executive bench he and Snider have developed at Universal. Hollywood insiders are betting that the most likely candidate to take Snider's job is her trusted lieutenant of seven years, studio vice chairman Marc Shmuger, who currently has global responsibility for marketing, distribution, consumer products and corporate partnerships. But should Snider decide to leave Universal, Meyer could consider a larger roster of candidates, both from within and outside the company.
Share on LinkedIn
