Tom Sherak Elected President Of Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences

Tom Sherak was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Tuesday night (8/18) by the organization's Board of Governors.

Sherak, who is beginning his seventh year as a governor representing the Executives Branch, has served as treasurer of the Academy during the past year. He succeeds Sid Ganis, who had served the maximum four consecutive one-year terms in the office.

In addition, Actors Branch governor Tom Hanks was elected first vice president; Producers Branch governor Kathleen Kennedy and Writers Branch governor Phil Robinson were elected to vice presidents posts; Producers Branch governor Hawk Koch was elected treasurer; and Short Films and Feature Animation Branch governor John Lasseter was elected secretary. Ganis, representing the Public Relations Branch, will serve as immediate past president.

These will be the first officer stints for Lasseter and Robinson. Hanks had previously served as vice president and treasurer. Koch had previously served one term as vice president. This will be Kennedy's second consecutive term as vice president.

Sherak, a marketing, distribution and production executive with more than four decades in the motion picture industry, is currently a consultant for Marvel Studios.

Previously, Sherak was a partner at Revolution Studios where he oversaw the release of more than 40 films including "Black Hawk Down," "Anger Management," "Rent" and "Across the Universe."

Prior to joining Revolution, Sherak was chairman of Twentieth Century Domestic Film Group and served as senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Previously, he held various positions at Fox, including senior executive vice president, where he oversaw the distribution and post-production of "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Speed" and "Independence Day," among others.

In 1990 Sherak was named executive vice president of Twentieth Century Fox. Prior to that he was president of domestic distribution and marketing for Fox, where launched such films as "Romancing the Stone," "Aliens," "Wall Street," "Die Hard" and "Working Girl." He began his career in the industry at Paramount Pictures in 1970.

Academy board members serve three-year terms, while officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive terms in any one office.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world"s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards - in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners - the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

For more information, visit www.oscars.org.

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