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CULVER CITY, Calif., August 6, 2015 - On the heels of announcing the release dates for 16 films on its upcoming slate, Sony Pictures Entertainment has made staffing changes and new hires in its Motion Picture Group, it was announced today by Tom Rothman, chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, and Doug Belgrad, president, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.

Hannah Minghella has been named president of TriStar Pictures, where she will work closely with TriStar's Nicole Brown, and report to Belgrad. David Beaubaire will become executive vice president of Production at the flagship label Columbia Pictures. Palak Patel, currently a producer with Joe Roth's company, has been newly recruited to serve Columbia as executive vice president of Production. They, along with current Columbia executives Andrea Giannetti and Jonathan Kadin, will report to Belgrad. The position of president of Production at Columbia has been eliminated.

In the transition, several films in development, including The Rosie Project, which Minghella has shepherded and has Jennifer Lawrence attached to star, will move over to TriStar. Beaubaire will oversee completion on the TriStar films currently in the production pipeline, including The Walk, directed by Robert Zemeckis, Money Monster, which is directed by Jodie Foster and stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, directed by Ang Lee.

Commenting on the announcement, Rothman said, "Doug and I believe that studios often have too many layers of development executives to be fast and effective, and that's surely what we need to be. We want seasoned, empowered execs who can make decisions and have direct responsibility to get films made. I know firsthand that David can do that, and that's why we drafted him over to Columbia, which needs to be making big films. Palak is a driven self-starter who has made great films happen with Joe, and there is no better mentor. Finally, I'm obviously a believer in TriStar's mandate to make quality commercial films for adults, and Hannah's impeccable taste and strong talent connections are exactly what the label needs to lead that charge. She will do much better than me there."

Belgrad added, "I'm looking forward to working much more closely with David and Palak as they join Ange on the Columbia team. Ange is beloved and has been the consummate executive for more than 20 years at Sony. I've had the pleasure of getting to know David since he joined TriStar as Tom's top lieutenant, and I've seen firsthand his strong eye for material and deep understanding of the filmmaking process. Palak has been aggressive and hugely successful in finding material and launching global franchises. All three have incredible story sense and great industry relationships, so it's exciting to be working with them as we lead the studio into its next chapter. In addition, after working side-by-side with Hannah, I know she is an extremely talented executive, and to have her run TriStar is a coup for the studio."

HANNAH MINGHELLA most recently served as president of Production at Columbia Pictures, where she worked closely with Doug Belgrad to oversee all aspects of development and production at the legendary motion picture label. In that role, she oversaw such films as American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Zero Dark Thirty, The Equalizer, 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2, Men in Black 3, Skyfall, the most successful James Bond film of all time, and the animated hit Hotel Transylvania. Prior to her promotion to president of Production at Columbia, Minghella served as president of Production at Sony Pictures Animation and as a Columbia development executive.

DAVID BEAUBAIRE, who made a major contribution to the reinvigoration of the TriStar label as executive vice president, segues to Columbia Pictures. At TriStar, he was instrumental in the development and production of such films as The Walk, Money Monster, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Baby Driver, and many others. Prior to TriStar, he served Paramount Pictures as executive vice president, shepherding such films as Flight, Up in the Air, Dreamgirls, Adventures of Tintin, and numerous others. He also served DreamWorks as senior vice president, and, prior, as an executive at Warner Bros.

PALAK PATEL most recently served as president of Production at Joe Roth's production company, Roth Films. He executive produced numerous global franchises and successful films, including Oz the Great and Powerful, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Maleficent, as well as the upcoming films In the Heart of the Sea and The Huntsman. He currently has several high-profile projects in development at Columbia Pictures and other studios.

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Jean Guerin
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Sony Pictures Entertainment
310.244.2923