Sony Pictures
Pascal joined Columbia Pictures in 1988, where she was responsible for the development of films including: Groundhog Day, Little Women, Awakenings, and A League of Their Own.[13] She left Columbia in 1994 and served for two years as the President of Production for Turner Pictures while Scott Sassa was president of Turner Entertainment.[14] During her time at Turner, Pascal hired Damon Lee as a development director.[15]
Pascal rejoined Columbia in 1996 as the studio's president after Turner Pictures merged with Warner Bros.[16] In 1999, Pascal became Chair of Columbia Pictures.[17]
Pascal was named Co-Chairperson of Sony Pictures Entertainment in September 2006.[18][19] She also served as Chairman of SPE's Motion Picture Group from December 2003 to February 2015.[20] Pascal and SPE's Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton led all of SPE's lines of business, including: motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies.[21]
Pascal has overseen the production and distribution of many films, including the Spider-Man franchise; the James Bond films Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, the first Bond film to gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office;[22] The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons; Sony Pictures Animation's The Smurfs, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Hotel Transylvania; and Best Picture Oscar nominees American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Zero Dark Thirty, Moneyball and The Social Network.[23][24][25]
Pascal, along with Lynton, also oversaw Sony Pictures Television, which produces and distributes television programming for multiple platforms in the U.S. and internationally.[26]
In 2013, Pascal was elected to the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[27]
She clashed with investor Daniel S. Loeb, who accused both Pascal and Lynton of "poor financial controls."[6] According to the Financial Times, "she employed an assistant who earned more than $250,000 a year, and had use of a private jet and other perks in keeping with Hollywood's golden era rather than an age of austerity."[6] At the end of 2014, Pascal was the only woman at Sony to earn over $1 million per annum, having earned US$3 million a year.[28][29][30]
Pascal's contract with Sony was scheduled to expire in March 2015.[6] On February 5, 2015, Pascal announced she would step down in May 2015.[31][32][33][34] Pascal stated during a Women in the World discussion on February 11, 2015, that she had been "fired" by Sony.[35][36]
Activities and awards
In 2001, Pascal was honored with the Women in Film's Crystal Award, which recognizes those whose work has helped to expand the role of women in the entertainment industry.[47] Pascal has been included in The Hollywood Reporters annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 list and Forbes ranking of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women.[48][49] As of 2014, she was ranked as the 28th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, up from 36th in 2013.[50]
In March 2024, Pascal was one of 1000 Jewish figures in Hollywood who signed an open letter denouncing Jonathan Glazer's acceptance speech at the 96th Academy Awards, in which Glazer condemned the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories and new comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany.[51]
