Michael Lynton

Michael Lynton became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment in January, 2004. He manages Sony Pictures' overall global operations, which include motion picture, television and digital content production and distribution, home entertainment acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, and the development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. Under the leadership of Lynton and Co-Chairman Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures' motion picture division achieved more than $2.7 billion in worldwide box office receipts in 2008, releasing such hits as Hancock, Quantum of Solace and Pineapple Express. In 2009, the studio has enjoyed success with films such as Angels & Demons, Obsessed, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Julie & Julia, The Ugly Truth, District 9, Zombieland, Michael Jackson's This Is It, and Roland Emmerich's 2012. Sony Pictures Television produces such successful shows as Breaking Bad, Rules of Engagement and Damages. The division has top ranked game shows and daytime dramas, including Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, The Young and the Restless and Days of our Lives. In conjunction with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions, the division launched The Dr. Oz Show in September. Internationally, the studio owns over 50 cable and satellite networks and 114 channel feeds, broadcasting in 21 languages into 130 countries reaching 400 million homes worldwide. Sony Pictures Television is also becoming a leader in light entertainment, which includes games, variety and reality shows, and operates Crackle, which is one of the top six online video networks. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment continues to be one of the leaders in DVD and Blu-ray Disc distribution in the world, and is rapidly expanding its digital distribution business. Sony Pictures Digital Productions is home to Imageworks, the only major studio Academy Award-winning in-house visual effects unit, and Sony Pictures Animation, which produced the 3D hit, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. Sony Pictures has also been an industry leader in the production of local language movies and television shows, the creation and distribution of mobile entertainment, efforts to combat piracy and the digitization of its large library of entertainment. By focusing on digital innovation, worldwide growth, content diversity and financial discipline, Lynton has led the studio through an era of stability and success, putting Sony Pictures on the cutting edge of an industry experiencing rapid technological and global change. Lynton and Pascal have also put a major emphasis on environmental sustainability. In September, the studio opened two buildings that were built to meet strict LEED environmental certification standards; earlier this year, it switched to an ultralight case for its DVDs, resulting in an estimated 2 million pound reduction in carbon emissions annually. Lynton and Pascal report to Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Corporation. Prior to joining Sony Pictures, Lynton worked for Time Warner and served as CEO of AOL Europe, President of AOL International and President of Time Warner International. During his tenure, AOL expanded into Asia and Latin America and became the world's largest online Internet service, operating in 17 countries and eight languages. From 1996 to 2000, Lynton served as Chairman and CEO of Pearson plc's Penguin Group, where he oversaw the acquisition of Putnam, Inc. and extended the Penguin brand to music and the Internet. He helped lead the Penguin Group to new records in bestsellers, revenues and profits. Lynton joined The Walt Disney Company in 1987 and started Disney Publishing, serving as its President. While there, he launched Disney Adventures magazine. From 1992 to 1996, he served as President of Disney's Hollywood Pictures, where he helped bring such films as The Horse Whisperer, The Santa Clause, Crimson Tide and Mr. Holland's Opus to the big screen. Lynton graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1978 and attended Harvard, receiving his degree in history and literature in 1982. He worked for a time in an investment banking firm on Wall Street and returned to Harvard to attend business school, receiving his MBA in 1987. In his spare time, Lynton has worked with Gary Ginsberg and Jay Sanderson to compile an annual list of the "50 Most Influential Rabbis in America," which has been published in Newsweek since 2007. Lynton's extensive involvement in charitable and civic activities includes membership on the Council on Foreign Relation and service on the boards of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, the Jewish Television Network and the Rand Corporation.