October 30, 2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000

                         lunger@oscars.org

Beverly Hills, CA - The careful blending of art and commerce to successfully create and release films is its own art form, practiced by the executives who run Hollywood's movie studios and production companies. Several of them will discuss the mechanics of their jobs at a four-Wednesday seminar, "Red Light/Green Light: Notes from the Executive Boardroom," at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, beginning November 8 and continuing on November 15, 29 and December 6. Each session will start at 7 p.m. in the Academy Little Theater.

Scheduled speakers include John Calley, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment; Chip Diggins, senior vice president, production, Motion Picture Group, Paramount Pictures; Barbara Boyle, president, production, Valhalla Motion Pictures; and Tom Bernard, co-president, Sony Pictures Classics.

Speakers will share their views on a range of topics, including how they got started, how they make decisions, how they determine and then guide their company's direction and how they balance creative and commercial goals.

Each seminar session will feature a moderated panel followed by open discussion between audience and guests. Sid Ganis, president of Out of the Blue...Entertainment, will moderate two of the four evenings.

Tickets for "Red Light/Green Light" are $80 for the general public, $60 for Academy members and students with valid identification. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Space is limited and all seating will be on a first-come, unreserved basis. Participants are subject to change. For more information and to reserve space, call (310) 247-3000, ext. 111.