Sony Pictures names Josh Greenstein head of marketing, distribution

Sony Pictures Entertainment on Friday named Josh Greenstein as its new president of worldwide marketing and distribution, handing him responsibilities previously held by its former vice chairman, Jeff Blake.

Greenstein comes from Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures, where he has been chief marketing officer since 2011. In his new post he will report to Amy Pascal, Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman.

Blake, a well-liked figure in the movie industry, stepped down in August after 22 years with the company.

“We are thrilled to welcome Josh to SPE,” Pascal said in a statement. “He has an impressive and unparalleled track record of success, and we are confident that he will be a valuable addition to our executive team.”

Paramount said earlier this week that Greenstein would not renew his contract when it expires later this year.

While at Paramount, Greenstein led marketing campaigns for films including Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” this year’s summer hit “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and the 2013 Brad Pitt zombie film “World War Z.”

Blake’s exit followed a series of changes to the studio’s executive ranks as it has tried to trim costs over the last year. The studio, a unit of Tokyo-based Sony Corp., laid off Chris Cookson, then president of Sony Pictures Technologies, in January. Dave Bishop, president of Sony Pictures’ home entertainment division, left in March.

Previous executive changes included the firing of domestic and international marketing head Marc Weinstock and the departure of Steve Elzer, senior vice president of media relations.

Films released by Sony Pictures -- which includes Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics and other entities -- have grossed more than $972 million in the U.S. and Canada so far this year. In terms of domestic ticket sales, it ranks fourth among the studios, and its box office is up 19% year to date from the same period in 2013, according to Box Office Mojo.

This year Sony’s biggest movies include “The Amazing Spider Man 2” ($202.8 million domestically) and “22 Jump Street” ($190 million in U.S. ticket sales).

The company’s slate for the rest of the year includes Pitt’s World War II movie “Fury” and the musical “Annie.”

“I am excited to join SPE’s Motion Picture Group to create compelling and impactful marketing and distribution campaigns that will reach audiences and help SPE deliver at the global box office,” Greenstein said in a statement.

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