Columbia Taps Sid Ganis as President of Marketing

In a move to bolster its marketing operation, Columbia Pictures on Monday named Sid Ganis president of marketing and distribution. Ganis was executive vice president of communications at Columbia’s parent, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The move follows weeks of speculation about a possible marketing division change at Columbia, which had two recent box office flops in “Radio Flyer” and “Gladiator.”

Columbia’s president of marketing, Paula Silver, and its domestic distribution chief, James Spitz, will report to Ganis, who previously handled marketing for Paramount Pictures. Sources close to the company said studio chief Mark Canton offered Ganis the job last year.

The pressure on Ganis to accept reportedly increased after the failures of “Radio Flyer” and “Gladiator.”

In a statement, Canton said Columbia’s need for strong marketing leadership is “more dramatic than ever.”

Ganis said he missed the hands-on experience of marketing films. At Paramount he was involved in such pictures as “Ghost,” “Fatal Attraction” and “Top Gun.”

“There’s a part of me that’s deeply rooted in the movie business,” he said.

Ganis came to Sony in January of last year after serving as president of the motion picture group and president of worldwide marketing at Paramount. Before that, he worked for producer George Lucas.