Ammer’s Move to Post at Sony May Presage Roth’s Ascension

Geoffrey Ammer has been installed as president of marketing at Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Columbia TriStar Marketing Group. Assuming the post Sept. 4, Ammer will be second-in-command to the studio’s worldwide marketing and distribution chief, Jeff Blake.

The appointment would appear to be yet another signal that Revolution Studios chief Joe Roth is considering an opportunity to run Sony Pictures. For the last nine months, Ammer has served as head of worldwide marketing at Revolution and previously served under Roth at Disney and 20th Century Fox.

Sony’s marketing department recently came under fire when the studio was forced to acknowledge that executives had fabricated a film critic in print advertisements and employees had participated in man-on-the-street movie testimonials.

Sony has said it has installed strict new guidelines to prevent a repeat of such occurrences.

In his new post, Ammer will be responsible for all publicity and promotion, but not creative advertising.

Blake said Ammer’s role at Revolution, “a company we deal with so closely and know so well, only serves to make Geoff’s arrival easier.”

Roth, who is Sony Corp. of America chief Howard Stringer’s first choice to succeed Sony Pictures Chairman John Calley someday, said of Ammer: “It works great for us. I worked with Geoff at Fox and Disney and he’s great with filmmakers and I’m glad he’s still in the extended family.”

Earlier this month, Calley, 71, was given an 18-month extension to his existing contract to March 2003. By then, Roth presumably will have made a decision about the job or Sony will come up with an alternate succession plan.

Sony is an equity investor in Roth’s Revolution and a financier and distributor of its movies. Since it was formed last year, Revolution has released three movies, including most recently “America’s Sweethearts,” starring Julia Roberts. Next year, Revolution expects at least seven films, which would make up a third of Sony’s release slate.

Before joining Revolution, Ammer served as co-president of marketing at Disney Studios, working for Roth when he headed the studio. Previously, Ammer worked at Cinergi Pictures and before that in the marketing department at 20th Century Fox Films for 14 years.