Two-Time Academy Award Nominee and AFI Award Winner Joins
Co-President and Former Disney Executive Nick van Dyk to Co-Lead Studio
Sher's Credits Include The Hateful Eight, Pulp Fiction, Django
Unchained, Garden State, Erin Brockovich, Matilda and Into the Badlands
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced that acclaimed
producer Stacey Sher has been named co-president of Activision Blizzard
Studios, which is devoted to creating television and films based on the
company's library of iconic and globally-recognized intellectual
properties, including Activision Publishing's Call of Duty®
and Skylanders®, and Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo®
and StarCraft®. Sher, who has produced more than two dozen
major motion pictures, including Quentin Tarantino's most recent film, The
Hateful Eight, as well as nearly a dozen TV series and TV movies
will partner with former Disney executive Nick van Dyk to co-lead
Hollywood's newest studio.
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Activision Blizzard Studios Co-Presidents Stacey Sher (L) and Nick van Dyk (R) (Photo: Activision Blizzard)
"Stacey is a rare talent behind two decades of award-winning television
series and films. Her ability to collaborate with the most inspired,
talented people in entertainment and her unyielding commitment to
creativity make her perfectly suited to Activision Blizzard Studios,"
said Bobby Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard. "As
custodians of some of the world's most successful entertainment
franchises, we are thoughtfully and creatively expanding our franchises
through television and films in a way that will honor the commitment our
audiences make to our games."
"Stacey's immense talent is a great fit for Activision Blizzard Studios,
and together we'll bring Activision Blizzard's hugely popular
intellectual property to both existing fans and new audiences," said
Nick van Dyk, co-president of Activision Blizzard Studios. "Our model is
unique: we have a rich library of franchises created over three decades
with tens of millions of fans, direct relationships with our audiences
and Activision Blizzard's business capabilities, which enable us to
operate with incredible efficiency in content creation, marketing and
distribution as compared to the traditional studios. Our focused and
disciplined strategy will drive tremendous franchise value for
Activision Blizzard as we bring audiences new ways to engage with the
intellectual property they love. I couldn't be more thrilled to partner
with Stacey in building this business."
"As its large and loyal fanbase can attest, Activision Blizzard has
created franchises that mean so much to audiences over the course of 35
years. I'm excited about our mandate to create filmed entertainment
based on Activision Blizzard games that is as great as the games
themselves," said Stacey Sher, co-president of Activision Blizzard
Studios. "I look forward to joining Nick, Bobby, and the insanely
talented and forward-thinking team at Activision Blizzard to develop an
even greater voice for these franchises by bringing them into the world
of television and film."
Sher is a two-time Academy Award nominee, most recently for Quentin
Tarantino's Django Unchained, starring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo
DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington. She
was previously nominated for Steven Soderbergh's Erin Brockovich,
with Julia Roberts and Albert Finney.
Sher's film credits also include Academy Award Best Picture nominee Pulp
Fiction, the 2005 Independent Spirit Award-winning Garden State,
and three films with director Steven Soderbergh: Contagion, Erin
Brockovich, and Out of Sight. Additional credits include
Oliver Stone's World Trade Center; Matilda; Along Came Polly;
Reality Bites; Get Shorty and its sequel, Be Cool; Gattaca;
Man on the Moon; Skeleton Key; Freedom Writers; Burnt;
A Walk Among the Tombstones; Freeheld; Wish I Was Here;
Living Out Loud; Camp; How High; AMC's hit
television series "Into the Badlands"; and Comedy Central's "Reno 911,"
for which Sher served as an executive producer for all six seasons.
About Activision Blizzard
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the S&P 500, is the world's most
successful standalone interactive entertainment company. Activision
Blizzard develops and publishes games based on some of the most beloved
entertainment franchises, including Call of Duty®, Destiny,
Skylanders®, Guitar Hero®, World of Warcraft®, StarCraft®,
Diablo®, and Hearthstone®: Heroes of Warcraft™. The
company is one of the FORTUNE "100 Best Companies To Work For®" 2015.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard has
operations throughout the world, and its games are played in 196
countries. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products
can be found on the company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160113005373/en/
Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Mary Osako
Senior Vice President,
Global Communications
424-322-5166
Mary.Osako@Activision.com
Source: Activision Blizzard, Inc.
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