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EXCLUSIVE: Sony’s President of Domestic Distribution Adrian Smith is retiring after a 35-year run at the studio.
Taking over for Smith is Adam Bergerman who is being upped to President of Distribution.
Smith was named to the post in January 2013. Following the retirement of longtime Worldwide Distribution President Rory Bruer in April 2017, global duties were separated with Smith on domestic, and Steven O’Dell overseeing International.
Smith was key in the release of 1,025 films across all Sony labels, 202 of them No. 1 titles. His fingerprints are all over the successful revivals of the Bad Boys franchise, the animated Spider-Verse films, Ghostbusters, the Venom $1 billion+ series as well as the Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man movies which have minted close to $4B alone. The release of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home stands as the 7th highest grossing movie of all-time, the best ever for Sony, with $1.95 billion worldwide and $814.8M domestic.
Bergerman is a 28-year Sony vet, starting as a booker in 1996 before being upped to sales manager, then district manager for the Eastern Division in the New York office. Bergerman came to the Sony lot in 2012 as SVP Western Division, before being promoted to EVP, General Sales Manager in 2017. He’s been involved in the releases of eight live action Spider-Man movies, the Spider-Verse films, Men in Black franchises and Sony’s run with the 007 Daniel Craig titles Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre.
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There’s been a lot of movements in motion picture distribution land of late: Disney Global Distribution Head Tony Chambers is segueing over to be President of EMEA for the studio with his replacement to be named. Warner Bros. just consolidated global distribution under domestic president Jeff Goldstein with International Distribution President Andrew Cripps departing.
Here’s the full email to staff from Sony Pictures Motion Pictures President Josh Greenstein, who Smith reports into. Within that is Smith’s personal note to staff.
Dear colleagues,
After 35 years at the studio, Adrian Smith has decided to retire at the end of this month. Adrian is one of the hardest working executives in the industry and his retirement is much deserved.
His contribution to the studio’s successes has been remarkable. Since becoming President of Distribution in 2013, Adrian has orchestrated the domestic release of 47 #1 movies, including Spider-Man: No Way Home (the 3rd highest grossing film domestically of all time), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the Venom trilogy, the Academy Award winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its Academy Award nominated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Uncharted, The Woman King, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Bullet Train, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Spider-Man: Far From Home, The Equalizer trilogy, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Spectre, The Angry Birds Movie, 22 Jump Street, Evil Dead, The Magnificent Seven, Don’t Breathe, War Room, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Goosebumps, Think Like a Man Too, Spider-Man: Homecoming and many others.
Since his start at Sony Pictures, Adrian has participated in over 1,025 releases across all labels, of which 202 were #1 at the domestic box office. More recently he has helped make Bad Boys, the animated Spider-Verse films, Hotel Transylvania, Ghostbusters, and Venom $1 billion+ franchises, and has helped drive the Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man films to almost $4 billion collectively. It goes without saying, Adrian is one of the best in the business.
It has been an honor to not just have considered Adrian a colleague all these years, but also a friend and it will be hard to imagine Sony without him. Thankfully, he has led an incredible team and for this reason I am thrilled that Adam Bergerman has been promoted to President of Distribution.
Adam has been involved in the domestic release across all the studio’s films for the last 28 years after joining the company in 1996 as a booker, a sales manager and district manager for the Eastern Division in the New York office. He moved to the Culver City lot in 2012 as SVP for the Western Division, before being promoted to Executive Vice President, General Sales Manager in 2017. Adam has played a pivotal role in the success of several major Sony releases, including all eight live action Spider-Man films as well as both animated Spider-Verse films, all four Men in Back films, and James Bond films Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre. His breadth of knowledge and expertise have and will continue to be vital to the studio and I am looking forward to the years ahead.
Adrian has asked that I share the following with all of you:
After 35 incredible years with Sony Pictures, the time feels right to bid farewell with deep gratitude and a full heart. It’s been an agonizing decision, but I’ve been so privileged to grow here alongside so many remarkable colleagues, and I’m proud of what we were able to achieve with our partners in exhibition through some of the most challenged times this industry has ever seen. As I step into the next chapter of my life, I carry with me a profound love for this company and all that it represents. I’m thankful to Tom and Josh and for the trust and opportunities that have been given to me. I will be eternally grateful for my wife, Linda’s, understanding and support for over three decades. I will cherish the friendships I’ve built here, and I’m honored to hand the baton to my brilliant friend, colleague, and partner Adam Bergerman.
Josh
****
In a replay all to staff, Sony Motion Pictures Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman expressed his congrats to Smith: “I just wanted to add my personal congratulations to him and my deepest thanks for the many years of fellowship and teamwork – A special man and a great colleague. Fair winds, my dear friend.”