Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily » More Hollywood Title Inflation Coming…

More Hollywood Title Inflation Coming...

I'm told that senior execs in Sony's marketing / advertising / distribution departments will be rewarded with bigger titles in coming days. It'll involve "a lot of promotions". I can confirm, however, that one exec who's not being upped (but is not being shown the door, either) is Josh Goldstine, the prez of creative advertising who reports directly to Sony Pictures Entertainment vice-chairman Jeff Blake. Goldstine has been at Sony since the Peter Guber era when, according to buzz I'd heard, he was hired in the marketing department fresh out of Harvard in the early 1990s because his father was Sid Ganis' shrink. But Goldstine became infamous in 2001 when Columbia suspended him and an underling after it was revealed they had created a fictitious film critic to lavish praise on several of the studio's films. He oversaw some huge campaigns like Spider-Man 1,2,3. He's now on Hancock. But he wanted a title bump.

Posted by Nikki Finke on Tuesday, Jun 24th, 2008 at 02:12PM | Permalink |

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58 Comments »

In 2001, he committed fraud, and he is still there. Although he didn’t get a promotion.

Now, if he were caught in the parking garage having extra-marital relations with a subordinate, Sony would have promoted him.

Comment by Paul — June 24, 2008 @ 2:52 pm
Josh Goldstine is a moron, he takes credit for every good idea but has come up with none..All he does is talk shit about Valerie Van Gelder, who is a genius marketer… Sony has some great marketing execs like Tommy Gargotta…but can’t believe they keep the turds like Josh.
And watch your daughters when Josh drinks…hands of plenty that one..

Comment by AVIDmarket — June 24, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
I remember the bogus critic David Manning, he was the only guy who like The Animal. Back in those innocent salad days I wrote a satirical piece as “David Manning” for an indie film site.

Well, I guess Goldstein was living up to his job title, the stunt may not have been ethical, but it was creative.

Comment by Furious D — June 24, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
Goldstein will need all the marketing expertise he can muster… If Variety’s just published review of Hancock is any indication of the film’s Rotten Tomatoes-ness. Sure, Will packs ‘em on July 4th… But it might be time to invent some new, gushing critics to make sure Hancock doesn’t dump worse than The Hulk during the second week showdown with Hellboy 2 on July 11 or (ack!) The Dark Knight on 7/18.

Comment by MAGNUM — June 24, 2008 @ 4:00 pm
I thought all studios created fictitious critics to praise their films…

Comment by Clayton — June 24, 2008 @ 4:25 pm
AvidMarket: Every studio has someone like Josh who heads the department. An apparatchik like Josh is needed to carry the water from above. Under the head of marketing is at least one creative guy (like Tommy at Sony or Frank Chiocchi at Uni) who has taste and talent. By your moniker, I assume you are an editor at a trailer house, so, consider this: There is less creativity in trailers today than at any time because of the “committee” way of making decisions. That’s why you consider some like Valerie a “genius marketer” because she came from publicity where you have to be creative. The irony of the term “creative advertising” is not lost on anyone. Virtually every trailer looks the same and that’s because studios replicate trailers from hit movies. Because if they don’t and the movie fails, they will get called on the carpet…. “We had a movie just like the ‘Bourne Identity’ so why didn’t you make a trailer like that movie?”

Every trailer house has the same story. “Man, you should have seen version 1 of the trailer.” And they are right. There are amazing, creative things being done that never see the light of day.

Josh is no better or no worse than the rest of the flotsam (save Tim Palen, the only talented person to head marketing). I would love to see guys like Josh with a blank screen or a blank piece of paper and have to create something themselves.

Comment by Drew — June 24, 2008 @ 9:10 pm
Val Van Galder is a genius marketer? What total bullshit. The woman needs a flowchart of step off an escalator, but she is a world class kiss ass - remember she came from publicity and not marketing. She is a champ of sponging off of a large section of adequate talent, like Mark Weinstock at Screen Gems (who knows how to sell genre movies because he has a really good spreadsheet to follow, but is screwed if he ever has to be original) and then moving them to other companies so no one is around to actually take credit for their work. The only thing she can really claim as her own is the bomb ‘Running with Scissors’. She was put in that position by Jeff Blake because she is an idiot and therefore no real threat to his domain or power base. Blake is the true genius at Sony and has lined up a bunch of people who will do their jobs and he can control. And to do that, all he has to do is give a bunch of bullshit titles. Blake is Sony, and everyone else is just a idiot jerk with a big title.

Comment by insertnamehere — June 24, 2008 @ 9:10 pm
Wow, insert… when did Val fire you?

Comment by David Poland — June 24, 2008 @ 10:11 pm
David Poland, I had the painful task of working with Val Galder years ago when she was at Searchlight and I was at Big Fox, and then had a year of horror stories as my partner made a movie at Sony. At Fox, she fed jobs to her director/EPK producer husband - I do not know if they are still married - that never got done but were paid for. We watched her lose her nerve whenever she did have a hit and ask some of the dumbest questions ever in marketing meetings, which is why she stopped asking questions and started raiding her staff. The Full Monty was a hit, but it was an accident and not something that she created. It should have done much better because she lost her nerve, didn’t expand marketing reach or screens. Also, on her way out of Searchlight when her contract wasn’t renewed wasn’t she wrapped up in her own fake review scandal. No wonder she fits in so well at Sony.

I have every faith in Sony because of Jeff Blake. The man is a great executive and a good man, even though tough. The people he put under him there are incapable of ever challenging him or his position. Usually that doesn’t mean good things for a company, but as long a Blake is there, I believe in them.

Comment by insertnamehere — June 25, 2008 @ 11:58 am
I love that Josh’s public execution will linger, not an out right firing of sorts, but a lingering no mans land….people will be nice to him but while they are smiling at him and nodding their heads during creative meetings what they really will be thinking is “this guy has no talent and no say so lets just not listen to him” then again…not much different that what they normally think of him..

Comment by aftereffect — June 25, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
Josh totally created the Manning debacle, and blamed it on his subordinate. Blake allowed him to continue on there, which is so not his style. Josh kissed Jeff’s ass for years. Guess it works.

Goldstine is a pompous ass. Causes more headaches then he is worth to the studio. But, Blake does not like change, and keeps the staus quo. How could you possibly have a head of marketing, that does nothave creative report to it? Insanity!

Comment by ex-sony gal — June 25, 2008 @ 5:07 pm
as a guy who worked for Josh..I can tell you straight up the guys an insecure little ass. he gets a million dollars a year for stirring up a lot of unnecessary shit around the studio..

sony should do itself a favor.. and dump the prick

Comment by ex-sony guy — June 25, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
Josh WAS promoted after the Manning debacle! He was given the ridiculous title President of Creative Advtg AFTER. He made it through the reign of Geoff Ammer because it was in Josh’s contract not that he report to the head of marketing, but to Jeff Blake, by name (all those who doubt the value of a good negotiating lawyer take note). He’s a wunderkind who grew up, so he’s no longer a whiz.

Comment by been theredonethat — June 25, 2008 @ 6:24 pm
been reading these comments and cant help but wonder how jealous you all must be to spend your time with lies and negative comments about josh goldstine. Sony wouldnt be half the company it is if it weren’t for him. I have worked with him and know that he is brilliant, creative and a man of integrity. Excuse me all you disgusting jealous negaitive writers..but how many of you have gone to Harvard? and how many of you have run the most successful marketing campaigns. I’d say instead of writing all this negative BS..check your karma.

Comment by where is your karma — June 25, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
Insert… first, it is my repeated experience that every person, smart or idiotic, in this business has a group of people who feel strongly about them in ways that don’t always seem to fit. I can’t argue Van Galder of Searchlight with you because I had no real knowledge of her at the time.

Is it possible that your scornful opinion, apparently based on your experience of more than a decade ago, is no longer valid?

Could it be that Val - or anyone… or everyone - got better at their job?

Do you know how close Van Galder really is to Jeff Blake and how hard he has worked to keep her in the fold beyond her current contract?

Do you know how hard a number of studios, major and dependent, tried to recruit her while she remained loyal to Blake?

She would be the first to tell you that she is often a square peg in a round hole in the studio system. But she has a fundamental understanding of what the audience for a movie is and has been a leader in finding ways to turn that corner, first at Screen Gems and now at Sony.

I think Jeff Blake is The Shit also… but with due respect to Geoff Ammer, Jeff Blake didn’t get these results with his last marketing chief, who had mostly the same team to work with. And that doesn’t even speak to the extended period of time that Blake was out ill, where there was not the valuable oversight he normally offers.

Again, I won’t deny your complaints about Van Galder of the 90s. I didn’t know her or how she worked. I don’t know how Lindsay ran his division as compared to how Peter Rice runs his. I do know that there are other relationships from that period that were tenuous and which have become much stronger over the years.

Anyway… VVG is a person I respect and like. And her record of success at Sony has kept many others employed after a few rough years. Opening Spider-Man 3 or Hancock or even DaVinci Code isn’t that hard. Opening a re-shot Pink Panther and RV and The Benchwarmers to $20m is skill. The big openings for Resident Evil and The Exorcism of Emily Rose and You Got Served were skill. No one is more of a public fan of Marc Weinstock than she is and no one has been more supportive about pushing him forward.

So… perhaps we agree to disagree. But really, every time I hear someone who is skilled or kind or successful called unskilled, evil, or a failure, my head spins. And then I realize that we all carry our baggage.

As for Josh, I think it is a shame that Nikki felt the need to kick him. Whatever kind of guy people feel he is or isn’t, old gossip should have an expiration date on some level. But the announcement is coming and he was, I think, Nikki’s way of “being there first.” It’s not “title inflation.” It’s not about Josh. But the story is coming, likely in the wake of a strong Hancock start. (And for the record, will all the bad blood between Nikki and I, I think it is very fair minded of her to allow my comments to appear on the blog.)

Comment by David Poland — June 26, 2008 @ 12:09 am
Josh–

Using “where is your karma” as a nom de plume is an interesting choice. I would have though “I know Sid!” would have been better.

Comment by Drew — June 26, 2008 @ 5:55 am
Why go to the movies when you can read these nasty nasty items in Deadline Hollywood and the flesh eater comments. The experience is better than any film I’ve seen this year, last year and the year before. “Flow chart to step off…” Excellent.

Comment by Nick Beale — June 26, 2008 @ 6:26 am
It takes a sad little coward to rip a guy publicly, but anonymously.

Here’s a fun game, let’s see if we can figure out who AVIDmarket is!
Let’s see, “AVID” suggests pompous trailer editor…what trailer companies does Sony work with that are still on Avid instead of Final Cut? Are there any besides the Ant Farm? Hmm, pompous editor at the Ant Farm who maybe lost one too many Sony trailers to Create or Giaronomo? Am I getting close, AVIDmarket?

Comment by cleverhandle — June 26, 2008 @ 10:36 am
Some people might think that I would be an unusual advocate for Josh. All the more reason for me to write.

There are a handful of people who truly know what it is like to work with Josh at Sony, and I happen to be one of them. I worked alongside Josh at Sony for 7 years and he was my boss for another 2. During those years we have had both a good working relationship and a difficult working relationship. I haven’t had much contact with Josh since I left Sony, but I have read the comments above and simply cannot let such vitriol go unanswered.

1. Josh’s creativity:
Is Josh the guy wearing a beret and painting in his garret? No, that’s not Josh. Josh arrives at his creative solutions using his left brain - logic. Since his record for opening movies is stellar, the manner in which he arrived at his creative solution is irrelevant. The proof is in the movie openings.

2. Josh’s character:
The Josh I know is a kind and sensitive person. He is a decent guy. For those of you who didn’t see that on a day to day basis, let me lend some perspective. Josh was responsible for 20+ movies at a time. The stress and pressure brought to bear on creative execs by the studio execs and filmmakers is unfathomable. Sony has many good attributes as a work place. But it is unlike any place I have worked before or since in terms of pressure. And as I have worked at another studio as well, I do have a comparison. If Josh wasn’t the nicest guy in the world to you then maybe the above explains a little of it.
For you ad agency people who were angry at yet another 7 p.m. phone call requesting spots in the morning, yes, I do sympathize. Was some of this pressure self imposed by Josh? Undoubtedly. But for the most part the overall environment at Sony demanded such actions.

3. David Manning:
Yes, Josh did a bad thing. And yes, he has paid for it in human terms more than most of you will ever comprehend. Enough already with this.

Josh has spent nearly 20 years of his life dedicated to Sony. I, for one, wish him well in his future endeavors. Hopefully the first thing he does is take a vacation with his family far far away from Los Angeles.

Unlike most of you, I am quite willing to sign my name.
Dana Precious

Comment by Dana Precious — June 26, 2008 @ 11:14 am
Wait–your last name is really “Precious?” I just assumed that was some made up pornstar style name. That’s great!

Comment by Can't Take it Anymore — June 26, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
It’s true, Josh is very demanding, sometimes to an unreasonable and even counterproductive degree. He sometimes enjoys being intimidating a bit too much, and the David Manning thing was dumb.

But lets get real. Anyone who wields power is going to step on people’s toes. Anybody who makes creative judgements at his level is going to disappoint people working for him. And as for David Manning, who among us hasn’t pushed that envelope in our zeal to get results? He just had more power, so his mistakes really count.

Josh’s intelligence is undeniable. Every creative exec in town has his or her quirks and limitations. Squeezing the vendor is part of the job. Let’s not forget that’s part of why we’re so well paid. Check out the real world some time.

I’ve been insulted by him, I’ve been abused by him. I’ve also had success with him. His judgement is solid. In all the time I’ve worked with him he’s never NOT MADE SENSE (which is more than I can say for a lot of studio execs). He’s loyal to his people. He’s dedicated to a fault, and his results cannot be beat. He is at heart a good man. I know he’s left bad blood in his wake, but what I’m reading here is way over the top. It sounds like a lot of you don’t understand what Josh’s job demands of him (or used to).

Change is good, I’m glad there’s a shake up at Sony. I think it’ll be good for all, including Josh. I think the people here with such bitterness toward him should look at themselves a bit more closely and ask it its his limitations they are so mad at, or their own.

Unsigned because I’m probably working with some of you schmucks right now.

Comment by Citizen Caine — June 26, 2008 @ 1:23 pm
So glad to see the balanced perspective being brought forth. Kudos to the site. Josh is liked and not liked, as are most people in a power position. Yeah, he is pompous, and narcissitic. How long is the list of all those in Hollywood who are?

One thing does irk me through the Manning embarassment is that everyone knows he did it, yet he has never manned up and taken the responsibility. Says a good deal about the person, doesn’t it?

(Loved how when Ammer began his tenure there, at a Sony marketing dept retreat he called his bowling team - Dave Manning - classic!!!)

Comment by David Begelman — June 26, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
Interesting.
I would have called Ammer’s choice of bowling team name classless — not classic. Certainly not the gesture of a president of marktng who is supposed to be a leader and uniter of a team.

Comment by devildog — June 26, 2008 @ 7:19 pm
I agree with my former collegue and friend, Dana Precious…and I am willing to sign my name as well.

I’ve worked at three studios, including Sony, and am currently a consultant to three more. Being a studio exec is no walk in the park. It can bring out the worst and the best in a person, and I have certainly made my share of mistakes.

How about a little human kindness, folks. When a guy is down, why kick him? Offer a helping hand and a friendly ear. Some day, it could be you on the receiving end of a mean spirited blog. Life is funny that way.
ra

Best of luck Josh. I applaud your extraordinary accomplishments.

Neil Dick

Comment by Neil Dick — June 26, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
When I was at Sony, Josh would occasionally call and ask me for a favor. The call would invariably begin with a personal insult NOT delivered in a humorous manner, and then he’d tell me he needed the favor yesterday. I once pulled an all-nighter gathering together information he HAD to have the next morning. I e-mailed the completed memo to him at about 8:30 AM. When I didn’t hear back, I called his assistant that afternoon to make sure he’d gotten it. She confirmed he had. Yet I never heard one single word back from him. Not even a simple “thanks,” which would have taken all of five seconds to type and hit “Send.” I don’t care how much “stress and pressure” you’re under–it doesn’t give you the right to forego simple human decency.

Comment by precode — June 26, 2008 @ 11:36 pm
Not all, but many of you willing to sign your name are being intellectually dishonest. You’re willing to sign your name to do what we all try to to to those who can hire us: indirectly or directly try to curry favor with them. Or, to curry favor with others in the business who read this column (”see what a stand-up person I am”). Think I am lying? Think about what happens at movie premieres as you circle these marketing chiefs or the creative execs trying to get a moment to tell them what a great campaign they did. And don’t forget the hoops you had to jump through to get tickets to the premiere just for that precious “face” time.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Sure, some of the comments are over the top but the the essence of this guy has been captured and you all know it. Don’t fret for Josh. He will get a great job if he leaves Sony.

And as I said before: guys like Josh are needed to make these departments run. As Dana said, he’s not the beret wearing guy. There’s nothing wrong with being the political person (that’s not a pejorative, btw) because that skill is needed it make through the land mines at a big studio. Does he have the creative chops of Tim Palen, Tonny G, Frank Chicochi, and I loathe to say it–Tony Sela (and that’s another ball of wax!)? No. But who cares because a studio needs a mix of political guys and creative guys to make the department run.

All that said, if you don’t have the creative chops, you should have the interpersonal skills. Look no further than the man who got him started in this business, Sid Ganis. Not a creative type but a more decent, genuinely nice person has not worked in this business.

And I am not signing by name, because I do want to still want to work in this business but I cannot tell the truth if I did. Even though I would love to suck up to Sid Ganis, so he can help me get in the Academy. Maybe Sid can decipher who I am and thus this missive turns out to be a win-win scenario for me……

Comment by Drew — June 27, 2008 @ 6:43 am
Dana Precious and Neil Dick - world class ass kissers. Good job guys.

Comment by Oh brother... — June 27, 2008 @ 10:01 am
my partner, mike ockhurtz, and i are a little concerned with the porn references.

Comment by dick nibbler — June 27, 2008 @ 11:36 am
Ah, I see you’ve caught on to my clever scheme.

Get fired from Sony. Wait six years during which time I have no contact AT ALL with Josh. THEN when everyone least expects it, I shmooze him when he is least able to give me a job. You’re right! I can’t believe someone didn’t see through my plan before! Kudos, Drew!

Seriously, though. I expected someone to make that observation. Because after all, this is Hollywood — and why would anyone do anything if there wasn’t something in it for them? In this town, its the first and, sadly, natural thought.

But maybe, just maybe, I wrote here because it was the decent thing to do. It’s called humanity, people. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. If not, maybe there’s a movie you could see that would school you up on it.

Comment by Dana Precious — June 27, 2008 @ 12:02 pm
I’m no big fan of David Poland, or even a little fan. I don’t think he’s analytical or insightful, but he doesn’t have better grammar than most bloggers so he comes off as more professional. He is a fan of Hollywood, and that is his problem. Too much of what he writes comes off as rationalization, and he is afraid of giving any real criticism.

And that brings us to the van Galder-Sony discussion. Because of this blogging thing or maybe how Hollywood in general has devolved, the terms ‘genius’ and ’skill’ as Poland shouts them out are meaningless. I can almost see him in a cheerleader outfit, poppoms and a Columbia sweater high-kicking his way into another premiere.

None of what he wrote as skill or genius was either. I was in Cannes when the Da Vinci Code ad-wrapped train arrived, and it was the source of mocking by every European for the week, as well as being an unnecessary expense. Sony’s trick has not been to hire great marketers, but to increasingly make movies that don’t need marketing, just some advertising. Part of this is the publicity/TMZisation of entertainment and part of this is sheer cowardice. No, interesting movies aren’t being made any more, movies that fit the advertising spreadsheet are being made. Van Glder had no challenges with Spider Man, Da Vinci or even Hancock (except to bury the reviews but then it’s all about the opening weekend now anyway). It is not a mark of talent to sell movies like that. Same with the genre movies he listed as ’skill’…not talent, just process. I can appreciate the business, but am offended when ‘journalists’ like Poland can’t tell the difference between process and proclivity. ‘Running With Scissior’ and ‘Stranger Than Fiction’ are much more representative of what she/screen gems/her staff are capable of. The rest is following someone else’s spreadsheet. Opening ‘Resident Evil’ is no challenge or mark of talent.

He can’t name a movie she sold that was talent, that was skill or even marketing artistry, and there is such a thing. In the olden days in the 70s when I was starting out, there were marketers who could sell ice to eskimos. Now those positions are filled by people with the sweetest kissass pucker and brightest bleached teeth, and the easiest way to cover their asses is to control what sort of movies are made, so more genre and more too-huge blockbusters are made. All that means less risk to sell, and less talent marketing executives need to have.

Comment by insertnamehere — June 27, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
Dana, the air must be pretty thin up there on your high horse. Why don’t you get down and rest awhile. EVERYONE in this business is posturing in some way. Stop acting like you’re any different. It’s marketing for pete’s sake!

Having said that, I too am upset at what is happening to Josh for the simple reason that he gave his everything to that studio and this is crummy way to be repaid.

Comment by Oh brother... — June 27, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
By the way, “humanity” might be a lesson Josh could’ve learned a long time ago. He possibly could have avoided this situation. People obviously don’t like him for a myriad of reasons.

Comment by Oh brother... — June 27, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
Yes, Dana; “humanity.” Not his strong suit.

Like I said before, if you have the creative chops, people will forgive a lack of tact, manners, et al. Talent is forgiven for many sins.

How about an example: Dawn Taubin is a lovely, classy person who is not creative at all. AND, she was not needed to be. She had others under her who were and it was a nice balance. Remember when Dawn and WB parted ways? There were not any negative comments on this site about her. Again, where there’s smoke….

Comment by Drew — June 27, 2008 @ 5:35 pm
I’ve read all the comments. Some made me laugh. Some made me cringe a little. But overall, so many people have made some excellent points. Josh is being overlooked by his superiors because he’s not the “flavor of the month” anymore. There is no question is anyone’s mind that he is an excellent and savvy marketer. Yes, he’s pompous and arrogant and far too self-important for his own good, but he’s a Harvard guy - they’re all like that. The real sin here is that VVG has risen to the top like a floating turd. She is one of the least creative people in Hollywood, but she happens to be someone’s flavor of the month. It will end eventually like it did when Dana Precious was a creative executive. She was one of the single most inane and inept marketers in the business. Thankfully for her, VVG has not taken that crown.

Comment by Sandy Sharpe — June 27, 2008 @ 5:57 pm
I have been in many “corners” of the Sony offices with some of the people that are commenting on this issue..two in particular.. whos comments regarding Josh..to me and to MANY others publicly would be far too scandalous even for this site….

Comment by ex sony guy — June 27, 2008 @ 6:23 pm
and what about Bill Loper?

Comment by stir it up — June 27, 2008 @ 6:49 pm
why even comment on Bill Loper. he’s a bumpling idiot who somehow manages to stay employed….least respected marketing exec in the business..the delivery guy has better creative instinct than that mess.

Comment by ex sony guy — June 28, 2008 @ 7:41 am
to all of you who seem to have nothing better to do than malign hard working executives, wouldn’t it be more productive to put all of this energy into doing something positive? it obviously is thrilling to be able to anonymously vent frustration that people you don’t like are succeeding. i would guess that none of them are spending this much time thinking about you.

Comment by enough already — June 28, 2008 @ 10:53 am
After hearing of this blog and looking at it for myself, I am struck by how disrespectful and cruel people can be towards somebody they do not know on a personal level at all. First off, I have a particularly biased perspective here because I am Josh Goldstine’s little brother. Secondly, I was initially going to ask my brother if he would be comfortable with me saying this, but I have decided that I need to for myself, and so this is being posted entirely without his knowledge.

To Drew and Oh brother, you don’t know a single thing about Josh Goldstine, and you should be ashamed of the slanderous way you have written about him. However he first got a job at Sony back in the early 90’s, it was his creativity and hard work that has brought him as far as he has come. For either of you to say that he is without “humanity” offends me very deeply. He is and has been as loving and supportive towards my sister and me as any big brother could ever be, and he is a devoted father and husband. He is also one of the most modest people I have ever met; nobody in my family had any idea about a whole bunch of awards his trailers won a few years ago until a family friend mentioned it to my parents days later. Josh is the most kind and good-hearted man I know, and his success comes from his diligence–I’d hardly consider ambition and dedication character flaws. It is the two of you who lack humanity.

Comment by Ben Goldstine — June 30, 2008 @ 2:19 am
I am very touched at Ben Goldstine’s eloquent defense of his big brother.

No one has had such nice things to say about Josh’s work since David Manning.

Comment by blahboy — June 30, 2008 @ 2:52 am
Everybody’s gotta do what they gotta do to do what they have ta’ do. (In other words - let he without sin throw the first stone.)

Comment by Johnny Maritato — June 30, 2008 @ 1:19 pm
While I understand how a lot of folks can have their beak tweaked by being asked repeatedly on a 7pm call deliver something at 9am, I am taken aback by the hateful remarks that have bombarded this comments section.

One inside piece of info. relevant to many of these scathing critiques is that Josh consistently goes out of his way to help people that have worked with him over the years. He doesn’t have to do it. Often they are people who can’t do a thing for him; but I find that willingness on Josh’s part to be a very kind, human, selfless, unpolitical thing to do.

It’s very easy to get caught up in the maligning of another individual. Perhaps it makes us feel better about ourselves if we’re able to do it to someone who’s historically been at such a level of power and influence. What’s difficult and shows a great deal of character is to come to someone’s defense when the rest of the industry has decided to “dog pile on the rabbit.” (Props to you, Dana.) Yes, sometimes certain individuals make it even more difficult to come to their defense or to send out a hand of support during these times because they might have had certain proclivities that irk us - they might have been downright jerks at times. But they’re all human beings, with bills to pay and people who care about them. And there are always things going on behind the scenes that you probably don’t know about and thus, can’t understand.

If you ever have the opportunity to sit down with someone, not at one of the industry events, but over a cup of coffee or something, do it. It’s a lot harder to be a hater, if you’ve really attempted to get to know the person and understand them better.

(P.S. Obviously, I’m not trying to be too covert with my “name.” I’ve just had the opportunity to get to know more of you on a one on one basis than most. And I know that so many of you are capable of more than what this comments section shows. Bring on the critique. Just let it be more intelligent, well-supported and humane.)

Comment by Scumbag Headhunter — July 1, 2008 @ 11:53 am
Yes, of course, Scumbag Headhunter, et al. Josh is a very nice guy and very talented. How could so many of us gotten this wrong?

Comment by Nosebetter — July 1, 2008 @ 9:15 pm
To those of you that are upset because you feel Josh showed you a lack of respect, your behavior on this site only proves that his assessment of you was correct.

Comment by voice of reason — July 1, 2008 @ 9:35 pm
I’ve been working in this business for almost 20 years as a lowly vendor. Ive worked with everyone who has been mentioned in these comments and what bothers me is that everyone keeps talking about these studio execs as if they come up with these campaigns all by themselves. Josh Goldstine has made it as far as he has because he knows how to hire people who make him look good. He works ridiculous hours not because he’s hardworking and coming up with ideas but because he’s waiting for some poor schmuck to get up on the fiber and save his ass. Most of these studio people who everyone thinks are so brilliant just spend a lot of money hiring vendor after vendor to solve their problems. Valerie Van Gelder, Josh Greenstein, and Tony Sela aren’t creative they just hire people who are. The only execs who are actually creative all come from the vendor side. Tommy Gargotta’s trailers are cool because he used to be an editor at intralink. Maria Pekurovskiya (ant farm) has original ideas and even cuts her own trailers. If more studio people spent hard time in the edit bay they’d be better at their jobs and wouldn’t have to spend so much money waiting for someone else to do their job.

Comment by rocketman — July 2, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
Rocketman:

But the studio people are not required to be truly creative. It’s a bonus if they do, but first they must know how to navigate the political waters at a studio and deal with filmmakers expectations. The studio’s response to our work is based on testing for the most part; if the trailer/spot doesn’t test the way the studio wants it to test, it’s back to the drawing board for us vendors.

All the studios have creative ad execs with a mix of strength: Sony has Tommy who’s very creative and Loper who is political. Uni has Frank C. who is creative. Maria is sort of ok on the creative and very political. The other one there, Keri Moore,has no discernible skills. Why she is anything but an assistant is a wonder…Anyway, they work for Adam Fogelson, who is very savvy and will no doubt follow in Schmuger’s footsteps and be president of the motion picture group. The point is, all the studios have people with a complimentary mix of talents. It’s essential for getting the work done.

So, Rocketman, you’re sorta right about the specifics, but in the larger picture you’re missing the point.

Comment by Drew — July 2, 2008 @ 4:15 pm
How Maria Pekuravskya gets any sleep..working all day at the studio and cutting her own trailers with her boyfriend at night..whew getting money from one end and also on the other..must be nice….that is political..ha!

Comment by Evider... — July 2, 2008 @ 6:46 pm
Bitter people… here’s the reality…

Studio marketing budgets are insane. There is no other industry where creative companies make over $10k a tv spot from working about 5 hours- and if it goes beyond version 3 sometimes $25k. The studio marketing executives are given movies, most of the time, impossible to market, but because the studio has spent an enormous amount of money to make the project, every meeting they have, with over 25 people in the room, the creative advertising execs are singled out and asked… “what does the creative look like and how come our tracking sucks”…

It is no wonder that during a period when a movie is not tracking well and studio executives literally have meetings every other day to show that there is light at the end of the tunnel (because when a movie doesn’t open well it is never the produciton exec fault)… the question is… with the amount of money we throw at agencies, the time spent in studio meetings and the number of suggestions (from the production asst., marketing pres., prod. exec, etc) of maybe what we all missed in order to produce a good piece of material, we’re not on your ass to come up with every idea suggested, also our own, and trying to get your input that fallls in line with our marketing direction (PS… artistic matrerial does not open movies) , to come up with something the next day to say… “hey we solved it… it’s going to be ok.”

Every exec. you mentioned above, in good or bad spirit, has to deal with this stress while trying to open these inane movies and still keep the relationships they have with the vendors strong… because we know that you’re the ones through thick and thin they want to be with at 10pm at night… they can count on… knowing they have to show a piece of material the next day that will subside the head of the studio’s fears.

We’re all guilty… but whether too political or too creative, we all have the same stress and still pay the same amount of $$ to get the work done… a version 22 pays a lot more $$ than a version 1… tell your kids that.

Comment by reality — July 3, 2008 @ 2:45 am
Dana wasn’t so high-horsed when she was handing out kickbacks on Godzilla….. Just sayin’. Her husbands agency made a killing on that one.

My memory of Josh is him being the only person on the lot (practically… it was the Guber years) wearing a tie. Of course it was always a HARVARD tie, as he was quick to point out.

Comment by Ex-Sonyite — July 3, 2008 @ 2:41 pm
For what it’s worth, Maria was Dana’s assistant back in the day. They both reported to Marc Scmuger.

Comment by Ex-Sonyite — July 3, 2008 @ 2:50 pm
This is so ridiculous.

As a marketing exec at one of the studios, lets not forget how much money all the vendors make…hopefully doing something you love.

sorry it is so awful for you guys..

I’ve been to a few parties at your houses..one young agencey owner in particular..Ive never seen such an estate…..shit maybe I should move to your side and deal with all this so I can live like him…

can we end this now..and get back to 3rd period..

Comment by Anonymous — July 3, 2008 @ 5:26 pm
What the fuck is wrong with all of you? Anytime someone posts something trying to defend Josh, which believe it or not, people are entitled to do, you immediately assume it’s him. Let’s look at the numbers. Currently, Spider-man 3 holds the biggest opening weekend. And which movie studio is that part of? Sony. The movie also had a terrible second weekend drop, but that would be due to the movie itself, having nothing to do with the marketing. Bad word of mouth will kill it just like Hancock, but this has nothing to do with the marketing. Chill the fuck out.

Comment by Jack — July 5, 2008 @ 11:46 am
No, we don’t assume it’s Josh.

We assume it is David Manning.

Comment by blahboy — July 5, 2008 @ 2:05 pm
be careful about terming something ‘kickbacks’
People work with people because (hopefully mostly) of a creative trust
yes Dana and martin
yes oren and katya
yes maria and rob
yes lots and lots of others
assume that it is the creative relationship
and is hopefully not the financial relationship

Comment by Anonymous — July 5, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
Anonymous, I think it’s safe to assume that the bitter people on this site are not the successful people you’re thinking of. These idiots are the ones who are struggling, and who blame their failures on others as opposed to their own lack of talent.

Comment by voice of reason — July 5, 2008 @ 6:41 pm
There’s no place for talent in the trailer business. It’s unacceptable.

Comment by WTF — July 9, 2008 @ 4:43 am
Late to the game, but am amazed that there is so much criticism, so much talk about the lack of talent in the ranks of Sony - and yet so little about Geoff Ammer and the legacy of talentless hacks he left in his wake. Yes, Jeff Blake is brilliant and navigates the political waters of the studio business like not other, but his policy of hiring people that will never threaten his stranglehold on Sony marketing did take it’s toll with strings like Gigli, Hollywood Homicide, The Missing, Radio. Sony is a machine, and let’s face it, when you’ve got the goods in the product, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to crank the engine. It’s trying to make something out of the above debacles that separates the men from the boys. Van Galder’s biggest credit before stepping into big Sony was, what, Underworld? Talk about following a script. Of course, she was the best choice to step up to Spider-man, just as Mark is the best choice to follow in her footsteps.

Comment by JustSaying000 — July 31, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
let this be a lesson to everyone…. you can do great work, get great work from people, without treating people like shyte. end of story

Comment by lesson — August 3, 2008 @ 9:58 pm

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