Teri Meyer has been promoted to the newly created position of evp of worldwide publicity for Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Marketing. She will be responsible for formulating and executing worldwide publicity campaigns for all live-action and animated features released under The Walt Disney Pictures (live action and animation), Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures banners.
Meyer will report directly to Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Marketing and Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Distribution, and Jim Gallagher, president of domestic marketing for Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Marketing.
Zoradi said, "Teri has done an amazing job handling all of our international publicity campaigns over the past 12 years and has been instrumental in the division's unprecedented run of success at the box office. Her knowledge and experience in publicity is second to none, and she has demonstrated time and again her skills at launching a wide variety of motion pictures. She is a trusted colleague, a respected publicity executive in the industry, and a great team leader. We're so pleased that she has agreed to take on this new expanded role in overseeing our global publicity efforts."
Supporting Meyer in her new duties will be Jasmine Madatian, a veteran publicity exec, who joins the team as svp of domestic publicity, and Michelle Sewell, who moves up to svp of international publicity, for Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Marketing. Both will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the publicity campaigns in their respective areas. They will both report directly to Meyer. Madatian will also report to Gallagher.
Meyer added, "This is a very exciting time for the studio, and this new organization allows us to have greater impact and be more efficient with our worldwide publicity campaigns. Michelle has been an important part of our international team for many years and has always done an exceptional job. Jasmine comes to Disney with a stellar reputation in the industry and lots of experience in successfully launching a wide variety of motion pictures. Disney has always been recognized around the world for having a great publicity team, and this new global effort gives us added strength in maximizing our efforts."
Meyer began her association with Disney 12 years ago, following a successful early career as a journalist. For the past 10 years, she has been svp, International Publicity, for Buena Vista International, shaping and supervising all of the publicity campaigns and publicity-driven special events/premieres for Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone product in all markets outside the U.S. and Canada. She coordinated the activities of the international field publicity staff in three regional offices and 30 wholly owned territory offices as well as a similar number of sub distributors worldwide. She also determined the strategy for participation in all international film festivals.
The success of the BVI publicity team under Meyer's leadership is best reflected by the division's unprecedented box office record. BVI is the most successful international distribution company in the world, crossing the $1 billion box office threshold in [2005 for the 11th consecutive year]. BVI is the only international theatrical distribution company in industry history to accomplish this feat.
Meyer has guided some of the most successful international publicity campaigns to date which range from CRIMSON TIDE, ARMAGEDDON, PEARL HARBOR TO TOY STORY 1 and 2, FINDING NEMO, THE INCREDIBLES to THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, NATIONAL TREASURE, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST.
Prior to Disney, Meyer was svp at Dennis Davidson & Assoc. Inc., where she was responsible for strategizing and implementing domestic and international campaigns on independent and major studio feature releases. She was also vp, International Publicity, at Twentieth Century Fox, where she supervised campaigns for HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK, MRS. DOUBTFIRE, HOT SHOTS, GRAND CANYON and SPEED, among others.
Before transitioning into international publicity, Meyer was director, national publicity for Universal Pictures, where she developed and implemented the domestic campaigns on such films as BACK TO THE FUTURE, the Oscar-winning OUT OF AFRICA, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, MASK and BRAZIL. She began her career as a journalist, serving as business editor of THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER and senior film reporter for four-and-a-half years, and eventually the editor of the entertainment trade daily for five years.
Madatian most recently served as svp, publicity/promotions for Paramount Pictures Corp. from 1998-2005. In that role, she supervised all publicity and awards campaigns, for the feature film division and corporate public relations. She oversaw a staff of 40 in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, and the activities of the field staff in North America. She supervised campaigns for many top films, including: TITANIC, THE TRUMAN SHOW, SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 2, THE SCHOOL OF ROCK, MEAN GIRLS, WHAT WOMEN WANT, THE HOURS, SPONGEBOBSQUAREPANTS, WAR OF THE WORLDS and Paramount's 90th Anniversary Celebration.
Prior to that, Madatian held the post of vp, national publicity at Twentieth Century Fox where she worked from 1990-1995. During her five-year stint, she supervised publicity campaigns for such films AS WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, MRS. DOUBTFIRE, SPEED, DIE HARD 2, HOME ALONE, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, "MY COUSIN VINNY and HOT SHOTS.
From 1987-1990, Madatian was a senior account exec with Andrea Jaffe Inc., where her roster of personal clients included Tom Cruise, Jim Belushi, Dustin Hoffman, Demi Moore, Richard Gere, Kim Basinger, James Woods and Oliver Stone, among others. She also worked on the publicity campaigns for FATAL ATTRACTION, RAIN MAN, THE LAST EMPEROR, THE ACCUSED and BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY. Her other career highlights include a stint as senior staff publicist for De Laurentiis Ent. Group (1986-1987), an account exec position at Dennis Davidson Assoc. (1985-1986) and a junior publicist role for Fox in San Francisco (1982-1985).
Sewell, a 15-year veteran of Buena Vista International, has served as vp of European Publicity in the Company's London office since 1997. Prior to that, she held the posts of director, European Publicity, and U.K. publicity manager. During her tenure with Disney, she has been instrumental in implementing publicity campaigns throughout Europe for many of the studio's biggest hits: the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FILMS, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, THE LION KING, POCAHONTAS, FINDING NEMO, THE INCREDIBLES, TOY STORY, ALADDIN, CRIMSON TIDE, WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, PEARL HARBOR, etc.
In addition to supervising the BVI European Press Office and serving as liaison to regional and territory publicity offices, Sewell managed all European Festival requests, oversaw the screening campaigns for U.K.-based Academy members, and organized and coordinated European talent tours.
Prior to joining Disney, Sewell worked for Rogers and Cowan as publicity director for Palace Group and Working Title Films. In that role, she handled unit publicity for THE CRYING GAME, and managed publicity for such films as HOWARD'S END and LONG DAY CLOSES at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. From 1990-1991, she worked in a similar capacity for Frontline Public Relations, where she was the unit publicist for WATERLAND and RAGE IN HARLEM and handled publicity at Cannes for WILD AT HEART.
From 1987-1990, Sewell worked for Warner Bros. as national press officer and publicity manager. Other career highlights include stints as a publicist and international press coordinator for the Toronto Film Festival (1987) and a national press officer for Warner Bros. (U.K. & Ireland).
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
