After five years as executive vice president and generalmanager, Tim Sarnoff has been promoted to president of Sony PicturesImageworks. The promotion recognizes Sarnoff's tenure as executiveVP, during which time he is credited with transforming Imageworksinto a leading visual effects and digital character animationcompany. Ken Ralston, who has served as Imageworks creative leadersince his arrival at the company in 1995, extends his relationshipwith Imageworks as senior visual effects supervisor. Ralston iscurrently in pre-production on POLAR EXPRESS, a live-action/CGIadaptation of the children's book of the same name by Chris VanAllsburg. Both Sarnoff's and Ralston's new titles reflect what havebeen their functional managerial roles throughout their tenure, withSarnoff responsible for the management, operation and strategicdirection of the company and Ralston serving in a creative capacity.Sarnoff assumes his new title following Imageworks' most successfulyear to date. The company recently managed the simultaneousproduction of three effects-heavy films: HARRY POTTER AND THESORCERER'S STONE, SPIDER-MAN and STUART LITTLE 2. The company iscurrently in production on CHARLIE ANGELS II, I SPY, THE TUXEDO andANGER MANAGEMENT, and in pre-production on POLAR EXPRESS andSPIDER-MAN 2. Imageworks also just produced and released its firstoriginal all-CG animated short, THE CHUBB CHUBBS, which is screeningtheatrically with MEN IN BLACK II and STUART LITTLE 2. Sony PicturesImageworks will be working closely with Sony's recently announcedSony Pictures Animation unit, headed by animation veterans SandraRabins and Penney Finkelman Cox.
