Managing in Troubled Times Case Study

Paramount Pictures' Troubled Times: Can Someone Script a Turnaround?

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Abstract:
Paramount Pictures, founded in 1912 as Famous Players Film Company, is the last of the major US film studios to be located in Hollywood. The studio has an illustrious history of delivering some of the greatest hits in Hollywood like The Ten Commandments, Roman Holiday, The Godfather series, Mission Impossible and Titanic. Since 2000, the absence of blockbusters has hit its finances. Adding to its financial woes is the alleged link-up of its chairman and CEO, Brad Grey with Anthony Pellicano, a former private investigator, who was arrested on charges of illegal wiretapping and racketeering in early 2006. Despite the acquisition of a promising film studio like DreamWorks SKG, the future of Paramount Pictures is still uncertain.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To understand the evolution of the movie business in the US, from the studio era to Hollywood in the 21st century
• To discuss the strategic initiatives taken by Paramount Pictures to boost its financial health
• To debate whether a major studio like Paramount can survive in the business which is being increasingly characterised by small studios making small-budget movies to cater to niche audiences.

Keywords : Famous players; Adolph Zukor; MajesticMountain; Paramount antitrust case; SIMPP (Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers); Viacom Inc.; Managing in Troubled Times Case Study; The Paramount Library; Anthony Pellicano; Brad Grey; DreamWorks SKG; CBS Corporation; Mission Impossible III; George Soros; Tom Cruise

Contents:

• Paramount Pictures: Troubled Times at the Iconic Hollywood Studio
• Scripting the Turnaround Stunt