Earl Lestz
BornEarl Spencer Lestz
(1938-08-23)August 23, 1938
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJune 6, 2017(2017-06-06) (aged 78)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationCEO of Plymouth Rock Studios, Former President of Paramount Studio Group

Earl Spencer Lestz (August 23, 1938 – June 6, 2017) was an American film studio executive who was President of the Studio Group at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles from 1985 to 2005. He was later the Master Planning Director of Plymouth Rock Studios, a new film and television studio being developed in Plymouth, Massachusetts.[1] Lestz served as vice chair on the Executive Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. In addition, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Hollywood Entertainment Museum, as Vice Chairman of the Hollywood Historic Trust, on the board of directors of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, and on the Board of Governors of Goodwill Industries of Southern California.[2] He was a member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.[3] In 2004, Lestz was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[4]

Biography

Paramount

As President of the Paramount Studio Group, Lestz transformed the studio operations from a several million dollar per year loss leader into a $50 million per year profit center by developing over 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) of new facilities on the lot. This development included updating the studio's sound stages to attract television productions such as Entertainment Tonight and Dr. Phil and expanding the post production capacity of the studio fivefold.[2] Lestz was also instrumental in developing Paramount's child care center, a first for a studio.

Plymouth Rock Studios

Lestz acted as CEO of Plymouth Rock Studios, a film and television production studio that opened in 2010 and was located in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Lestz headed the project alongside David Kirkpatrick, former President of Production at Paramount Pictures. The project, a response to the film tax credit implemented by Governor Deval Patrick in Massachusetts in 2007, was predicted to create over 2,000 high-income jobs.[5] As CEO, Lestz also oversaw smaller branch organizations under the umbrella of Plymouth Rock Studios, such as Rock Media and the Rock Educational Cooperative.

Earl Lestz died of a heart attack in 2017 at the age of 78.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Boston Globe - Divergent Developments in Plymouth
  2. 1 2 "Pacifica Ventures - Earl Lestz Bio". Archived from the original on 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  3. ↑ Team, Plymouth Rock Studios
  4. ↑ "Hollywood Chamber of Commerce - Board of Directors". Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  5. ↑ About Plymouth Rock Studios
  6. ↑ "Earl Lestz, Former President of Paramount Pictures' Studio Group, Dies at 78". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 June 2017.
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