MARC SHMUGER AND DAVID LINDE EXTEND DEALS TO LEAD UNIVERSAL PICTURES THROUGH 2013

MARC SHMUGER AND DAVID LINDE EXTEND DEALS TO LEAD UNIVERSAL PICTURES THROUGH 2013

Linde Promoted to Chairman In Four-Year Extension

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Marc Shmuger and David Linde will continue to serve as the leading executives of Universal Pictures in a new four-year contract extension that also sees Linde elevated to the position of Chairman alongside Shmuger, it was announced today by Ron Meyer, President and COO, Universal Studios.

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Since Shmuger was appointed Chairman and Linde was named Co-Chairman of Universal Pictures in March 2006, the pair have engineered the transformation of the studio through a sustained period of stability and growth and delivered the two most profitable years in Universal's history. Shmuger and Linde have solidified the studio's reputation for presenting motion pictures of the highest quality and commercial potential to the world's audiences both in theaters and at home as digital entertainment. Under their shared leadership, Universal Pictures reached its all-time worldwide box-office record in 2007 and then surpassed that record again in 2008 with global receipts of $2.834 billion.

Over the last two years under their stewardship, nine Universal hits crossed $100 million at the domestic box-office and the studio's international performance skyrocketed, with a 66% rise from 2007 to 2008. Furthermore, Shmuger and Linde have created an innovative model to produce, market and distribute films whether they remain in localized regions or break through to the broadest worldwide stage, positioning Universal Pictures as a global leader that attracts and retains the most vibrant and diverse cinematic talents from all corners of the globe.

"Marc and David are the right people to lead this studio," stated Ron Meyer. "They have guided us through a period of success that's unprecedented in our history, and I am particularly proud that, with their new deals, they will lead Universal as we celebrate our upcoming historic centennial. Their accomplishments over the past three years and their vision for our future fill me with confidence and certainty that Universal is in the right hands in the years ahead."

Commenting on this announcement, Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC Universal, said: "We're incredibly fortunate to have Marc and David running Universal Pictures. They perfectly blend their passion for film with creative vision and business savvy. Their complementary skills make them a great team, and they consistently deliver a slate that has wide consumer and critical appeal. Together with Ron, they've done an extraordinary job."

Shmuger and Linde have overseen a period of remarkable stability at the studio, retaining virtually the entire senior executive team of Universal Pictures and re-signing deals that extended relationships with the studio's most valued and consistent filmmaking partners, including Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner's Working Title Films and production companies led by Scott Stuber and Marc Platt. They also oversaw the return of DreamWorks in a new distribution arrangement and established new partnerships with such premier content providers as Hasbro, Dark Horse, and the estate of Robert Ludlum, all of whom come to the studio with properties that could turn into potential tentpole titles and new global franchises.

In addition to these key filmmaking deals, Shmuger and Linde also committed Universal to competing alongside the industry's most successful players in the family and animated entertainment business by forming a new supplier of all-audience films with Chris Meledandri through his Illumination Entertainment, whose films Universal will begin to release in 2010. To provide funding for its slate over the next seven years, Universal closed a deal with Relativity Media as a long-term financial partner, with Relativity contributing equity to 10 - 15 Universal films a year through 2015. Shmuger and Linde oversaw Universal's restructuring of former joint venture UIP and the establishment of Universal Pictures International (UPI) in January 2007; UPI now markets and distributes Universal's films internationally and reached record box-office of $1.714 billion in 2008.

Not only succeeding at the global box-office, the films of Universal Pictures and Focus Features continue to be among the industry's most lauded by critics and rewarded by awards groups. Over the past three years, Universal and Focus titles have earned 43 Academy Award(R) nominations. Under Shmuger and Linde, Universal has become the recurring creative home to the most impressive and diverse group of filmmakers working at any one place in the industry, with new deals or upcoming projects with Judd Apatow, Paul Greengrass, Michael Mann, Gore Verbinski, Guillermo del Toro, Edgar Wright, Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Richard Curtis, Vince Vaughn, Nancy Meyers, Fernando Mereilles, Timur Bekmambetov, Joe Wright and many others.

Shmuger stated, "It has been an extraordinary privilege to lead Universal Pictures with my partner and friend David Linde and I am grateful to Ron Meyer for his continued trust and support. I could not be more proud of the culture our entire team has created here at Universal. I think I speak on behalf of all my colleagues when I say that we all look forward to writing the next chapter in the history of this great studio."

"Marc and I truly see eye-to-eye on our vision for Universal, and it has allowed us to propel the company in the direction we charted," added Linde. "There is no greater leader in this business than Ron Meyer, and no greater team of executives than at Universal. I'm thankful we're sticking together and continuing our journey together. Over the next few years, many of the things we've accomplished will come to their full fruition, and I am excited to help Universal expand its presence all around the world as a true global entertainment leader."

About Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is part of NBC Universal. NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80 percent owned by General Electric and 20 percent owned by Vivendi.

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Source: Universal Pictures

CONTACT: Kori Bernards of Universal Pictures, +1-818-777-7216,
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Web Site: http://www.universalstudios.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment