MUMBAI: Amblin Partners has promoted Jeff Small as president and co-CEO. Previously, he served as president and COO.
Amblin Partners chairman Steven Spielberg said, “I am so pleased to congratulate Jeff on this promotion to president and co-chief executive officer. It reflects what he has done for us in both challenging and gratifying times over the last ten years, never losing sight of our vision for Amblin Partners. With our team headed by Michael and Jeff, joined by Kristie, Holly, Darryl and Justin, we hope the best is yet to come.”
Small, who played a key role in the creation of Amblin Partners in December 2015, will continue to work closely with the company’s CEO, Michael Wright, to guide Amblin Partners’ business strategy. He will continue to oversee company operations such as finance, business and legal affairs, physical production, human resources, communications and administration as well as managing the company’s relationships with its financial and distribution partners.
Wright said, “Over the last year, I have had a first-hand view of Jeff’s innovative spirit and problem-solving acumen and felt an immediate partnership with him. This promotion is so well deserved, and I look forward to working together with Jeff, Steven and the team as we grow Amblin Partners.”
Small added, “I’ve been incredibly lucky to work for Steven for almost a decade, and I couldn’t be more excited to help him and Michael build our company in the years to come. I am also very appreciative of the support we’ve received from our incredible partners at Participant, Reliance, and Entertainment One.”
Prior to his new role, Small served as president and COO of DreamWorks Studios, a position he held since 2006. In December 2015, Small led the efforts to launch Amblin Partners, together with Participant Media, Reliance, and Entertainment One, and a consortium of banks led by JPMorgan Chase and Comerica Bank. He also oversaw the negotiation of the company’s distribution agreement with Universal Pictures, aligning Amblin Partners with the industry’s premier marketing and distribution organization.
In 2009, following DreamWorks Studios’ separation from Paramount Pictures, Small shepherded the re-launching of a newly independent studio alongside Reliance BIG Entertainment, securing $825 million in equity and debt capital. Prior to DreamWorks, Small spent six years at Revolution Studios, first serving as the company’s head of strategic planning and business development, then as CFO, and eventually, COO.
Among other key projects, he led a $750 million leveraged recapitalization of Revolution Studios and its 47-picture library. Before joining Revolution, Small spent several years with Universal Studios beginning in the corporate development group. He began his career in the Walt Disney Company Motion Picture Group.
