Cheryl Boone Isaacs Explained

Cheryl Boone Isaacs
Birth Name:Cheryl Boone
Education:Whittier College
Occupation:Public relations executive
President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Term:4 years
Predecessor:Hawk Koch
Successor:John Bailey
Years Active:1977–present
Children:1

Cheryl Boone Isaacs (born 1949)[1] is an American film marketing and public relations executive. She represented the Public Relations Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), known for its annual Academy Awards (Oscars), on the AMPAS Board of Governors for 21 years, until 2013. On July 30, 2013 she was elected as the 35th president of AMPAS and on August 11, 2015 she was re-elected.[2] Boone Isaacs was the first African American to hold this office, and the third woman (after Bette Davis and Fay Kanin).[3] [4] On November 16, 2021, it was announced that Boone Isaacs would serve as Founding Director of the Sidney Poitier New American Film School at Arizona State University's Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, effective January 1, 2022.[5]

Early life

Boone Isaacs was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to father, postal worker Ashley Boone, Sr., and a homemaker mother.[6] [7] Her family was middle class[8] and she grew up near Springfield College until her family moved to the Sixteen Acres neighborhood of Springfield.[9] She is the youngest of four children, with two older brothers: Ashley Jr. and Richard; and an older sister, Velma.[10]

In 1967 Boone Isaacs graduated from Springfield Central High School, known at that time as Classical High School.[11] In 1971, she graduated from Whittier College with a degree in political science.[12] During college she spent time in a study abroad program in Copenhagen, Denmark.[13]

Boone Isaacs married Stanley Isaacs who is of English-Jewish descent. They live and work in the greater Los Angeles area.

Career

After college, Boone Isaacs worked as a flight attendant for Pan Am based out of San Francisco.[14] At the age of 25, she ended up following her older brother Ashley Boone, Jr. who worked as an executive, to Hollywood.[15]

Publicity work

In 1977, Boone Isaacs began working in publicity at Columbia Pictures. Her first job was publicizing the Steven Spielberg film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

She then worked at Milton Goldstein's Melvin Simon Productions, working on publicity for The Stunt Man, Love at First Bite and Porkys, eventually becoming Vice President, Worldwide Advertising and Publicity. Boone Isaacs was then Director of Advertising and Publicity for The Ladd Company and worked to promote films like The Right Stuff and Once Upon a Time in America.

In 1984, she was Director, Publicity and Promotion, West Coast, eventually becoming the worldwide publicity director for Paramount Pictures, a position she held until 1997. As Paramount's Executive Vice President of Worldwide Publicity, she orchestrated the marketing campaigns for Best Picture winners Forrest Gump and Braveheart. While at Paramount, she worked with an unusually large team of women there at that time, which included Dawn Steel, who was president of Production, as well as other women like Deborah Rosen, Lucie Salhany, Buffy Shutt, as well as Sherry Lansing. She was at Paramount for 13 years.

From 1997 to 1999, she was President of Theatrical Marketing for New Line Cinema, where she promoted , The Wedding Singer and Boogie Nights. In this position, she was the first black woman to head a studio marketing department.[16]

Boone Isaacs started her own company, called CBI Enterprises, Inc., where she worked on publicity for films that included Best Picture winners The King's Speech and The Artist.

Academy work

Boone Isaacs has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1987. All work for the Academy, even leadership roles, is on a volunteer basis.

As President of the AMPAS, Boone Isaacs was instrumental in removing the restriction of the number of members allowed into the Academy, what had been a long-time membership cap. She also initiated a drive to invite over 400 new members, many of whom were young and came from diverse backgrounds.

Boone Isaacs has been an active force in addressing the lack of diversity,[17] [18] and an imbalance of membership that is predominantly white and male.[19] Other efforts that she is addressing include focusing on improving AMPAS mentorship programs, enhancing the student version of the Academy Awards and improving the scientific and technical council.

Part of her duties as President included overseeing the Academy Awards. Boone Isaacs also oversaw the Governors Awards, where honorary lifetime achievement awards are given. Unlike the Oscars, the Governors Awards are not televised ceremonies. She has also spearheaded the development of an AMPAS museum developed in conjunction with Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art with a budget of $300 million, opening in 2017.[20] [21]

At the 2015 Governors Awards, Boone Isaacs launched a new Academy initiative called A2020, which focused on improving representation of diversity—age, gender, race, national origin, point-of-view—and includes a five-year plan to focus on industry practices and hiring.[22] Honorary Oscar-winner Spike Lee praised Boone Isaacs for her work towards diversity in Hollywood.[23]

Honors

Personal life

Boone Isaacs is married to film producer, director and writer Stanley Isaacs and lives in Los Angeles.[29] [30] They have a son, Cooper Boone Isaacs.

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cheryl Boone Isaacs: The face of Oscars equality – or a racist organisation?. The Independent. Walker. Tim. January 23, 2016. September 9, 2018.
  2. Web site: Melidonian. Teni. Cheryl Boone Isaacs Elected Academy President . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. July 30, 2013. August 2, 2013.
  3. Web site: Gold Derby News Desk. Cheryl Boone Isaacs elected first African-American head of Oscars. Gold Derby. July 31, 2013. August 2, 2013.
  4. News: Kilday. Gregg. New Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs on Her Historic Election, the Oscars and Her Top Priorities (Q&A). November 15, 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. July 31, 2013.
  5. Web site: 2021-11-16. Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced as founding director of The Sidney Poitier New American Film School at ASU. 2021-11-16. ASU News. en.
  6. Web site: Boone, Ashley A., Jr. (1938-1994). Black Past. September 16, 2013 . November 15, 2015.
  7. News: Saxon. Wolfgang. Ashley Boone Jr., Marketing Executive For Films, Dies at 55. November 15, 2015. The New York Times. May 4, 1994.
  8. Book: Gregory. Mollie. Women Who Run the Show: How a Brilliant and Creative New Generation of Women Stormed Hollywood. 2003. St. Martin's Griffin. New York. 978-0-312-31634-1. St. Martin's Griffin. 56700429.
  9. News: Kelly. Ray. Academy Awards president Cheryl Boone Isaacs reflects on growing up in Springfield, Oscar race. November 15, 2015. MassLive. February 19, 2014.
  10. Web site: del Barco. Mandalit. New Academy President Pushes For More Diverse Voting Members. All Things Considered. NPR. February 27, 2014. June 22, 2014.
  11. Web site: Kelly. Ray. Springfield's Cheryl Boone Isaacs elected president of Academy Awards board. MassLive. July 31, 2013. June 19, 2014.
  12. Web site: A Conversation With Cheryl Boone Isaacs '71, President of AMPAS. Whittier College. November 15, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041919/http://www.whittier.edu/event/conversation-cheryl-boone-isaacs-71-president-ampas. March 4, 2016. dead.
  13. News: Cole. Yoji. Cheryl Boone Isaacs: Front Row Center. November 15, 2015. CSQ: C-Suite Quarterly Entertainment. June 23, 2014.
  14. News: Herndon. Jessica. Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs Adjusts To Her Influence. November 15, 2015. Huffington Post. The Associated Press. February 26, 2014.
  15. News: Boone Isaacs. Cheryl. Happiness Is a Goal of Life. November 15, 2015. Medium. May 9, 2015. Excerpt of commencement speech given at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts on May 9, 2015.
  16. News: TheGrio. theGrio's 100: Cheryl Boone Isaacs, new Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president. November 15, 2015. theGrio. January 31, 2014.
  17. News: Warner. Kara. Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs on Selma Snubs, Lack of Diversity. November 15, 2015. Vulture. January 15, 2015.
  18. News: Hyo-won. Lee. Busan: Cheryl Boone Isaacs on the Rise of Asian Cinema and Promoting Diversity in the Academy. November 15, 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. October 6, 2015.
  19. News: Ryzik. Melena. Inside the Academy, Where White Men Are the Clear Majority. November 15, 2015. The New York Times. February 20, 2012.
  20. News: Sperling. Nicole. Cheryl Boone Isaacs is ready for the spotlight. https://web.archive.org/web/20140108071431/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/01/entertainment/la-et-mn-academy-president-20130801. dead. January 8, 2014. November 15, 2015. Los Angeles Times. August 1, 2013.
  21. News: Cieply. Michael. Motion Picture Academy Contemplates Changes. November 15, 2015. The New York Times. May 26, 2015.
  22. News: Kilday. Gregg. Spike Lee: Getting a Black President Is Easier Than a Black Studio Head. November 15, 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. November 14, 2015.
  23. News: Barker. Andrew. Spike Lee Is Still Speaking Truth to Power. November 15, 2015. Variety. November 13, 2015.
  24. Web site: BESLA Celebrates Cheryl Boone Isaacs, New President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Black Entertainment Sports Lawyers Association. November 15, 2015. August 22, 2013. November 17, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151117034439/http://abscollective.com/besla-celebrates-cheryl-boone-isaacs-new-president-of-motion-pictures/. dead.
  25. Web site: African American Film Critics Association Celebrates 5th Annual Dinner Ceremony with 2014 Special Achievement Award Honorees. African American Film Critics Association. November 15, 2015. December 5, 2013. https://archive.today/20160120065543/http://aafca.com/african-american-film-critics-association-celebrates-5th-annual-dinner/. January 20, 2016. dead. mdy-all.
  26. Web site: Khatchatourian. Maane. Paris Barclay, Cheryl Boone Isaacs to Be Inducted into NAACP Hall of Fame. Variety. January 30, 2014. July 20, 2014.
  27. News: Kilday. Gregg. Academy Chief on Woody Allen's Scandal, Host Ellen DeGeneres and the Diversity of This Year's Nominees (Q&A). November 15, 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. February 28, 2014.
  28. News: Press Release. Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs Named Filmmaker-in-Residence at Chapman University. November 15, 2015. Indiewire. August 27, 2014. November 17, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151117053124/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/academy-president-cheryl-boon-isaacs-named-filmmaker-in-residence-at-chapman-university-20140827. dead.
  29. Web site: Stanley Isaacs, CEO, 100% Entertainment, Inc. - Producer, Director, Writer: Biography. 100% Entertainment. November 15, 2015.
  30. News: Stanley Isaacs – Producer, Director and Writer. November 15, 2015. The Magic of Books.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cheryl Boone Isaacs".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.