Sherry Lansing, first woman to head up a major Hollywood studio

The Hudson Union Society™ is where todays leaders come to discuss tomorrows ideas. If you live not too far away from New York City, please join us in person. Sherry Lansing was honored at the 2007 Academy Awards with an Oscar in recognition of her tireless work as a philanthropist and advocate for cancer research. During her almost 30 years in the motion picture business, Ms. Lansing was involved in the production, marketing, and distribution of more than 200 films. In 1980, she became the first woman to head a major film studio when she took the top job at 20th Century Fox. After several years as an independent producer (The Accused and Fatal Attraction), Ms. Lansing was named Chairman of Paramount Pictures in 1992, a position she held until 2005. Under her chairmanship, three of Paramount's pictures won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Forrest Gump, Braveheart and the highest grossing film of all time, Titanic. "I left Paramount at the ripe young age of sixty," notes Lansing. "A generation ago, that would have been retirement age. But my generation has more energy, more drive, and a greater life expectancy than any group of retirees before us. We are going to be here for two decades or more past 'retirement' age and we want to do something relevant in the so-called third act of our lives." For Lansing, that "something" is the dedication to cancer research, education, art and culture. This will be a special event with trailblazing woman who broke Hollywood's glass ceiling to become the first woman head of major studio, and who continues to make her mark on society through her high profiled work and support fighting cancer.