Lundberg
Miramax Films has tapped one of its alums, Amanda Lundberg, to run its publicity department.
Hire comes as the company shuffles its top publicity execs, promoting Janet Hill to exec veep of publicity and relocating Gotham-based senior veep of publicity Dennis Higgins to the West Coast. Daniel Sheffey, another Gotham-based senior veep of publicity, is ankling.
The Miramax publicity team has steadily evolved since longtime Miramax PR topper Marcy Granata ankled in July.
Hill, who took over as acting head when Granata left, jointly ran the department with Higgins after he joined the company in September.
But Lundberg, who comes to Miramax after a five-year run as head of MGM publicity, is now the top-ranking publicist at Miramax Films. Lundberg and Hill share the same title, but Lundberg will oversee all PR staff and campaigns for Miramax's theatrical releases, reporting to co-chair Harvey Weinstein and, on international publicity, reporting to worldwide distribution head Rick Sands.
Lundberg will be based in Gotham, and Hill will remain in L.A., overseeing the company's West Coast publicity and Academy campaign -- the job Hill held before Granata ankled.
"I am thrilled to welcome Amanda back to Miramax," Weinstein said. "She has become one of the most respected executives in her field with a well-deserved reputation for strong creative abilities, excellent talent relations and proven leadership skills."
Weinstein said of Hill, "Throughout her tenure at Miramax, Janet has been nothing short of exceptional."
Publicity for Dimension Films -- run by exec veep Elizabeth Clark -- is unaffected by these moves.
Record of success
Lundberg, who ankled MGM as senior veep of worldwide publicity in December, began her publicity career at Miramax in 1988. She stayed there until 1992, working on campaigns for early Miramax hits like "sex, lies and videotape" and "Cinema Paradiso."
She then worked at MGM for eight years, heading the publicity department for the last five. At MGM, she oversaw PR strategies for such MGM and UA titles as "Legally Blonde," "Hannibal," "Get Shorty," "No Man's Land" and "Ghost World."
Lundberg also created the awards campaign that resulted in seven Golden Globe noms for MGM and UA, and she was one of the key execs responsible for reinvigorating the James Bond franchise, helping conceive and carry out campaigns for "Goldeneye," "Tomorrow Never Dies" and "The World Is Not Enough."
"This is very much a homecoming for me," Lundberg said. "I couldn't be more honored to lead this very well-regarded department."
Matthew Hiltzik, VP of corporate communications, continues to oversee that area.
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