Palak Patel, executive vice president behind the “Venom” trilogy at Columbia Footage, is leaving Sony after a 10-year stint.
The former executive has been named CCO of Prime Focus Studios, the financial and production arm of visual effects powerhouse DNEG, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news.
Patel helped oversee the “Venom” trilogy, which grossed more than $1.8 billion combined, among other films at Columbia.
Prime Focus Studios recently co-produced “The Garfield Movie” with Alcon Leisure for Sony Footage. This animated adventure has grossed more than $257 million to date at the global box office. The company is currently in production on an exciting series of projects, including “Animal Associates,” “The Indignant Birds Film 3,” and “Ramayana.”
“I have known Namit for over a decade and we have worked together on many films through DNEG, arguably the best visual effects company in the world,” Patel said in a statement to The Wrap. “I have never been more excited to join a company like this – visual effects are a necessity for all storytelling formats and we are on the brink of the most disruptive technological impact on our industry with AI.”
Patel added: “Prime Focus Studios and DNEG joining forces as one company to deliver comprehensive studio capabilities is a game-changer, from acquiring intellectual property to developing scripts and helping filmmakers maximize their creativity and minimize financial risk, with all resources provided, from our state-of-the-art soundstages to utilizing DNEG artists early in the development process to deliver performances across all formats and genres. We look forward to collaborating with all filmmakers and studios. “I would like to thank Tom, Sanford, Josh and everyone at Sony for their support over the past ten years and I look forward to working with them in the future.”
