Paula Silver

Paula Silver is the marketing strategist behind Gold Circle Films and Playtone's surprise 2002 Indie hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Ms. Silver developed a marketing plan relying heavily on a grass roots and localized publicity strategy, to augment the initial opening media spend of $700,000. This plan continues to support the film at its current number five box office position, and has grossed 150 + million dollars.

Ms. Silver has more than 20 years experience in developing, producing and marketing of motion pictures.

At Disney, she is known for creating an award-winning marketing campaign for MR. HOLLANDS' OPUS, which revitalized "grass roots" marketing, for the industry, and contributed to that film's $90 million box office success.

Ms. Silver has served as the marketing executive for Polygram Filmed Entertainment and Interscope Communications, Inc. In that capacity she oversaw the marketing campaign for WHAT DREAMS MAY COME and produced the special companion piece entitled VISIONS FROM HEAVEN AND HELL for Showtime. She was also a creative executive for Interscope Communications, Inc., where she developed films, television, interactive and multimedia projects. Ms Silver directed and produced the documentary film on the Sundance Institute, which aired in the U.S. and Japan.

Before joining Polygram-Interscope, Ms. Silver was President of Marketing and Publicity at Columbia Pictures Worldwide where she supervised a staff of over 100 people, managed a $480 million annual advertising budget, and oversaw the development and implementation of marketing campaigns for over 18 major motion pictures each year. At Columbia she created marketing campaigns for such films as BOYZ ‘N THE HOOD, MY GIRL, DRACULA, PRINCE OF TIDES, and A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN, among many others. Those campaigns were especially noteworthy because they succeeded in attracting a much broader audience than the Studio's initial, primary demographic targets.

Ms. Silver spent 15 years working in the advertising industry prior to becoming a Hollywood studio executive. Her Madison Avenue experience included working as a VP Creative Director at Kenyon Eckhardt leading creative teams in the new business unit at DMB&B, and being a creative consultant to Wells Rich & Greene, where she developed the Benson & Hedges "Pajamas Campaign".

She established and led the entertainment division at R. Greenberg Associates (RGA), a leading graphics, and cutting edge technology company, where she created the Tri-Star logo, among many other corporate identities. During her career as an agency executive, Ms. Silver worked closely with all the major Hollywood studios developing and executing the marketing campaigns (mini-branding) for such major hits as: KRAMER VS KRAMER, ALIEN, TOOTSIE, GHOSTBUSTERS, THE EXORCIST 3, THE BIG CHILL, GANDHI, JAWS-3D, BODY DOUBLE, BODY HEAT,DIRTY DANCING, and re named the motion picture FATAL ATTRACTION.

Ms. Silver has applied her communication skills outside the entertainment industry. She coined the slogan "ONLY ELEPHANTS SHOULD WEAR IVORY" for the National Wildlife Foundation, creating a Public Service Campaign. A passion for cultural and civic issues has lead Ms. Silver to become an active member in organizations and foundations promoting the arts and social well being for others. She created and currently sits on the board of The Mr. Hollands' Opus Foundation, which is dedicated to keeping music in the schools by collecting and donating instruments to lower income institutions. Similarly, she spearheaded the inception and sits on the board of Dr. Keith Black's Brain Trust created for the continued funding of revolutionary neuro-surgical research at Cedars Sinai. She is also on the board of the Morning Star Commission, Hillel, and The White House Project. She is on the board of the Women and Film Foundation. Previously, she served on the boards of the Public Broadcasting Service, The Sundance Institute, The Junior Committee of MOMA, The Joffrey Ballet, Manhattan Theater Club, The Children's Defense Fund and The Second Stage. Her special interest in teen issues motivated her to organize and facilitate the First National Girls Conference- "Girls Speak Out", at the UN in 1997. In 1982, after giving birth to a premature baby (3lbs. 2oz.) Ms Silver formed a Hot Line at Lenox Hill Hospital to help other mothers in similar circumstances